Back in Aotearoa

View of Belinda and Gary's Garden from our Cottage

We are now back in New Zealand after spending five weeks in Australia. It’s great to be back in Aotearoa, “The Land of the Long White Cloud”. Our trip on Air New Zealand was really quick only two and one half hours from Melbourne to Christchurch. After staying at an airport hotel we’ve returned to Charteris Bay on the Banks Peninsula.

It’s great to be back at this little holiday flat attached to the home of Belinda and Gary. We stayed here four nights on our previous trip and were in touch by email with the owners during both recent earthquakes, Sept. 2010 and February 2011, to find out how they were making out. After the first quake, Gary installed a generator, so Belinda reported they were relatively unscathed during the second. We knew they lived very close to Lyttelton, the last quake’s epicentre, so we were very surprised to hear this news, though many of their friends were not so lucky. It’s great to chat with them again. They are British and actually lived in a town very close to Duncan’s hometown of Yeovil when Gary was serving with the British navy before emigrating to New Zealand.

All is just as we remembered, a spacious apartment with a beautiful private garden on display outside the large picture windows. We could live here forever. The surrounding steep sheep covered hills are reminiscent of our beloved Yorkshire Dales where we have returned many times to hike.

The first evening we hike down their road to Orton Bradley Park where we dutifully pay our $10 and stroll around the grounds. There is a magnificent rhododendron garden, and we snap too many photos just revelling in the natural beauty. This land was left to the state and includes an outdoor education centre, a rope training facility, a small campground, an adventure play structure for smaller children and numerous well marked trails heading off into the nearby hills and vales. We take a short hike and return home for dinner of fresh monkfish fillet purchased on our way to Charteris Bay that afternoon.

The following afternoon we return to hike along gullies, up hills and dales and through farm fields. We enter one field where three little lambs come running to greet us. They are as friendly as most New Zealanders seem to be and we wonder if hospitality is included in their training!  Today’s hike is the one we thought we’d be taking at Cradle Mountain, a moderate trail, up, down and all around but nothing we can’t handle easily given our ages and levels of fitness. We return home tired and happy; this is exactly why we came here. What a beautiful spot to start getting in shape for the more challenging NZ hikes that lie ahead: the Kepler Track, Abel Tasman, and the Queen Charlotte Track. I should explain that we will do day hikes only, we’re not up to tramping and sleeping in huts anymore. I loved backpacking in my youth, carrying everything I needed with me, rising to the challenges and unexpected occurrences.  I even took an Outward Bound course in 1983. Now we wear ourselves out during the day, but enjoy warm showers, hot meals and comfy beds at night. Duncan has never been keen on camping so over the years I’ve become accustomed to creature comforts too.

She Chocolate

On our second day we discover that French Farm, a destination we vowed to revisit in the past, isn’t open for casual dining during the spring season. It was closed for lunch when we were here last, and I really wanted to enjoy a meal there, so I vowed to return if we made it back to NZ. It is a wedding or reception only venue and depends upon outside catering anyway, so we head off to She Chocolate at nearby Governor’s Bay.

This is a place of worship for chocolate lovers from near or far. In fact there are some very boisterous Germans at a long nearby table.  There is a “Chocolate School” here, and it is a retreat centre so I wonder if the Germans are here to study chocolate, retreat or both.  

Wow! It is very difficult to choose from this extensive menu. The last time we were here, we just chose the Chocolate plate and sampled every item. This time we’re hungry for lunch so we order a plate of breads, salads of beet carpaccio with feta cheese dressed with raspberry vinaigrette and garnished with chocolate nibs! It’s a little strange, but not unpleasant, to taste chocolate and vinegar together.  Dessert is another story. I peruse the Chocolate Elixer Drinks menu and settle on She’s Belgian Hot Chocolate. I include a verbatim description from the menu: “a RICH and true hot chocolate experience made with the finest Belgian Chocolate. Our secret? Daring to use outrageous amounts of chocolate combined with our love and passion...” Not abstemious like Duncan, I choose the Extra Dark version: “with a shot of 100% chocolate added to our original recipe – this is one for those who love dark, dark chocolate”.

She Belgian Hot Chocolate Extra Dark

Duncan falls for She’s Affrogato  “The finest vanilla bean ice cream served with a double shot of espresso, a shot of pure melted chocolate, chocolate flakes and chocolate meringues. This is a fine play of flavours that will leave the palate and the heart truly satisfied. (Gluten free!)”

Affrogato

On our table is a little notice that states: “The mix of flavours moving around your palate are the dance of ones life, love and spirit coming together to create a wow factor”.  Bernie Prior
You can find out more about this life loving chocolate worshipper at www.bernieprior.com

While enjoying these delicious indulgences, the earth moves - literally! There is a tremor and we find out later it registered 3.7 on the Richter Scale. NZ has small earthquakes all the time, but this Christchurch area is still shaking. Belinda told us they had a 5.0 recently when they had some other Canadians staying. I wouldn't want to be up on Dyers when the shaking starts let me tell you!

These treats were so good, we returned the next day for lunch, a delicious white bean and leek soup garnished with oil and bits of spicy chorizo (no chocolate) plus pita bread and dips of pumpkin, spicy tomato relish and balsamic reduction. Having binged the day before, we restrain ourselves to one square of chocolate with our flat whites. The Germans are still there at the same table so I guess they are on retreate at the chocolate school. Lucky Germans!
Click Below to See Map:
http://maps.google.ca/maps?q=Charteris+Bay,+New+Zealand&hl=en&ll=-43.651975,172.705078&spn=3.28316,7.064209&sll=49.891235,-97.15369&sspn=23.430526,56.513672&vpsrc=6&hnear=Charteris+Bay,+Canterbury,+New+Zealand&t=m&z=7