TranzAlpine Train from Greymouth to Arthur's Pass

Now we're on our return train from Greymouth to Arthur's Pass. This time Brian and I scored seats with a table in a car empty of passengers except for 2 others. You can hear a pin drop and it's just what we needed as Brian has been feeling nauseated all day. I'm also excited because I can now hear all of the crew announcements about the sites we're passing. On the trip west there was so much chatter that I missed much of the historical commentary. It would appear that some large tour groups got off the train at Greymouth, so it could be why we're alone (at least in our train car) now.

The scenery has been gorgeous--but at over 4 and a half hours (train boarded by 8:15--got delayed and arrived at 1:30) it was a bit long after yesterday's daylong trip. We ride for 2 hours to Arthur's Pass and we'll spend the night at the chalet. Tomorrow afternoon we catch a 2 hour train back to Christchurch.

TranzAlpine Train from Christchurch to Greymouth

6th World Congress on Colored Sheep!

We're on a train filled to the gills with tourists, many of them wearing badges for the world congress on sheep denoting their home country--eg Scotland, New Zealand. They're taking lots of photos and I take it they'd like to be up close and personal with the sheep.

We're in a middle car today, with the cafe car a few cars ahead, bathroom behind, and observation deck adjacent. It's like Grand Central, with people up and about constantly. Yesterday we were in the first car in the first seat, so it was quite relaxing as only a few people got up to even walk by us. Despite the chaos of being amidst so many tourists, the scenery is magnificent--we're in the mountains with views of snowcapped peaks, rivers, bridges, and sometimes sheep, deer, ostiches, and birds.

I did some web searching and found some tidbits on the sheep people. The Sixth World Congress on Colored Sheep 2004 was hosted by the Black and Colored Sheep Breeders of New Zealand. On their site they say, "There are millions of sheep in New Zealand and most of them are white. This site is about all the rest..." The congress involved "Over two hundred people, from ten different countries, sharing friendship, experience and deep knowledge about all aspects of coloured sheep and their wool."

TranzCoastal Train from Picton to Christchurch

We're on the TranzCoastal train from Picton to Christchurch. We left Martinborough this morning and drove to Wellington, where we caught the InterIsland ferry at Picton. The 3-hour ferry ride between the north and south islands was breathtaking. So far the scenery on the train is dramatic as well. We're surrounded by lush green mountains and have seen alpacas or llamas, sheep, lambs, and copulating cows. We're passing by vineyards now and I just sent Brian to the cafe car to get lunch. I walked back to check it out and it was a bumpy walk. We're in the first row of the train.

After our gorgeous train ride down the coast we arrived in Christchurch. When we arrived, Helen gave us a scenic tour of Christchurch and environs, with a nice drive through the hills at sunset. We went to dinner with Helen and Greg and 3/4 of us had monks fish and chips. Yum! We also had some nice Waipara Hills Pinot Noir, fried Calamari, and bruschetta with avocado, etc.

Wacky train signage and high tea

"For the safety and comfort of all our passengers, please take condiments back to your seat." (Sign near the train snack bar)

I meant to copy down the emergency instructions in the phone book in Martinborough--they included what to do during earthquakes, tsunami warnings, storms, and eruptions. It seems like New Zealand has a big variety of natural disasters--bonus for being in the "ring of fire."

We had some nice grilled sandwiches and warm scones, devonshire cream, and tea on the train. The menu was pretty good and cheap too. Brian decided not to get a "premium New Zealand wine."

Back to coffee...on our ferry I tried to get a decaf latte and they had no decaf. I asked the guy if decaf was hard to get and he said, "yeah...it's like asking for soy."

Our train had several delays while we awaited "operating instructions." We just found out we're waiting for a freight train going north.

Dinner at Martinborough Hotel

We dined tonight at the Martinborough Hotel, one of the few places open on a Tuesday night.

Vynfields Winery

This afternoon we visited several wineries, including Vynfields, for our own personal tasting. We really enjoyed the pinot noir, the conversation with John our innkeeper, and the surroundings in a beautifully restored Edwardian-era house.

Salute Restaurant, Greytown

We had lunch at Salute, a mediterranean-inspired place that had been recommended by the Vynfields people and by Cuisine magazine (our new travel Bible!). It was delicious and Brian will recount it here shortly.

Martinborough Recap

We had a great stay in Martinborough, spending 3 nights there! Brian loved cooking at our "villa" and made delicious ravioli with fava beans and made a fresh pesto using herbs from the garden last night.

This morning he made French toast with fresh bread and free range eggs. We even had lemon from the garden (with powdered sugar of course!). We drove to Greytown to peruse antique stores and to seek out french pastries. Unfortunately the famed bakery was closed.

Martinborough Vineyard

After our snack we went to Martinborough Vineyard and tried their 2002 pinot noir.

It's a grey, blustery day and we've opted to stay in tonight and eat ravioli.

Martinborough Village

From Schubert we went into town to seek out some lunch. It was after 3:30, so we were pretty much out of luck. At their "wine center" I had an herb scone and Brian had a chocolate, strawberry & banana muffin and a glass of Stonecutter Pinot Noir.

Schubert Winery-Martinborough

The guy at Schubert schooled us about all kinds of things, including linguistic origins of the Maori language (Europeans wrote down the language--the Maori didn't have written language prior to that) and his theory that the Maori were a lost Hebrew tribe.

The wines were quite nice and enjoyed the whites more than I normally do.

Martinborough-Vynfields Villa

We're in the heart of Pinot Noir country staying at Vynfields Villa, a beautiful 100+ year old house. Vynfields is a nearby winery and they have accomodations on the premises and at this villa closer to the center of town. The house is incredible, with high ceilings, planked wood floors, antiques, luxurious linens, and fresh cut flowers in every room. They provided us with a bowl of fresh fruit, a baguette, bacon, eggs, milk, fresh cut herbs, and coffee. The house is surrounded by manicured gardens full of flowers, herbs, an 80 year old lemon tree, and a view of sheep across the street. It's a 2-bedroom house with living room, large kitchen, bathroom with clawfoot tub and a separate shower and a separate set of rooms adjacent to the garage.

Brian just collected some fresh herbs, lemons, and fava beans from the garden for dinner. He's in heaven!

Today we slept late, then made breakfast here: Espresso in the French Press--caffeine all the way! There's definitely a scarcity of decaf in New Zealand--we didn't see any decaf options in the local grocer even. For breakfast Brian fried up some bacon (we we Americans call Canadian bacon is known as bacon here--vs. crispy streaky bacon). We had toast made of fresh walnut rye along with strawberries, pears and kiwi. Brian scrambled some eggs with fresh parsley and thyme.

We slowly made our way to the village, then went to Schubert for a tasting.

Est Restaurant-Martinborough

We arrived in Martinborough and after realizing it was 8:30pm, we raced into town to seek out dinner. After reading the menu at Est we walked in to inquire about dinner--luckily they offered us a table if we could wait for half an hour. We sat at their comfortable leather sofa and drank wine (I had a Walnut Ridge Pinot Noir) while perusing our new favorite Cuisine Magazine. The host (who we later learned was the owner) was crazed. It's exam time, so she was covering for missing staff members who were students. We were so glad we stayed, as the food was stellar.

I had a goat cheese entree, atop a brioche and topped with pears that had been marinated in mulled wine. For my main I had a spinach ricotta ravioli atop stewed veggies--carrots, fennel, squash? It all tasted very fresh and the ravioli must have been homemade. For dessert we had a cinnamon & ? brulee with some crispy apple (ala dried apple). It was reminiscent of mom's custard topped with nutmeg. Very good! Brian had a salmon entree and a pork loin for his main.

One of the main reasons (besides the great looking menu) we wanted to eat there was that they're only open Wednesday through Sunday for dinner and we leave Wednesday. We're noticing that Monday and Tuesday are pretty dead in town, so we'll have to plan meals and tastings accordingly.

Driving to Martinborough

Unbeknownst to us, the road to Martinborough was a road containing the most circuitous, unmarked detour that I'd ever seen. The roads were windy, narrow, steep undivided 2-lane country roads. The scenery was beautiful, with green hills and sheep everywhere. Luckily we made it to Martinborough before dark, as the approximately 45-minute detour would have been even more confusing in the dark.

Mission Estate Winery, Hawke's Bay

From Napier we went to Mission Estate Winery so that we could try at least one Hawke's Bay wine. According to some accounts, it's the oldest winery--dating from the 1800s when it began making sacramental wine. The place is breathtaking, with a grand Estate-like building, lush grounds, and a view of vineyards.

We had a spectacular lunch, dining outside with a view of the grounds. I had a spinach salad with fresh strawberries, brie, and crispy streaked bacon pieces. I also had a delicious Mission Estate pinot noir made from Central Otago grapes. We shared a bread loaf with olive oil, vinegar and a NZ dukah (mixture of ground nuts). For dessert I had a blue chees plate with poached pear, figs, fresh pear and crackers. While enjoying the food, wine and view I really had no desire to get up and leave--it seemed like a perfect Sunday afternoon.

We dragged ourselves away to try a few more wines (they even make a nice Ice wine) and then got on the road to Martinborough.

Napier

Sunday morning we had breakfast at our hotel. I had poached egges, toast, and a decaf latte. Then we took an art deco walk through town. The town was essentially rebuilt in deco style after a devastating earthquake and fire in the 1930s.

On our way out of town we drove up to Bluff Hill, where we spotted local youth getting high in their cars!

Auckland to Napier

We began today by driving south from Bay of Islands to Auckland, then caught a flight to Napier. The airport security for domestic NZ flights is non-existent. We didn't have to walk through metal detectors, x-rays, or show ID! It was a small Saab plane and a quick flight.

Napier was beautiful. Nestled on the water its seaside deco-ness reminded me of Miami. We stayed at the County Hotel, which was actually a pre-deco building.

Tonight we wandered a bit before deciding to have dinner at Take 5, a restaurant/jazz bar. It was fairly empty when we arrived and they were turning people away by the time we left. I had some delicious pumpkin/feta/etc. pancakes that Brian will detail more later. We had a selection of ice creams for dessert too.

One interesting thing in Napier was that we saw local youth heckling tourists--a first on our trip! They also had a skatepark, so perhaps there's a connection.

Driving to Auckland

Just passed Brynderwyn--reminds me of all the Welsh names around Haverford like Bryn Mawr, Wynnewood, etc. We had a nice few days up north in Bay of Islands.

Random New Zealand Slang

"More camp than a row of tents." -Marj

Flash: Upscale, cool, as in the state of being flashy

Short Black: espresso coffee

Long Black: espresso with hot water

Sign or Pin?: Common question when paying with a debit card. Equivalent to the "credit or debit" question we often get asked in the U.S.

Lifestyle Property: Still not sure...but we think this means vacation land.

Bach: Vacation cabin/house. Pronounced "batch" and is short for "bachelor" (pad).

Dairy: Convenience store/corner store.

Entree: First course at a restaurant. Starter.

Main: Main course at a restaurant.

Capsicum: Red peppers.

Kumara: Yam.

Decaf Conspiracy

In our ongoing series of strange decaf coffee experiences, at last night's gourmet dinner I ordered a decaf (short black) and then Brian ordered one. Our server came back awhile later and said they only had enough decaf for one, so I got it since I ordered first. There's something strange about decaf here--perhaps it's rarely ordered. When Brian and I ordered decaf at the end of our first meal in Pahia at our hotel our server said "sure, I can make one for you." He arrived with 2 small teapots and cups and we were so impressed, Then we realized the teapots contained hot water and were accompanied by packets of instant coffee.

Waikokopu Cafe-Waitangi Treaty Grounds

We're on the treaty grounds in Waitangi, leaving an amazing breakfast at the Waikokopu Cafe. Brian and I both had pancakes, which arrived wrapped up like crepes, accompanied by a blend of yogurt and butterscotch sauce. Brian's had bananas inside; we both had sliced ham on on top (they may have called it bacon). My decaf latte was fabulous and I wasn't given the 3rd degree about it.

Kamakura Restaurant, Russell

Tonight we took the ferry to Russell for dinner at Kamakura--the place with the coolest look and the best looking menu. It was very modern in design, with long banquette seating and dark pillows. We sat at a table facing the water and had one of the best meals of our trip. We intended to take a 9pm ferry back to Paihia, but lingered for desser and caught the final ferry at 10pm. My dessert was a work of art--panacotta placed in a circle on a plate to look like the eyeball (or head) of a bird. They even decorated the white panacotta with something grey in color (a dusting of grey) to mimic the pupil or eye. Triangular cookies were below it (beak or feathers) and raspberry sauce was drizzled to make up the body and/or feathers. It was delicious too! As we took the dark ferry ride back to Paihia we were in a state of bliss after such a fantastic meal.

P.S. Our table looked out over the harbor, so we had the perfect view of the setting sun.

Waitangi Treaty Grounds, Paihia Spa, and Pool Time

On Friday, we went back to the Treaty Grounds to have breakfast at the cafe. I had some great French toast with a side of yogurt and butterscotch sauce. As they had advertised, the coffee was good and nobody looked at me strangely when I ordered decaf.

After breakfast we checked out the huge war canoe on the treaty grounds. It holds about 150 warriors and requires about 80 to row it. It was built in 1940 for the centennial of the treaty signing.

Brian was dying for more pampering, so we went to a local day spa so he could get a massage. He talked me into an "ultimate indulgence" pedicure, which included leg massage, exfoliation, and masque. My feet have never looked so great! It was actually my first professional pedicure. While waiting for my painted toes to dry, I enjoyed reading local magazines--one had a dishy story about Victoria Gotti. The magazines are full of summer stories and fashion--still strange for us since it's winter at home.

We went back to our hotel and changed into swimwear to lounge by the pool. We both swam for a bit and sunned for awhile--a dangerous thing since NZ has a large hole in the ozone, so we burn more quickly here.