The Milky Way as Viewed through a Glass Ceiling

Iris Spittle's Gourmet Breakfast
The Loft Homestay B & B
Art Deco Napier Streetscape

Duncan’s brother, Douglas, developed our itinerary in New Zealand, and I spent many long hours combing the Internet for just the right (for us) places to stay. We struck gold in Havelock North at The Loft, an artist’s studio and homestay bed and breakfast. We haven’t stayed in that many luxurious hotels, Sooke Harbour House on Vancouver Island being the exception, but this lovely refuge provides competition for the best of them, I’m certain. Iris and John Spittle, our hosts, love Toronto and doing house exchanges. Over the years they’ve developed a fast friendship with a family in Dundas, Ontario and will be making another pilgrimage to Ontario in October, when we hope they’ll visit us too. Their exquisite home, perched in the hills of North Havelock couldn’t have been more comfortable. Iris is an excellent gourmet chef; thank heavens I was tempted by their website, and we had booked to eat an evening meal with them our first night. Her breakfasts were also sumptuous and literally works of art. I took as many pictures of the food as the view. Those of you who know me well can imagine my delight at the bircher muesli laced with passionfruit from their garden one morning, and homemade granola, fruit jams and local honey for the multigrained toast on another. Coffee in New Zealand is unsurpassed. I soon learned to request a flat white (like our lattes) while Duncan regularly opts for long black, the Spittles can compete with the best of the baristas.

John, another retired banker, has an artist’s studio above their garage. He took delight in telling us how art provided an escape from the stresses of the banking world. His landscapes and paintings of New Zealand buildings grace their home along with many works by other artists.

The comfortable room with a view of surrounding town and countryside was outdone by the bathroom with its cathedral ceiling, spa bath (big Jacuzzi) and shower in such a large space it didn’t require a cabinet. The showerhead came out of the wall and emptied in a drain below. When I woke up to use the facilities in the night, I was rewarded by a view of The Milky Way through the 20 foot glass cathedral ceiling above. Now what hotel can do better than that? None I’ve ever stayed in anyway. Besides there are always other guests at the hotel, we felt really pampered along with only one other couple.

We spent a day touring wineries, tasting honey at a honey farm and visiting the extraordinary town of Napier, destroyed by earthquake on Feb. 3, 1931 and rebuilt in art deco style fairly soon after the disaster. We got an orientation at the local museum and saw a film where seniors who had lived through it, related their experiences. We learned that there is a price to be paid for living here in Paradise. Why is that always the case? Volcanic New Zealand is precariously perched in the middle of the ocean and experiences many earthquakes. When will the next big one occur? Who knows? The town of Wellington, where Douglas, Anna and their two boys reside is right on a fault line. Shudder!*

The town of Napier is meticulously preserved and hosts an Art Deco Festival every year where people, both locals and tourists, dress up in roaring twenties costumes and putter along in vintage cars whilst enjoying champagne picnics with fine china, linen and crystal. Sorry Lizzie, you were right, we should have timed our trip a little better. We not only missed that event, but the Rock and Roll Festival attended by our friends from Hamilton, Chris and Rosanna. Next Time!
*Tsunami: New Zealand experienced a tsunami yesterday – I wasn’t kidding! The horrendous earthquake in Chile, 8.8 on the Richter Scale, generated tidal surges in Napier of 1 ½ metres, 12 hours later. We left that area only 2 days ago, so you’ll probably be as happy as we were that we missed the excitement! We are currently in Wellington in an apartment for the next week. It’s nice to cook our own dinner for a change and catch the last of the Winter Olympics on the tube. More later.
Iris Spittle’s Recipe for Bircher Muesli
2 ½ cups rolled oats
1 ½ cups apple juice
1 apple – grated
½ cup low fat natural unsweetened yoghurt
Juice of one lemon
¼ cup flaked almonds – toasted
1/ 2 cup mixed fresh berries
1 cup sliced fresh peaches
2 Tbsp. honey
Place oats and apple juice in a bowl. Allow to soak for at least 2 hours or overnight in the fridge.
Stir in grated apple, yoghurt and lemon juice. Mix well.
Place into serving bowls, top with toasted almonds, fresh fruit and drizzle with honey.
Iris served the muesli in round whisky tumbler- sized glasses which was very aesthetically pleasing. Instead of grated apple juice, she used passion fruit which was exquisite. You can use any combination of fresh fruits, whatever is in season. Enjoy!