The Joys of Food & Wine

Over the last week we completed the Nelson to Napier "New Zealand Wine Trail", taking us from the top of the South Island to the middle of the North Island's East Coast. This stretch of country is home to a plethora of wineries, from small family-run operations to large, sprawling commercial estates. The expanse of land hugs a stretch of ocean teeming with life, and along with fertile soil, it makes the local seafood and produce both plentiful and cheap. There are numerous wineries, breweries, and olive oil producers that all offer free tastings, which we took full advantage of.

We spent a fabulous couple of days in Nelson where we found our favorite brewery - Tasman Brewing Company. It had 3 employees, 20+ beers & ciders on tap, and you were encouraged to taste as many as you desire and stay as long as you want.

Being the hunter-gatherers that we are, and since neither of us had caught a fish for dinner in a few days, we spent an hour at low tide collecting a pile of New Zealand Green Mussels for dinner. NZ mussels have become a staple for us. It we can't get them ourselves at least they are very cheap to buy (about $1USD/lb).

Picton Harbor:As we tasted our way through the region we happened upon some local surf as well. We found a mellow right point break, very similar to C-Street in Ventura. We surfed with around 20 other people, by far the most we've seen at one surf spot in New Zealand, but nothing compared to the crowds of California. Unfortunately, the swell was short lived and what was a perfect, mellow break flattened after a day.

More NZ hospitality was bestowed on us when we stayed with some family friends in Hastings. We spent a lovely afternoon wine tasting with Glenice & Peter (2 local wine connoisseurs) who delightfully imparted their wine tasting skills and knowledge of the local vintages.

After wine tasting, we enjoyed a sensational home-cooked meal. We finished the day by sipping dessert wine and eating stinky (yummy) blue cheese as we watched Casablanca (preparation for the Morocco part of our trip). Yes, we agree this is not what typical backpackers do on trips, but we felt we earned it after our once-a-week showers and campstove meals for the last month and a half.