Marahau, New Zealand
By any measure this is turning into a foodie expedition. And when I say any measure, I mean the bad news the measuring tape will tell when we try to wrap it around our bloated waist lines when we get home. But on the other hand, when you’re on an adventure in uncharted territory it doesn’t hurt to load up. You never know where or when your next caloric opportunity will show itself. At least that’s the way we’ve operated today. Details to follow.
But first, the bad news (spoiler alert: it all works out OK in the end). “Give me your camera and I’ll put it in its bag,” I say to Judy as we pack to leave Wellington this morning. “Oh no, it isn’t here. I must have left it somewhere.” I’ll spare you the anguish – should we cancel our Inter islander at 9:00 and rebook on Bluebridge at 1:30 PM, thereby arriving after dark? Or should we charge ahead and ask for help via telephone. Long story short: we left on schedule (I did take out an insurance policy on our cameras right before we left), called the Te Papa when we arrived at Havelock and yes, they found it and yes, they will send it to our Blenheim B&B to arrive Friday, no charge! Crisis averted.
Back to the waistline issue. Here’s our feeding schedule for today (so far):
6:30 AM – Croissants and buns, yogurt and OJ at the hotel
10:00 AM – Split a muffin pick-me-up on board ship, Judy had a cappuccino
1:30 PM – Split a sandwich, potato chips and 2 oranges in the car
3:30 PM – A collection of green-lipped mussels in Havelock, the self-proclaimed green-lipped mussel capitol of the world. Turns out they occur naturally in this region of New Zealand but the young ‘uns are harvested and raised on ropes in commercial farms all around New Zealand. And boy, what a treat. This meal ranks right up there with the feed we had at The Vine in Taupo the other night. Mussels fixed six different ways:
– Traditional steamed, just like back home
– Grilled with cheese topping
– Smoked
– Marinated
– Batter fried
– Plus a cup of mussel chowder
Drop what you’re doing, book a flight and get yourself to the Mussel Pot in Havelock. You’ll thank us later.
Now we’re staring down dinner. The best (which is to say the best chance for a small meal) is Fat Tui’s just down the street from our Chalet.
Speaking of our room, we’re really out in the sticks but as the name suggests we have an ocean view. The room is small but very nice, the Wifi is free and so far reasonably speedy and the gal at the desk is helpful and friendly. The neatest part of our accommodations is that this is the same place Rebecca and Kevin stayed when they did their New Zealand trip seven years and two kids ago!
The ferry ride was great. The ship is large, the size of a small cruise ship almost, fits a gazillion cars, is very comfortable and has great views from the upper deck. It has bars, lounge seating and even a movie theater if you want to stay inside. The trip took 3 1/2 hours; we were among the first to disembark.
The GPS and Google both suggested a route from Picton to Havelock that traveled the main roads via Blenheim, roughly 2 hours over 50-odd Kms. The Queen Charlotte Drive however hugs the coast and takes 2 hours to cover 25 Kms. Which do you think we took? Right. My arms are getting a good workout from another day of twisty-turny roads but the scenery made it worth it.
Now we’re settled in and ready to head to The Fat Tui. It’s 7 PM and they roll up the sidewalks here pretty early except for the place across from The Fat Tui that has live entertainment, will be packed with locals and will go ’til 1 AM. Not for us: if we do that we’ll end up doing whatever the New Zealand equivalent of Salsa turns out to be.
We’re up tomorrow for a combination boat ride and beach hike in Abel Tasman National Park, here in the Northwestern most corner of the South Island.
P.S. – We’re back from The Fat Tui and no wonder the bird is fat. So are we. Take a look at the menu. I went with the Cowpat. Judy did Fish and Chips. We both ate half of what they gave us.
