New Zeland, Christchurch Part 3

Sheep traffic bollards. Only in New Zealand, or Wales

After our night in Nelson we flew back to Christchurch for a final day before our all too short trip to NZ would be over.

Christchurch turned on the weather for our final full day in the city. It was gloriously sunny and, in truth, a little too hot to be a tourist wandering round town. After catching the bus into the centre our first stop was the Ballantynes department store where Becks used to work.

I bought a couple of top Kiwi Christmas presents for people and we also met a few of the staff who Becks used to work with.

Coming from the UK I was amazed how many staff there were in the store. The accountants have long ago got rid of that many in store staff in the UK!

We'd promised each other that we were going to have souvlaki before we left Christchurch. Possibly not the best choice on a blazing hot day, but this was out last opportunity so we weren't going to swerve from the challenge!

Dimitris is now operating out of a food van in the re:start mall having lost their original shop in the earthquake and it was proving a popular lunchtime spot. Becks was in nostalgic heaven eating the souvlaki. I thought it was pretty good too, but would have loved the lamb to have a little more smoke or spice to really give it a lift. The lamb was excellent considering it had been cooked on a hot plate, but a charcoal BBQ out the back of the van would have been even better.

Lamb souvlaki

After lunch we went for a drift round the eastern part of the city centre. It's an area which feels dislocated from the rest of the city at the moment with many cleared lots or buildings under construction. It was yet another reminder of how much work there is to do in rebuilding the city. Hearteningly you can see that rebuilding is in progress. The rebuilding inevitably takes some time and in the interim there are small splashes of urban art or urban planting in little corners to let you know that little patch hasn't been forgotten.

After we'd finished our stroll round the city centre we walked north to meet Becks' dad Peter for a coffee near his office. On the way I was keen to detour past New Regent St. I have vivid memories of standing in New Regent St on my first trip to New Zealand back in 2001 and wanted to recreate the below photograph. It was lovely to see the street still there and as colourful as I remembered.

New Regent St fourteen years on

Nelson, New Zealand

Queens Garden, Nelson 

Quickly following our wedding celebration in Christchurch, we hopped up to Nelson for a night.

Becks' late grandmother was from Nelson and this was her first visit since Peggy had passed away last year. It is a great sadness to me that Becks didn't meet my late grandmother and I feel a similar, if lesser, sadness at never having been able to meet 'nanna'.

Therefore it wasn't much surprise that (almost) the first the thing we did after arriving in Nelson was to go and pay our respects at the Marsden Valley Cemetery.

We decided to walk from Nelson airport to Stoke which was quite a pleasant stroll once we'd managed to cross the highway. Being one of the hottest days of our trip, and already past lunchtime, we decided to have some lunch at the Stoke Bakery before going to the cemetery. It was the type of bakery you don't really see any more in the UK, independent, unmodernised and with a good range of no nonsense sandwiches, pies and cakes by the slice.

After lunch we bought some flowers and continued our walk up to the cemetery. The large cemetery was well tended (much more so than cemeteries in the UK) and with the roses in full bloom it was looking lovely. They had a handy little touchscreen display you could use to locate the relevant plot number, and armed with directions, we went to find Peggy's grave.

One of the proposed new flags flying at our B&B

Back in Stoke we caught the bus across to Nelson and checked into our B&B. The website for the Baywick Inn is a bit oldy worldy and I thought we could be staying somewhere past its prime, but it was actually very lovely. The owners seem to have a deep passion for trinkets and memorabilia of the British Royal family and festoon the dining room with them. Staunch republicans might want to stay somewhere else.

For dinner that evening we caught up with Becks' cousin Helen and her family. They had been at our wedding celebration a couple of days before, but it was nice to be able to spend some time catching up with them properly as we'd barely had the opportunity to speak at the wedding. Helen's daughters Piata and Mahina were incredibly sweet, especially seeing as they'd never met me before.

Dinner with the cousins

The next morning after breakfast we climbed up in the drizzle to the "centre of New Zealand" which sits above Nelson. Only when we'd reached the top and I read the plaque did I realised it was a fraud. It isn't the centre of New Zealand at all, but the centre point of the Malborough region which is deemed the 'central state'. The people from Ordnance Survey wouldn't put up with such nonsense.

The "centre" of NZ

Walking back down into the centre of Nelson we took a quick detour via Peggie's old house before going for a wander round town.

If you'd asked me before we visited Nelson, I would have told you that I hadn't visited before, but seeing the cathedral tower it did look incredibly familiar and checking later with Ruth we had in fact spent a night in Nelson back in 2001. Apart from the cathedral tower I don't remember anything else about the town from my previous visit.

Nelson Cathedral

After looking round the cathedral we stopped for a light lunch in the Sweet As café. Although we only tried a couple of things it was another - to my mind - classic Kiwi café. Small, independent, friendly, tasty and reasonably priced. I sent mum and dad there when they visited Nelson around a week later who also enjoyed it.

The only downside for me is the name, "sweet as". It is a bit of a bogan saying in Australia, although Becks tells me there are no such connotations in NZ.

Lunch in Sweet As café

We had a further slow drift round town after lunch before collecting our bags from the B&B and catching the bus across to the beach for a quick paddle and walk along the sand.

Nelson beach

Feet dry and shoes back on we hiked back to the airport. I don't think there can be too many passengers who arrive and depart from the airport on foot like us.

New Zealand wedding celebration

Becks and I in the Christchurch Botanic gardens

The main reason for our visit to New Zealand was to hold a wedding celebration with all of our southern hemisphere friends who weren't able to make it to London when we got married back in May.

As anyone who has got married will know there is a lot of expectation and pressure that comes with a wedding. Even if you are as laid back and not particularly beholden to convention as we were, there is still a lot of pressure. The final three weeks before our wedding in May were, frankly, pretty horrendous.

Luckily I've found the answer, have a second celebration. With the same person of course!

The Ilex centre

Becks had scoped out the Ilex centre on her previous trip to New Zealand last March, a post earthquake construction, near to the centre of the Botanic Gardens. It's a beautifully designed building and on a sunny day, with the nearby rose garden in full bloom, it was a near perfect setting.

Having already had one big day we were able to glide into our second wedding care free and, for me at least, it was a delight to be able to enjoy it so much.

Speech giving

We kept the lunch time event pretty informal. Having not met many of the guests before I decided to stand by the door to welcome everyone on their arrival and to make sure that I met everyone. I was pleased that I did, as the rest of the afternoon didn't give me opportunity to speak to everyone.

As people were finishing up dessert it was into the speeches. Rather than repeating my speech from London, I decided that I'd recap the day we had in May as I thought everyone would like to see pictures of the church and our English reception venue.

The speech went down well, but in hindsight I realised that it I could have pitched it differently. As Becks and I hadn't travelled to NZ together before, most people hadn't met me and there was quite a lot of curiosity about the English guy who was marrying a Christchurch girl. Who is he and is he good enough for her? I hadn't even countenanced speech about myself thinking it far too vain. However, a tongue in cheek This is your life style speech would have gone down well.

With the Unwins

After lunch we spent some time mingling with our guests. Once the event had finished we headed out into the rose garden to take a few photos. We'd visited the rose garden the previous weekend when around half the roses were out, but a week had made a huge difference and now nearly all the roses were in bloom. It made a beautiful setting.

With the Elliots

Later in the afternoon Becks' mum received a text from one of the guests saying she thought I was "mischievous". A proud moment, but I couldn't work out how her they'd realised so quickly!


With many thanks to both sets of parents for generously hosting everyone.

Christchurch Part 2: the family influx

Port Hills looking down towards Lyttelton Harbour 

After our couple of days down in Frankton we flew back up to Christchurch, on what was thankfully a lot smoother flight.

We had a pretty lazy day on the Thursday hanging out in the suburb of Ilam where Becks' parents live. During the day we popped next door to see their longtime neighbours. Last time Becks was at home she received a thermomix demonstration when she visited and was keen for me to have the same evangelical experience so we can buy one! The ice cream that was knocked up in seconds was very good, although the price tag is a little eye watering.

Views out to see

On the Friday Robin had most of the day off work so we drove out to the Port Hills which have sweeping views over Christchurch and Lyttelton Harbour. We did a short walk after parking the car to take in the views of the harbour.

On the Friday afternoon my family all arrived in Christchurch, in time for the wedding lunch we had planned on the Sunday. Mum and dad arrived first, flying in from Napier in the North Island and then Ruth and arrived arrived on the train from Kaikoura in the early evening. It was must first time at Christchurch train station and it is quite a smart little station considering it is only a single track line. The two trains we saw looked like they were catered squarely at the tourists.

On the Friday night we all had dinner at Dux Dine in the away leg of the family meal we had in London on the night before our wedding back in May.

Family dinner in Dux Dine

On Saturday lunchtime we met up with the Unwins who had all flown in from Australia to come to our celebration lunch the next day. Becks and I had had dinner with Bruce and Di a couple of years ago in London, but I hadn't seen Brad, Chel and Elizabeth since leaving Australia and had never met their son Mark before. It was lovely to have a proper catch up with everyone over lunch. It was also nice for mum and dad to meet the Aussies that had looked after me while I was in Oz.

A real café gem: Odelay, Frankton

Free range chicken salad

Back in 2001, well before this blog existed, I spent five weeks travelling round New Zealand with my sister, Ruth. I still have many fond from that trip. From the awesome natural beauty of visiting Fox Glacier and Doubtful Sound, to the lasting bond I built with my sister, how cheap everything was and the great food.

Food in the UK back in the 1990s frankly wasn't that great. Against this backdrop the food in New Zealand felt like a revelation. We visited dozens of small independent cafés and without exception we ate lovely fresh food served by friendly staff. Many of the flavour combinations were new and some of the ingredients too.

Steak sandwich

In the intervening years I'd put New Zealand cafés up on a bit of a pedestal. The UK has done quite a lot of catching up since then and my time in Australia spoilt me too. Would I have ruined the Kiwi café experience for myself by building up my expectations too much?

I visited New Zealand for a second time in 2012 and was sadly underwhelmed as nowhere we ate at was standout. On this trip we were four days in and hadn't eaten anywhere particularly special either (my mother in law's cooking excepted of course!). I was beginning to get worried.

Louise slice

Then we visited Odelay in Frankton and faith was restored.

Odelay is an unassuming café in the Remarkables retail park in Frankton. The staff were friendly, helpful and recognised us when we came back for breakfast the next day.

The food was fresh, well flavoured and most importantly delicious. Becks' buttermilk pancakes were given a 'best ever' pancake call. From a lady who loves her pancakes that is a big accolade.

Buttermilk Pancakes 

If there was an oddity about the place it was that all the magazines lying on the tables were from the mid-2000s. (I suspect someone had bought in their back catalogue.) And if there was a missed note it was the bircher muesli I ordered when returned for breakfast. It was a little wet for my tastes and flavours weren't quite in harmony, again for my palate.

Bircher Muesli

Thank you Odelay, I wasn't wrong, Kiwi cafés really are some of the best in the world. Faith restored.

Odelay
5 Hawthorne Drive
Unit 10 The landing
Remarkable Park,
Frankton,
Queenstown,
New Zealand

Frankton, New Zealand

The Frankton Arm at sunset 

After a couple of days in Christchurch we took the short flight down to Frankton. We were there to spend some time with Becks' grandmother. It was also becoming clear that I wouldn't be considered a true member of the family until I'd experienced staying at the Cox family holiday house 'Maroy'.

It was a bumpy flight down. Arriving into Frankton we were forced to circle while the jet in front of us attempted two landings, both of which had to be aborted. We were allowed to land before the jet got a third bite of the apple. The cold sweats had broken out by this stage and I was looking pretty pale so I was pleased to have my feet finally on solid ground!

The Remarkables

The main reason for visiting Frankton was so that Becks could see her grandmother and for me to meet her for the first time. We popped in to see her three times while we were there and she was in good spirits each time.

Frankton has some glorious scenery and I enjoyed drifting round town as well as along the lake shore, seeing the places that are an important part of Becks' family summer holidays.

Lake views

For our only dinner in town we ate at the Frankton Arm Tavern. There were a few other people in the pub when we visited, but it is so cavernous that it couldn't help but feel a little bit empty mid week in early spring.

The service was friendly and the portions were huge. I had food envy when I saw Becks' blue cod fish salad. Three large crumbed hoki fillets sat on top of a huge mound salad.

Blue cod fish salad

I was trying to make a vaguely healthy choice. Being a classic pub menu there were quite a few burgers and fried items on the menu so opted for the (in reality no healthier) sweetcorn fritters with bacon.

I love Kiwi food, I truly do, but they do seem to love a balsamic glaze on practically everything and my sweetcorn fritters were no exception. I've got nothing against a balsamic glaze, but it isn't something we've seen so pervasively in the UK since the early 2000s!

Sweetcorn fritters

In an attempt to walk off dinner we went for a stroll down the eastern side of the Frankton Arms towards Kelvin Heights as the sun set and darkness fell.

New Zealand: Christchurch (part 1)

Christchurch Cathedral

I was recently lucky enough to have three weeks off work for a trip to New Zealand and America. Here's the first blog from that holiday which started with a few days in Christchurch.

This was my first visit to the city having previously visited with my sister on our trip round NZ back in 2001. I also passed through Christchurch briefly back in 2012 when I walked the Queen Charlotte Track with some friends.

I was pretty disorientated by my last trip, it wasn't the city I remembered having suffered the devastating earth quake the year before. It was nice to be able to spend a bit more time in the city this time, seeing places from Becks' childhood and having the time to revisit places that I remembered from 2001.

Penguin street art near the cathedral

Before arriving in Christchurch I'd, naively, completely underestimate the amount of reconstruction work there would still be to complete and how fundamentally the city would have been altered. Nothing hit this home quite as hard as when we visited the red zone, a suburban area that was badly damaged by the earthquake. Huge tracts of land have been completely cleared as it has been deemed too unsafe to return. It was quite eerie to drive down broken roads with trees and shrubs dotted around. They once would have been in people's gardens but both the houses and gardens are now gone.

Thankfully it wasn't all depressing and I sensed a real energy in the city. The Restart Mall is the best known international example, but the colourful street art almost always put a smile on my face and there is a lot of construction going on round the city. It appeared, to my untrained, eye that there was a strong plan. They weren't just throwing up rows of anonymous identikit buildings, either in the city centre or out suburbs.

The Restart Mall

On a lighter note, in an effort to keep fit I did a couple of pleasant runs round Hagley Park in the centre of the city. The jet lag had the positive effect of getting me up early and out before the heat of the day.

We were also able to visit a few places from Becks' childhood with a drive past her first house, the university and walks round the suburb of Ilam where she grew up. I learnt about frisbie golf and had my first pie of the trip.

Cashell Mall under reconstruction

Restaurant Review: Lochmara Lodge, Picton, New Zealand

Marlborough Mussels

While walking the Queen Charlotte Track in New Zealand most of lodges served hearty home cooked food. A bit of stodge was welcome after a hard days walking. However, Lochmara Lodge stood out from the crowd serving the best food we had on the track.

It was great talking to the friendly American chef from Minnesota before dinner. He had a real passion for the food he was cooking and desire to make sure his guests were happy.

We learnt that they produce / grow as much as possible at the Lodge, with honey and vegetables being sourced only meters from the dining room. The fresh fish comes from the Sound and the chef was on first name terms with all of the fisherman. There are wild boar living in the woods behind the lodge, it was a bit of a shame to hear they haven't had one on the menu yet!

 Smiling chef from Lochmara Lodge

We began with two starters to share. The huge Mussels ($16) had come direct from the Sound. They were served with a white wine, cream, red onion and tomato jam sauce. The hint of chilli through the tomato jam was great.

Baked brie, Lochmara chutney and sourdough

Our second starter was the Baked brie, Lochmara chutney and sourdough ($15). Individually excellent the flavours were a little too strong to work together for me. The brie was mild and oozing, but was easily over powered by the chutney.

Grilled butterfish with a smoked tomato sauce

We all all sold on the fresh caught grilled butterfish with a smoked tomato sauce ($34). Butterfish was new to me and it had a melt in the mouth quality (hence the name). The smoked tomato sauce accompanied the fish perfectly and was a real favourite amongst us. The vegetables were al dente with the carrots a little bit on the undercooked side for me.

Chocolate and lavender panna cotta

For dessert we shared two dishes between the four of us. First up was the chocolate and lavender panna cotta ($12). The chef adds sour cream to the panna cotta to achieve just the right texture. Hints of lavender came through at the end of each bite, providing a lovely subtle flavour.

New York cheesecake

You have to trust an American to know how to make a decent New York Cheesecake with basil and plum gastrique ($14).  It was a classic dense NY cheesecake which I struggled to appreciate as I slipped into a food coma at the end of a wonderful meal. I'm still none the wiser as to what a gastrique is!

Muesli

Staying at the lodge meant we returned to the restaurant for breakfast the next morning too. I went for the muesli which had been made with honey from their own bee hives which added a floral note.

Lochmara definitely stood out as the best meal we had on the track. A passionate chef and some great local produce made it a real winner.

Queen Charlotte Track, New Zealand

Dew still on the grass as we hike out of 

Lochmara Lodge

The main purpose of our trip to New Zealand was to walk the Queen Charlotte Track. It starts near the most northern tip of the South Island in Ship Cove (where Captain Cook landed five times between 1770 and 1777) and ends seventy one kilometers further south in Anakiwa.

Before departing for NZ I had to check with my mum if we'd even had Queen Charlotte. I'm sure you all know, but she was the wife of King George III.

Day 1: Ship Cove to Furneaux Lodge

Furneaux Lodge

The main thing we all feared was five days of rain. Walking the track in a downpour wouldn't be much fun at all. The night before our walk was due to start it hammered down hard enough to wake me during the night. The forecasts didn't bode at all well.

Thankfully as we arrived in Picton the rain cleared and we had a dry boat ride out to Ship Cove. Fearing it could be rough I had taken some sea sickness tablets which made me quite drowsy and I managed to snooze through a dolphin sighting.

The boat dropped five passengers off at Ship Cove and it was incredibly peaceful once the boat had departed. We started by detouring off the track to visit a waterfall near Ship Cove.

Once we joined the track there was a stiff uphill until we reached the ridge that we would follow for the majority of the day. Thankfully the worst weather we had to deal with was a few showers of light drizzle. Most of the day was spent in the trees with the occassional glimpse of the Sound teasing us now and again.

Lochmara Lodge was a very homely place. An old country house - the mind boggles why you'd build one so remote - it had a slightly tired feel. There was only one other group staying and the place had an end of season feel.
 
 Day 2: Furneaux Lodge to Punga Cove

Rusting tractor in Big Bay

As was due to be our shortest day of walking, Phil and I decided to start the day with a detour to the Furneaux Waterfall.

On the main track it was an easy days walking. After about an hour Phil and I detoured again following some signs to old mine shafts that were supposed to be interesting to check out. Unfortunately the lack of a map, disappearing sign posts and a river crossing got the better of us. We returned to the track and set a brisk pace trying to catch up with Jennie and Suzanne.  We found them after an hour having a quick break and taking in the view.

We saw no one else on the track all day, but it was a social evening (things are relative on the Queen Charlotte Track) where we met an America family and English couple.

Punga Cove

Day 3: Punga Cove to Portage Hotel

Day three was the 'big one' where we had to cover twenty eight kilometers. We started with an hours steep uphill onto a ridge where we had stunning views of Queen Charlotte Sound to the east and Kenepura Sound to the west.

We spent the day walking close to the English couple we'd met the night before and two Kiwi couples. We had a huge morale boost at lunch time when we checked the map. I thought we were half way, but worked out we were actually three quarters of the way along for the day!

When we arrived at Portage Hotel it had the feel of a modern resort compared to the more individual lodges we'd stayed in the previous two days. We relaxed with a hot tub, read and recharged for the following day.

The end of the long day at Portage

Day 4: Portage to Lochmara Lodge

Most people walk the track in four days, but we added in an extra night so that we could stay at Lochmara Lodge. This meant that we had a relatively short day which started with the now inevitable steep uphill for the first hour.

Lochmara is an hours detour off the track  and being closer to Picton the lodge is a popular day trip destination in itself. We arrived just after lunch and decided to take some kayaks out in the afternoon. Unfortunately I picked one with a leak and took on quite a lot of water during our paddle!

Before dinner (the best of the track) we rented the spa. Twin baths filled with essential oils that had awesome views of the Sound. Yes, I'm a new age man.

Sound, Inter-Islander ferry and Picton

Day 5: Lochmara Lodge to Anakiwa

Our final day was relatively short at eighteen kilometers. We had to walk an hour from the lodge to get back to the main track. The lodge was soon to close for the off season and I wondered if we'd be the last people on the track out from the lodge for the year (most people visit by boat).

In all honesty this might have been a day too much for our little group. We were all tired and there was a noticeable lack of conversation during the walk. As we approached Anakiwa the track got busier and it was the first time in five days we saw people walking the in the opposite direction to us.

The boat home from Anakiwa

Sick of the lodge picnics we had opted to do without on our final day, hoping we'd make it to Anakiwa in time for lunch at a café. We arrived in Anakiwa just after midday to find it was a small place without any cafés. Tired, grumpy and hungry.

Thankfully it wasn't too long a wait before the boat came to pick us up for the journey back to Picton.

I haven't done five days of hiking since school. It was an enjoyable five days. The peace and tranquillity of the Sound made it a relaxing experience, despite the physical excursion. The lodges and bag transfers each day mean you certainly aren't roughing it.

Marlborough New Zealand

Cashell St container mall, Christchurch

As I took my seat on the plane to New Zealand I was able to breath out and relaxi. A rather stressful four days had just come to an end where I had made a whirlwind trip to Adelaide, packed, cleaned, shipped and moved out of my flat.

We flew to Christchurch and popped into the city for a visit. I found it a disorientating and saddening expereince. The streets I'd visited with my sister a decade earlier had all gone and I couldn't get my bearings. The earthquake damage is everywhere and when they say it will take ten to fifteen years to rebuild I believe them.

In the former shopping hub of Cashell St they have built some shops from shipping containers. It was vibrant, fun and showed how resiliant the Kiwis could be.

One my strongest memories from the trip with my sister a decade ago is how good the independent cafés were. We stopped for a late lunch in the Hummingbird Café in one of the containers. It was simple, rustic and tasty. I got very excited that ten  years hadn't changed a thing. Sadly it proved one of a few rare highlights.

Sunrise over the vines at Nic's shed

After Christchuch we then drove in the dark four hours north to our rented house just outside of Blenheim. I'm not usually one to get excited about cars, but as I pulled out from behind a truck and put my foot down we went, unexpectedly, like a bat out of hell. We'd hired a monstrous V6!

 

Nic's shed, our luxury retreat

We'd rented Nic's Shed which is the nicest holiday accommodation I think I've ever stayed in. The beautifully designed house had a great kitchen and luxurious bedding. The house was nestled right in among the vines and with views of the Mount Richmond Forrest Park in the background. Simply stunning.

Croquet on the lawn at Cloudy Bay

 The Wairau Valley is a pretty sleepy place. Country walks, half marathons and wine tasting are the order of the day. We spent a relaxing few days (apart from the half marathon) pottering around, visiting a few vineyards and cooking delicious evening meals.

Outside Allan Scott wines in the Wairau Valley

On the Sunday morning we went to the Blenheim Farmers market. The market was quite small, but still drawing in the locals. I noticed that the fresh fruit was markedly cheaper than back in Sydney.

We stopped at the cheese stall run by the ruddy cheeked Lisa Harper. She proudly told us that she was the one who feeds the cows, milks the cows, makes the cheese and then sells it.

'A bit' of cheese

The cheese was sold at $5 'a bit'. We bought some Stinky brie (not that stinky really) and Queen Charlotte. The Queen Charlotte was a small 'bit' which Lisa weighed in her hand and then only charged us $3. Both were delicious.