Hawke’s Bay

A tamarillo at the farmer's market

Sean and Kailani at Te Mata Peak

No kangaroos in the vineyards like in Oz. This time, it's sheep!

9.13.08: We left Lake Taupo late morning to go a couple hours east back to Napier. We didn’t do a whole lot when we got into town. We were starving, so our first priority was to find somewhere to go for lunch. We ended up at a warehouse converted into a nice restaurant near the wharf just north of town in an area called Ahuriri where we splurged on oysters, a steamed shellfish “bucket” (really a bowl, but the biggest darn bowl I’ve ever seen) and some (unexpectedly fried) crab ravioli in a lobster bisque sauce. Sean loved his Mac’s Sassy Red beer, made in Wellington. And I had the local Brookfields Sauv, although not my favorite Sauv. Ever since we’ve been in New Zealand, Kailani has been asking for rice, sometimes with chicken. The only things they ever seem to have on the kids menu are things accompanied with chips. But luckily I asked, and they were able to serve her some fish with rice. She enjoyed the rice. We didn’t really taste the Grand Marnier in their Grand Marinier Crème Brulee, but it wasn’t half bad either.

Afterwards, we headed down the coast just south of Napier to a campground in Clifton. The greatest thing about it was that it was free AND right along the coast. We thought it would make up for the extravagant lunch we just had. We laid low that night, but Sean tried some fishing again the next morning, unfortunately, with no luck.

On Sunday morning, we left our campground and we headed to the Hastings Show Grounds for the Farmer’s Market. I was excited that we were finally somewhere that had a Farmer’s Market AND we were there during the weekend, when they usually take place. To top it off, we were also in a pretty good produce growing region. Organic produce seems to be very rare to find in NZ’s grocery stores (I think I’ve only gotten apples and bananas), and from asking at the last health food store I went to, it’s pretty much only sold at Farmer’s Markets. Still, I have to say that it was not that plentiful there. However, we did walk away with some good organic cheese, spelt bread, stir fry greens and a cup of coffee for Sean. As well, Kai got an organic yogurt smoothie, I got a fresh “liver cleanser” juice (apple, orange, beetroot and lemon), some stir fry venison meat to go with the greens and some “heat and eat” meatballs in marinara sauce. So, we were stocked up pretty good. As well, I finally found out what a tamarillo was. It’s a fruit that you scoop out of the skin with a spoon, similar to a kiwi. But, it’s red and tastes like a fruity tomato, which makes sense why it’s also called a tomato tree fruit.

After the Farmer’s Market, we headed back towards the coast, hitting Te Mata peak on the way, which I believe it’s about 300 meters high. It was a beautiful clear day, and from the lookout on the top, we had some stunning views of the bay. It had also just recently snowed on the peaks of the mountain range opposite the ocean, so there were some great views that way too. I have to admit that I was a little shaky walking around at the top, stepping around sheep poop. It looked like rolling hills from one side. But on the other side, it dropped off almost vertical. Hopefully, we got some good shots with the camera.

From Te Mata peak, we went back near our campground to Clear View Estates winery. We were hungry for lunch again and Kailani was getting pretty rambunctious in the car. We read that this winery had a restaurant and a children’s play area, so we were sold. As expected, it was right across the street from the coast. The restaurant was rustic but the food was gourmet quality. The wine wasn’t half bad either. So, what else can you ask for? We ordered our lunch and went to the tasting room to pick some wine to go with our food. Sean got their signature dish, made with all local ingredients, for a regional Hawke’s Bay competition. It was a “lamb rack” (as they call it) accompanied with some wilted greens and roasted shallots in a phyllo dough cup. And to go with it, he had a glass of the Pinot Noir. I had the steamed flounder and salmon. Both fish were wrapped together and almost looked like a scallop when it first came out (with the orange part attached, the way they serve scallops here). It was accompanied with a shrimp and spinach orzo. And to go with that, I had the “Unwooded” Chardonnay. Kai had chicken meatballs. Although it came with spiral pasta and marinara sauce, that’s all she would eat before heading back to the play area. And for dessert, we all split a warm apple cake with (a rum?) cream sauce, topped with ice cream, and a glass of dessert Chardonnay. We also walked out with a bottle of their Gewürztraminer and Pinot Noir. It was complete indulgence!

Although I was hoping to do more wine tasting in this area, none of the wineries stood out as a “must see”, and we are starting to feel pressed that our time here’s running out fast. But, I do feel satisfied that we were able to take advantage of what this area, known as the culinary capital of New Zealand, has to offer.