Back to work and some good old KIWI chillin…



Sunset at the top of Princes Drive...beautiful

The past couple of weeks were a bit of a transition getting used to going to work every day after having a whole month off for Christmas break. This isn’t just a John and Shannon being in New Zealand special break from work for the holidays – it’s pretty common for a lot of businesses in NZ to completely shut down around the holidays so people can have a really relaxing holiday season – in the sun we might add. Not a bad deal. We think something the US could look at adopting.

Nonetheless, you have to go back to work at some point, so we began our work weeks again and looked forward to the weekends to relax and enjoy summer in Nelson. Although working, we still found time during the week to log some quality hours at the Freehouse with some of the Council buddies as well as enjoy a kiwi BBQ with the old flatmates. John gifted Jeff one of his Bayern birthday beers that he had brought back with us from MT (Thanks Megan, Katie and Joe for wrapping them) and the photo doesn’t do justice to the huge smile that was on his face while enjoying his Dragons Breath in NZ. (4 more bottles left…)

That Saturday we decided we were way past due for a day at the beach. With our chilly bin packed with beer, we headed to Rabbit Island. A bit of a drive beyond the beach 10 minutes from our house, but way less crowded. We soaked in the sun, swam in the ocean and brought back some beach Pipi (a type of cockle or clam) for dinner that night. Besides the killer sunburn, it was a great day. One of my favorites we’ve had in NZ thus far… relaxing just doesn’t cover it. Dinner was great (less the sand in the seafood which we’re working on mastering) and we headed to bed, excited for what Sunday was going to bring us.

FISHING!! We set out Sunday morning for a day of fishing with the flatmate Marcus. It was a beautiful morning and the water was incredibly calm (thankfully since we were in the ‘little tinny’, as Marcus referred to it several times). We caught several Kahawai (kah-wa) which typically New Zealanders wouldn’t eat unless it was smoked (or so we’ve heard -Kiwi’s seem to be very picky about the fish they eat since there is such a huge variety of fresh fish). John was okay with the smoked part of course, so after a morning of fishing we brought the catch home and smoked it up on the barbie with some manuka wood chips (also called tea trees, they give a great light nutty, sweet, gingery flavour to what ever you’re smoking). To top the day off properly, we decided to partake in sushi Sunday with our catch. It was delicious and a perfect end to a perfect weekend.

 

Monday brought us some good news. We had listed the Adventureship for sale, hoping to get rid of her before our groups of visitors come through in February…we figured Kylie, Tyler and my parents would appreciate riding in seats rather than on top of the bed in the back of the Adventureship. A nice German couple decided that the Adventureship was just what they needed and so we said our final goodbyes to our first and (I really want to say ONLY) minivan that we will ever own. Fast forward to car # 2 in NZ…our new and improved transportation vessel – the Adventureship Part Deux. She took a little TLC and a major cleaning when we got her, but all spiffed up and ready to go she’ll be with us during our 2 month trek across both islands and we couldn’t be happier with the new purchase (now that it’s all clean). Photos to come...although you can kind of see her in the shot below...hidden under the trees.

Picnic Bay Campsite and home for the weekend.

 

The week flew by and with the first of two three day weekends on the horizon we were fine with that. We decided to spend the weekend camping in the Marlborough Sounds with Kat and Jeff. With both cars packed to the brim, we headed off for what was sure to be an epic weekend. We found a nice little double camp site overlooking a small bay. Day number one consisted of sitting in the sun and enjoying some adult beverages. A short fishing excursion out in the bay on the kayaks had Kat and I come up short…but nonetheless we made the best of our short paddle while the boys enjoyed lounging on the beach. Tabouli, chicken drumsticks and corn on the cob for dinner… mmmm… mmmm… good.

Eatwell Lookout

Day two; after a bit of a sleep in, we made toad in the holes for breakfast (ha, when was the last time you had one of those?) and a short drive to a part of the Queen Charlotte Track. This trek is one of the most well known in the South Island. Walks can span anywhere from 30 minutes to four days. We opted for a shorter walk while Kat and Jeff spent some time on their mountain bikes. A quick hour to Eatwell lookout, we chilled out for a bit before deciding it was almost BEER:30 and we best be heading back. We found ourselves at one of the incredible resorts near the trailhead with a pint in hand and hot chips in the other (Mama Barz – you would have LOVED these, burn your mouth good!). We made our way back to camp and for the rest of the evening enjoyed watching the Weka’s try to pinch (steal) anything that we left unattended, including Kats vino. Manuka smoked chicken pizza for dinner and a late night swim for Shannon – it was a great idea at the time, then off to bed.

Day three we woke up to a 'traditional' kiwi breakfast, canned spaghetti mixed with baked beans in tomato sauce on top of toast with a poached egg. Don’t knock it until you try it…may become a staple during our two month venture. Kat and Jeff were off for another bike ride and we took to the kayaks, making our way through the sounds and meeting a couple hours paddle down the way. Tried our luck at fishing near the mussel farms and to no avail we decided we were content simply enjoying the amazing surroundings. Once we arrived at the rendezvous point it was time to load up the kayaks and head into Havelock (mussel capital of the world) for some green lipped mussels and of course a frosty beverage. Delicious of course, that meal topped off our weekend of amazing food, sun, and most of all fabulous company. We stopped off for a quick dip at the Pelorous River swimming hole, however the sandflies quickly ran us out of there and before we knew it we were back home. An amazing time overall.

The next couple weeks bring us some visitors from the states – can’t wait to see you on Friday Kylie and Tyler! Stay tuned to see what kind of shenanigans four Americans can get into in New Zealand…hobbit hunting?

Cheers,

John and Shannon