04043 Vanilla Farm

Friday, March 23, 2012

Wine region

First cellar door in Hawke's Bay region:

(someone's excited!) :)

But more excited to go here, Mission, Scott's fav NZ winery!! I find it ironic (for those of you that "know" Scott) that it is located ON Church Rd. & used to be a real MISSION retreat!! naturally, he was drawn to it!! :)

Back door view at Mission, This property is so ugly, we can't stand it!!

The walkway to this cellar door, Mataraki, was lined w/ rosemary,thick & tall & such a beautiful aroma... Scott found a Pinot noir here he liked very much!!

Unison was a cool little boutique vineyard, young & small compared to some of the others surrounding it..

Scott tasted alone at this one...

I practiced recognizing the aromas found in various wines (still very much training my palate)...

Last stop of the day at Trinity Hills...

awesome riddling racks ( i SO want a real one!!) ....

So the young guy at Trinity Hills gives us a tip for camping for the night... Atop Te Mata peak. This awesome 399m peak is well described in our Lonely Planet travel guide, " sheep trails, rickety fences & vertigo inducing stone escarpments cowled in a bleak, lunar meets Scottish highlands atmosphere"
The road to the summit is sealed, but windy to say the least!!
We find a pull off close to the peak & settle in to make dinner. The trails along the hillsides are heavily used by local exercise fanatics, walking, running, mnt. Biking lots w/ dogs in tow....watching them made even ME tired!! :)
camp site looking towards top:

Super breezy at top so the chef had to take the cooking in the van!!

We woke early to drive to the top & see a beautiful sunrise!! & yes a few people had hiked/ run to the top prior to starting there day!

From the top the previous night we saw this amazing vineyard... In the a.m we were determined to find it...
It proved to be stunning & described as the ritziest vineyard in the area...& lived up to it. Craggy Range:

So a tally of one afternoon & one morning of wineries: 50 wines tasted/ wineries visited!!

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Lepper Road Upper,Egmont Village,New Zealand

Glenfalls Mohaka river

Kids here is a Charolais cow. (French breed) ....

I had to take a pic of this one too, 'cause honestly he looked sad I had taken a pic of his. Neighbor & not him!! :)

We camped out here along the Mohaka river at a DOC campground (free) no amenities ( that you'd want to use!) This was a spot Miles & Scott camped & fished late into the night w/ great catches 4 yrs ago, but due to a couple days of hard rain in the area the river was muddy & not fishable at all! (of course he tried..)

We did find natural pumice stones along the shore if we can get them thru customs they will be great gifts for our ladies! :)

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Lepper Road Upper,Egmont Village,New Zealand

A hole in the bucket (list)

Friday pm (NZ)
there is something so pleasurable about a warm shower... Even if it is only 4min long.. ( well maybe I snuck an xtra 50 cents in w/ me...) :)
So tonight here we are in Napier, at a " holiday park" I bargained a bit & got $2 off our rate- well worth it now that we've showered! :)

Scott preparing us a delish "gourmet camp meal" ( chkn stir fry over rice)

To get caught up...
Wed am left Powely's home near Rotorua, & headed to Taupo (Lake)...
For me Taupo was a much sought after destination for this trip, (cover your eyes Mom & Deb)... I was determined to bungy jump... it's been on the bucket list for some time, & its a huge tourist activity in NZ. Taupo has the longest free fall over the water, (+150') off a platform over the Waikato river so I had planned to do it there.

I had a creeping worry in the back of my head that my not so fabulous right shoulder that is famed for dislocation 10+ times now could be a potential issue. Sure enough, we arrive it's misting ) not the amazing sunny day id pictured... & I read the medical list... Heart conditions: nope, pregnancy: Dear God- NO!, prior dislocations...uh oh... So I notify & ask what the deal is.. I'm informed my arm will be strapped to my body to secure my shoulder & ensure when the guys at the bottom pull me into the boat they know not to use my right arm to help me. Then he compounds it & says "if" it dislocates, they have to call the smbence & have to go hospital... I'd be lying if I didn't admit 1st off claustrophobia kicked in, my legs are tied together, one arm strapped to body & jumping over/into a bit of water...2nd a hospital visit is not on the vaca itinerary.... So I got a bit cranky & decided not to take the chance. Scott decided to then tell me he was quite relieved. ( ok boy that skydives!!)
Onward ... We stop at Huka Falls, part of the Waikto river...it's a huge tourist spot & crazy intense. The sound of the water is fierce & we both felt a bit of sick in the belly by the pure power.
Here are pics to try to convey it, it is a gorgeous blue even on this misty day...

Not sure you can read this, but says 200,000 liters of h2o flow over rock face every SECOND- that's enough to fill FIVE olympic swimming pools every single minute!!!!!

Oh yeah, & a dangerous undertow!!!!! Ya think?!

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Lepper Road Upper,Egmont Village,New Zealand

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Rotorua day 3

We left our pretty little loaner Bach:

& Scott dropped me at the local laundromat ( he, yes you guessed it off to fish nearby!!)... Laundromat (very Sketchy)...

But necessary, we brought little clothes for simplicity but have to do laundry every 4-5 days... & we got wet ogo-ing & fishing & then the rain yesterday...so overdue! My god, nothing is cheap here!! $20 easy to do 2 loads wash & dry!! (+ the damn machine ate a $2 coin!!) maybe the cost of an extra bag at airline would have been better! :)

Chores done, rain stopped after extremely windy & rainy night... ( lots of down trees & road crews cleaning up)... But sun is peeking thru overcast skies..
We do a short "trek" into the "bush" ...to see a natural spring. Largest on North island... The stream flowing from it that we walk along is SO crystal clear!!
Here is some interesting info about the spring ( which looks quiet & calm bubbling up from the deep...

Yes that says 1million gallons each hour!!!!

The below pic is an attempt at doing justice to this natural wonder... But hard to show 50 feet deep w/ an iPhone!! The bluish color in center is the spring itself...

Back to Wingspan w/ Noel & Debbie... Scott holding a NZ falcon on his fist.

Lesley- just wanted to make sure you saw my new friend, Whisper on scotts fb page!! :)

Noel, raiding our camper an tries out Scott's fishing pole....

& our daily (2nd) dose of fishing for the day... :) a successful catch & release...

We arrived for a spontaneous visit at friends, Rose & Rob Powley's in Hamurana ( nearby Rotorua)... They welcomed us as all our NZ friends have w/ such sincere hospitality!! :) red wine, delicious cheese & crackers, during which a neighbor stopped by to say hello w/ her young son. He sang for us while Rob played the guitar. ( he's the locals sic teacher & music is so alive in their home)... This little guy (7 maybe) did such a great job- what a cutie!!

He then played the guitar for us as well! :)

Rose & Rob insisted we stay for dinner (tea) & another delish NZ tea w/ friends was had!!
Rob is a very talented potter, ( as well as musician, teacher, artist, father, husband) ... so we visited his studio ( on their property) & selected a couple pieces to purchase & bring home!!!
A beautiful family, such a pleasure to visit!!
Thank you Powley Family- see you in the states! :)

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Tongariro St,Taupo,New Zealand

Monday, March 19, 2012

Rotorua day 2

we woke to day 2 in Rotorua to our very 1st day of rain...
Not to stop the "husband" from fishing....
& first to find his much sought after a lucky NZ 4 leaf clover... ( hard to see w/ so much green going on, but he's holding it up w/ left hand!!)

Off to fish...
They have these "steps" around where needed to help cross over fence w/ out touching the electric fence/ or barn wire.. They're cool...

I stay warm & dry in van & read.... He arrives back waking me from a lovely nap, w/ a nice surprise!!
Finally a beautiful brown NZ trout!! Apparently caught 3, 1st one too small, 2nd one way too big, 3rd just right for a BIG dinner!!

A happy, wet husband for sure!!

A change into dry clothes & off to the city...
We ate a yummy breakfast at the Lime Cafeteria.. A funky feel & yummy for sure!!

& apparently "Boston Beans" are here in NZ too!! ( here is my breakfast, Boston baked beans w/ chorizo sausage, poached egg & bacon on top!!! Yum!!

& yes, another attempt @ coffee... & another failure... " short black" not American coffee either!! :)... Espresso I think. Yuck- but cured the caffeine desire.

We hit the Rotorua art& history museum for some rainy day entertainment...

An amazing building! & truly a fantastic museum!!! Such a cool history, at one time used marketed & utilized as the "south sea spa" using natural gro-thermal energies & waters to heal sick, rich & well-seekers. So much historic remains still intact - amazing experience!!

Above you see just some of the gorgeous architecture of this building....( overlooking gorgeous gardens)

Noel & Debbie were kind enough to loan us their rental property for the night.. They call a " beach house/ getaway" in NZ a " bach" as in bachelor pad (we think)... They had no renters for the next few nights, so we took advantage, & cooked up our trout in a kitchen, a bit easier than the propane burner would have been!!

Pre- prep...