New Zealand, Days 17 and 18

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Saturday November 12, 2011 - Day 17

Our plan for the day was to drive to the town of Nelson for the day to see the sights and seek out a couple of breweries and the hop fields. As we left Blenheim Lisa calmly reminded Jim that we are supposed to drive on the left. After he exited the right hand lane and returned to the left hand lane, he gave Lisa the official job of reminding him of this information throughout the rest of the trip. The road was fairly straight and we passed about another 1,000 sheep in multiple pastures. Along the way we passed through a few small towns and remembered that one of the locals told us there are no stop lights in Blenheim and through the country side all we came across were round-a-bouts, called rotarys. One town of interest was Haveloc which the sign on the side of the road said it was the mussel capital of the world. Apparently the sound that Haveloc is located on is where mussels are grown for commercial sale. Just about every business had some note of "mussel culture" either in its name or signage on the building. Reminded us of how Castroville claims to be the artichoke capital of the world.

After leaving Haveloc the road becomes less straight and more windy with blind turns which can be hazardous as there are large logging trucks on the road. The forest is managed for growing pine trees which are harvested and processed into various wood building products. We did see some areas clear cut which are soon replanted with new seedlings.

We arrived in Nelson just before lunch time so we walked around for a bit and found a local farmers market selling local vegetables, meat, cheese, and locally made crafts. We found a cheese stall selling 6 year old cheddar so Jim had to buy some. With cheese in hand we did some more walking when we came across a small beer bar Jim had read about called the Free House that is housed in an small old church building. We walked inside and the only person inside was the bartender. We noticed there were three hand pumps on the bar so we ordered a couple half pints of real ale which were wonderful and made locally. The bartender gave us a couple of recommendations for other breweries and beer bars so we were off. We had lunch at a local cafe, stopped at a bakery and picked up a caramel slice and a small apple pie for desert, and then got back on the road. (A caramel slice is a local favorite, a cookie base topped with a very sweet and rich caramel)

We ventured down the back roads towards the town of Moueteka as this is the main hop growing region of New Zealand. We found out that New Zealand grows only 1% of the worlds hops but the varieties are sought out for their quality and flavor. Our travels took us past the oldest pub in New Zealand but because we were driving and the legal blood alcohol level is .05% we decided to not stop for a beer. However when we came across what we thought was the Golden Bear Brewing Company we decided to stop. The pub was actually the Travelers Rest. There were 2 gentlemen at the bar and it looked like they were regulars. One gentlemen took up a conversation with us while the other just watched. All of a sudden, the quiet gentleman piped up in a loud voice to explain that the pub is called the Travelers Rest because this was a famous place to stop for a rest for the stag coaches traveling between towns. After barking out this explanation he went back to just staring at us. The woman bartender gave us a few more recommendations on some additional beer bars but out time was short.

When we got back to Blenheim we decided to eat in and made a nice dinner of spinach and ricotta tortellini, rocket salad and garlic bread. A local school sponsored fireworks for the evening so we slipped out to take in some fireworks in the parking lot of the hotel even though the weather was cold.

Sunday November 13, 2011 - Day 18

After having toast and coffee in our room we headed off to the local farmers market. Jim struck up a conversation with young woman who makes goats and cows milk cheeses. Her name is Lisa and she talked extensively about her herds and their personality. We mentioned that we are form California and she is planning a trip to California to follow a cheese trail in a book she read. We sampled four of the cheeses she was selling and bought a goats milk cheddar that was excellent. From the market we went to the Omaka Aviation Heritage Museum which is owned by Peter Jackson, a local film producer. The museum is unlike any we have seen as there were full size planes displayed in dioramas depicting scenes from WW1 and WW2, very cool.

Our next stop took us to the Makana chocolate factory. We were greeted and offered 2 samples right away, a wonderful lemon truffle and Jim's favorite - English Toffee. Of course we end up buying some toffee. It was getting close to lunch so we head to head to the Old Malthouse which is an historic building where barley was malted in the mid 1800's. We have a great bread plate and salad along with a sample of beer in the large beer garden. This place is close enough to our apartment so we decide we will walk back later in the evening for dinner.

We went to MOA Brewery which is across the street from Alan Scott winery. We purchased a couple of sample sets for $5 each so we could have a small taste of each of the beers and ciders. The guy serving the samples was originally from Charlotte, North Carolina. He came here after college to find himself and instead, he found a Kiwi and decided to stay and she sponsored his stay. Long story short he is now engaged to someone else and is applying for citizenship. They started their own wine label with distribution to the US. When he goes home to visit family members, he can write off the travel expenses.

When we set out in the morning our original plan was to taste wines but Jim had purchased a book at the Australian Beer Festival in Sydney which identified the craft beers throughout Australia and New Zealand. So instead we went beer tasting and the pubs are in the same location as the wineries. The Marlborough area is a huge wine making area but here we are on a Sunday afternoon and there is very little traffic. The wineries are so spread out and there are so many little country roads that we never feel like we are in bad traffic. In Napa we would have felt crowded, we had a great time.

We headed back to the apartment to park the car and headed out by foot to the Malthouse for dinner. The wind started kicking up and it was supposed to rain later. Lisa's sweater is not exactly keeping her warm but we charge ahead. As we are enjoying a beer before dinner, a couple walks in and we recognize them from MOA Brewery earlier in the day. The woman asks us if we had been there earlier and next thing you know, we are engaged in lengthy conversation about our travels. Their names are Dave and Kate and they hired a caravan and started on the North Island and crossed over to the South Island the day before. Dave is English and Kate is Scottish. They hired bikes from the campground and had biked around the area throughout the day. after a couple of pints they left to return their bikes but plan to come back for dinner. We enjoyed talking with them before and after dinner.

Jim met the owner of the Malthouse and asked him what on the menu was his favorite. He said that beef Wellington was his favorite dish so he asked the chef to put it on the menu. He also said his favorite was teh pork and blue cheese sausage so Jim asked how it is made and made some notes so he can make it. We decided to share a Beef Wellington for dinner and it was very good. During dinner the sky opened up and there was a major downpour. Our umbrella was not going to provide the protection we needed. Jim ordered a whiskey, Laphroig, and a taxi. The taxi driver came into the restaurant to collect us and when he saw we still had some whiskey left, he told us to take our time. That would never happen in the states. On our trip back to our hotel the driver talked about Blenheim and how proud he was of where he lived. When he dropped us off at the apartment, the fee was $9.20 but he rounded to $9.00. We gave him a $20 and when he gave us the change, we told him to keep the $1 but he said he already took it out and refused to take the tip. Again, that would never happen in the states. The one thing we have noticed consistently in New Zealand is how friendly people are. Tomorrow we head out for the North Island and will take our rental car on the ferry to Wellington. Hopefully the weather will improve.

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Comments

[Jason]

civil engineering, cheese, and beer... oh my
Hey guys, thanks for the civil engineering tidbits! :) I can appreciate the sidewalk photo earlier and the mention of the rotaries (and no signals - yeah!). Of course the cheese and beer discussions are great too (I made some brie last Saturday and brewed a porter on sunday). Glad to hear ther are no more airports in your future other than the one to get home. Whew! Hey Jim, what do you think of vacations???