Two weeks ago we celebrated our second Thanksgiving in New Zealand. We went shopping Friday night for all of the supplies so that we could start cooking first thing in the morning. On the menu was artichoke dip with bagel crisps and cream cheese with sweet chilli sauce for dipping potato chips in for appetizers. We had the sweet chilli sauce to add a Kiwi flavor!
The main dishes were a roasted chicken for Jocelyn and basil roasted salmon for Trey. For side dishes we had mashed potatoes, Enid's yummy yams, vegetarian stuffing, green beans with Campbell's mushroom soup, and cranberry sauce. And of course Trey baked a pumpkin and an apple pie for dessert. Cooking such a large meal was a challenge with our small kitchen and miniature oven but we managed to get everything done timing it right so everything was still warm when served since we had practiced the year prior.
As you can see we each piled the food on our plates to start the feast. Trey finished his portion with ease but Jocelyn struggled - having to stretch a few times while finishing the last few bites. Once she finished she proclaimed "I don't understand how those professional eaters do it." Trey had to remind Jocelyn that it was not a competition.This is also the first time we both liked the vegetarian stuffing recipe so I think we are going to make it a yearly tradition which is nice since most of the other things we have are taken from dishes we remember growing up with.The stuffing can be a Fary-Holzwarth family tradition.After dinner we both proceeded to pass out on the couch in our post Thanksgiving food comas. We woke up about an hour later with enough room in our stomachs for some pie with whipped cream.
It was good and we still had enough leftovers to last us two more days. Since we decided two pies for two people might be a little overkill, we invited our friends Michele and Kurt and Mel and Troy for dessert the next evening. We opened a bottle of dessert wine that we had been saving for a special occasion from Cloudy Bay and gave everyone a piece of both the pumpkin and apple pies. Pumpkin pie does not really exist in New Zealand so they were all surprised how good it was. Michele even plans on a getting a few cans of Libby's pumpkin from the US so she can make the pie herself. Although it was a food filled Thanksgiving it was just not the same without having family around. We look forward to next Thanksgiving when we will be back in the US and will be able to share the holiday with our family.It does still seem odd to celebrate Thanksgiving in warm weather but who knows, maybe next year it will feel odd to celebrate it in the cold since we have had two years here!
Jocelyn's friend from work had organised a brunch and had another friend get to the racetrack early to get a prime spot to watch the races. We paid her each $17 for tickets and a bit more so that we would not need to worry about food, glasses, etc.) A modest price for an entire day of fun! We chose the tailgating option as opposed to being in the stands which seemed like a more "authentic" way to enjoy the event.
The morning was spent with Jocelyn getting fully made up with false lashes and a giant flower fascinator (hat/headband) which you simply cannot go to the races without! We joined the group at a lovly restaurant which was just a short walk from the track - this way we could just walk from brunch to the races.
It was a lovely day - probably the nicest weather day since we have lived here in NZ.
We got to the parking spot that our friend had scored and there were lawn chairs, a gazebo/tent and a table all set up. The alcohol we had dropped to our friend a day prior was already chilled and waiting for us to pur into our wine glasses. No fuss!
We were one row back from the track and immediately in front of the large screen showing the races and the outcomes. We were with a very large group and went in $20 each on a syndicate so we all got a chance to bet on a race. We ended up winning $10 each which is not a lot but it definitely felt good to go home a winner and helped us to pay attention and stay invested in the races.
It was a great party atmosphere and Jocelyn really enjoyed watching all of the hits and misses in the fashion department. There were some awesome dresses, shoes and fascinators!
Two things that Jocelyn was told were "must try's" of Cup and Show week was that she must get a "hot dog" which they said was like th American version of a corn dog and Mr. Whippy ice cream (The Kiwi version of the Ice Cream Man).
She was not a fan of the "hot dog" and towards the end of the races she could not find a Mr. Whippy truck. This was very disappointing to her.
We got a ride home with some friends, Michele, Kurt and Debi. As we were driving back to our place before ordering pizza for the evening's dinner, we spotted a Mr. Whippy truck pulled over at the side of the road - but it did not look open. "Pull over!"
We hopped out of the car while Kurt parked it on the side of the road. Debi knocked on the window and we pleaded with the man (we'll just call him Mr. Whippy ;-) ) "Please, Mr. Whippy! We are not from here and were told we must try some!" He obliged and Jocelyn and Trey got their very first Mr. Whippy's. It was not over-hyped. It was delicious and the perfect ending to our Cup and Show week.
We certainly had an exciting Labour Day weekend. We both had Monday off of work so we planned to head north to Blenheim and Nelson. We had already visited Blenheim (Marlborough - where many fabulous Marlborough wineries are located) with Trey's parents back in March but wanted to visit a few more wineries and re-stock some of the bottles we had lost in the earthquake. We now keep our wine of the floor instead of a tall shelf on the wall. Classy.
We got out of the house very early - around 6:30am and headed north. We arrived at the first winery around 10:30am and had a goal of visiting 6-7 wineries. Jocelyn feels that it is never too early to have a glass of wine.
The first winery we visited was Montana. We enjoyed a few of their wines and took advantage of the fact that they were having a 40% of sale on many bottles since they are going to be changing their labels to Brancott Estate. They currently use that label in the USA since people there think of Montana, the state. Now they will be consistent all over.
Next we headed over to Hunter Winery. This place was recommended by one of Jocelyn's co-workers and we were not disappointed at all. We tasted wines with another couple from Christchurch and were commiserating about the earthquake. It was definitely a common topic when people in Marlborough asked us where we were from. It remains difficult to fully communicate to anyone what we went through and frankly, continue to go through (we had 2 quakes in the past 24 hours that were over 4.0). Hunter wound up being our favourite winery - we bought 4 bottles!! It was a cute property with an artist on site. Very cool.
We could not hang around Hunter since we had lunch reservations at the next winery called Herzog. We had read that the food was excellent here. The vineyard itself and the outside seating at the restaurant was absolutely lovely. The food however was pretty mediocre and we decided not to stay for dessert. We had planned to do a tasting there as well but they did not seem to have a lot of options which was a little disappointing. We certainly did not let that dampen our spirits though. We moved on to the next winery!
The rest of the wineries blended together a bit - maybe it was all the tasting we were doing!!?? We did buy at least 1 bottle from each one though. We did hit our goal of 7 wineries and left Blenheim in the rearview as we headed to Nelson for the night.
We had arranged to stay at a place that got excellent Trip Advisor reviews called the Palazzo. For a motor lodge it was very nice and the people who own it clearly take great pride in it. Trey had to get Jocelyn to sober up a bit since she refused to tip any of her wine out at the tastings. We had made reservations at a really nice restaurant called Mint.
Mint is relatively new and have a very interesting and classy way of welcoming guests. The restaurant only has a few tables and when you go in they walk you to a room with a fireplace that looks more like a funky living room. That is where they take your order and explain that there is no rush - the table is yours for the evening. It was lovely. What was even lovelier was the food!! We started with Golden Bay Goats Cheese Bavarois with granny smith apple salad and tamarillo chutney. Tamarillo is also known as a tree tomato that is used often in NZ as a sweet flavour. Jocelyn ordered lamb 3 ways for her main (a dish that apparently won an award for being the best in NZ!) Jocelyn knew Trey was really enjoying the food since he even wanted to order dessert! We shared a tasting plate that showcased all of their desserts in small portions. It was all very interesting and incredibly delicious. It was a perfect ending to the day.
The next day we slept in a bit and then headed out to check out the Centre of New Zealand. We walked uphill for about 20-30 minutes and got to take in an incredible view overlooking all of Nelson. It was fitting that Jocelyn was wearing her Uggs to take a photo with her feet exactly on the centre!
Looking out over the city of Nelson
After the walk we decided to drive out to some wineries in Nelson that had been recommended by friends. At the second winery, Seifreid we decided to have lunch. It was another beautiful day so we once again decided to eat outside. Trey enjoyed a huge and gorgeous seafood platter while Jocelyn got yet another lamb dish. Typical. After a wonderful lunch we went back to the town of Nelson to check out some shops before dinner later that night.
Yummy!
For dinner we decided to go to Mapua Wharf that was yet another recommendation. We thought we had left ourselves plenty of time and even had printed out a map because it was a ways out from Nelson but alas, we wound up getting lost - or at least we did according to the map. After pulling over to ask for directions we finally got to the wharf and boy did it look different than what we pictured! It was basically a few run down restaurants on the "waterfront" which was basically like a muddy lake. Jocelyn was way overdressed - even more than usual!
The meal was nice though and afterwards we spoke to the waitress about getting lost so we would be sure we would not get lost on the way back in the dark. She politely let us know that we must have been going by the "old map" because the new HIGHWAY had opened just last week! Huh? Only in New Zealand.
The next day was another early morning. We checked out of the hotel in Nelson and headed to the Marlborough Sounds. On the drive there we got to drive through Havelock which is the source of the famous NZ green-lipped mussels.
After experiencing the Sounds it is hard to believe that we almost missed the Marlborough Sounds on our New Zealand adventure. After a very windy road (where Jocelyn almost lost her breakfast) we arrived at the boat that would take us out 1.5 hours to our destination so we could begin our 10.5km hike - part of the Queen Charlotte Track. The boat left from the same dock as the Interislander - the ferry that goes in between the North and South Islands of New Zealand.
Stretching between the Queen Charlotte and Keneperu Sound is the Queen Charlotte Track. A 71km track renowned for its stunning views and contrasting landscape, historical landmarks and wonderful variety of native bush and wildlife.
The boat was actually quite nice and the scenery made the journey feel like no time at all. On the first part of the ride we passed houses on one side but not too long into the trip we were told that after this point there was no road access - hence why we were taking a boat. That said, there are actually houses and hotels around the Queen Charlotte. Some people choose to stay there when doing the 5-7 day trek but there are also some luxury lodges there as well.
Before our destination the boat dropped a few people off at Ship's Cove. At this site there was a monument for Captain Cook because this was one of the first places he landed on the South Island.
Our stop was next - Resolution Bay. We walked from Resolution Bay to Endeavor Inlet where the ship would pick us up in a few hours. We were the only ones who got off the boat so it felt like a real adventure!
The boat dropping us off.
The walk was amazing. It borders the water so you get a bird's eye view. We also passed many waterfalls and met a few wekas. They were very friendly and we got some funny video of them!
We could describe the full 3.5 hour hike but to be honest the pictures say it better than we ever could. And frankly, the pictures don't even truly do it justice.
Our friend the weka.
I made it!
We thought we were making pretty good time. The map we were given said that the hike would take fast walkers 2 hours, average walkers 2.5 hours and slow walkers 2.75. Just when we thought we were done, we wound up having another 45 minutes ahead of us!! We would have considered ourselves pretty decent hikers until the Queen Charlotte Track told us different!
Fortunately, the journey ended at a very quaint lodge with a restaurant right on the water. We did not have much time left to have the leisurely lunch and wines that we had envisioned but the woman working at the restaurant told us that she would place our order quickly and give us a warning when the boat called her to tell us to go down to the dock. We scarfed down our fried seafood platter that we felt was well-deserved and headed down to the dock.
The hotel where we got picked up at.
It was the end of Labour day weekend so the boat returning back to Picton was a lot more full than the boat out. We thought it was just going to be a shuttle back but just a little ways into the journey the captain spotted a large number of dusky dolphins out in the water. Back home the captain would probably be so concerned to keep us on a time schedule but not in New Zealand! He stopped the boat so we could get an up close and personal look at these amazing creatures. We got amazing video which we have posted for you.
On the drive back to Christchurch we drove through one of our favourite places, Kaikoura and it is the perfect time of year to admire the beautiful snow-capped mountains overlooking the turquoise blue ocean. We could not help but stop and take a photo!
We got back to Christchurch safely and ended what will likely be our last NZ Labour Day weekend.
