Getting up early is a hard task when travelling. Sure you’re excited to see new things but travelling can be hard on the body and after our long hike Mr NQN and I were tired and needed a little sleep in. So whilst we were supposed to leave the hotel at 8am and get to Matakana at 10am, we allowed ourselves a little sleep in and leave at 9am instead. We take the well signposted drive to Matakana and arrive to find the small town absolutely buzzing.
Organic garlic
Organic nashis and free range and organic eggs
Mmm figgies!
Cars are trying to park any which way they can. There are people walking past with fresh creates of eggs, bunches of vivid red roses and all sorts of edible goodies. We find a park and take a look. It’s a small farmer’s markets but a well patronised one. We start off in one section where there are eat and go containers of mussels sold with forks that are already shelled. They come in garlic, chilli and other flavours.
Eat and go mussels
Grape bread!
Buffalo milk cheese and yogurt
We stop by a Buffalo milk stall where they sell yogurt, freshia which is a soft non melting cheese and a young and a slightly more mature brie. Buffalo milk is low in fat and slightly tangy so that it tastes like a low fat yogurt. They sell $2 cups with honey which we try for Mr NQN as he has missed breakfast.
Lots of free range eggs
The friendly knife sharpening man
North and South Island Whitebait fritters
There are also North and South Island whitebait fritters-the North Island ones are slightly less expensive at $6 whereas the south Island whitebait is $8 per fritter but we take a pass on these as it’s still breakfast/brunch time.
A delicious carrot and cardamom jam
We get some more breakfast goodies in the form of fresh organic figs for 50c each. There is a stand with carrot and cardamom jam as well as a delicious beetroot relish.
Organic crepe with cheese $4
He wanted some crepe…
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| September 3rd, 2010 by Not Quite Nigella
With the Treetops cooking class a wonderful memory we rush to get to Auckland in time for our booking at Euro at the Viaduct. We reach the Sky City Grand Hotel with nary a moment to spare. The hotel location is good, it is located right in the centre of Auckland. There’s no time to spare to check out our room though as we are late late late!
We take the short walk to the Viaduct which is similar to the Darling Harbour area of Sydney. It’s on the waterfront and it is buzzing this Saturday night. We’re seated in the front corner with a window view. The menu is interesting with some classic dishes and some innovative ones. Curiously there is even a Pie of the Day with a “P.O.A.” written after it. Price on Application for a pie? I’ve seen P.O.A. but usually in fashion magazines referencing couture outfits or properties that you just cannot afford – not a pie. It turns out the pie of the day is a fish pie for $38. Our waitress comes over after quite a while to tell us the specials. The poor gal is clearly run off her feet although when we try and catch the eye of other staff members standing there and chatting they see us although they don’t come over or tell her which is a little irritating.
Bluff Oysters with raspberry saba, balsamic jelly, smoked tabasco and prelibato $27.50
The Bluff oysters are in (yay!) and here they come with four different accompaniments. There is raspberry saba which is a sweet unfermented syrup, balsamic jelly which is nice but a little overwhelmingly sweet and strong for the oysters, smoked Tabasco which is too strong for the oysters and prelibato, a cooked grape must which is slightly sweet and unusual. We feel like Goldilocks trying to find the perfect fit.
Peking Duck with Chinese pancakes, orange chipotle slaw, cashew dukka and hoisin sauce $26
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| August 8th, 2010 by Not Quite Nigella
Mr NQN and I are spoilt. We are used to relying on our GPS and our reliance on the stiff speaking male voice is apparent. We’re an hour late to our Maori Food Trail cooking class at the elegant Treetops Hunting Lodge (we quickly learn that “Lodge” is code for ultra luxury hotel here in NZ). We’re embarrassed and ring a couple of times and finally find our way down the secluded track to Treetops lodge where two large metal deer hold sentry. The gates slide open and we drive up the 2.5km hill to reach the lodge itself passing several of the 300-400 deer that roam the 2500 acre property.
Eru Tutaki
A smiling face greets us in the kitchen and it’s Eru Tutaki the Maori chef that is going to show us some native Maori foods. We start with a coffee and a cookie while he gets to know us and we him. The 36 year old father of three grew up in a town which was so small the population there was 30 people. At 17 he moved to Wellington where he studied for a Bachelor of Visual Maori Arts. He then studied sculpting creating figures in chocolate which then sparked an interest in food. Growing up, Eru wasn’t taught Maori so he rediscovered his roots when he started cooking. He learnt the Maori language and he uses it and his knowledge and research in his food to conduct these food trail tours which are based on Charles Royal’s tours but with an additional component of culture and language.
We were originally told that we’d be looking for native ingredients in the 800 year old forest and then coming back to the kitchen here to cook it. “Not quite…” Eru says and shows us to the room where I am to change out of my leather boots into a pair of gum boots (and yes the only ones that fit were Zebra ones 
). For not only are we going out for a trek among the forest but he is also going to cook the food that we pick out there. I squeeze Mr NQN’s hand in excitement.
We head off with several layers on as the temperature changes as we head towards our final destination, the Bridal Veil waterfall. The forest is quite young in terms of what it can produce so whilst he doesn’t use the ingredients in the cuisine at the lodge as they need more to keep up with the number of guests, he uses them in these tours. He expects that in 15 years, the forest will be able to produce what is necessary to serve at the lodge. Eru conducts 6-7 tours a month although some days he can conduct up to four tours as word spreads around the lodge about the tours.
Pikipiko fern
Eru tells us that Maori food and ingredients are said to be traditionally quite bland without a lot of seasoning but have a lot of medicinal properties. Seaweed was used as a replacement for salt when preserving fish. He shows us the Manuka fern that produces Pikopiko (the young fronds of the fern). There are over 350 ferns in New Zealand and we had eaten the trunk of the punga fern at the Hokitika Wild Foods Festival. He turns over the fern and breaks it and then explains that the Maori tradition is to thank the fern by massaging or stroking it releasing the spores.
Tawa Berry
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| August 6th, 2010 by Not Quite Nigella
I don’t know about you Dear Reader but we like to eat early when we dine out on holiday. For practical reasons you do understand as the light is better and we are often bone tired from sight seeing and have just enough energy to collapse into a chair and eat to our heart’s content. So when I ring Molten in Mount Eden just outside of downtown Auckland, to ask whether we can change our booking to a slightly earlier time I am relieved when they tell me that it is not a problem at all.
Waikanae crab, spinach & ricotta linguine with Pernod cream and crunchy shallots $22.00
The linguine is rich and gorgeously cheesy with a touch of Pernod. We both can’t find much crab though it but the crunchy shallots give the cream a lift and flavours injection as well as a textural crunch. It’s a substantial serving size particularly for an entree and I really enjoy the creaminess of this dish.
Sesame salt & pepper squid with cucumber, peanut relish and chilli honey $20.50
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| July 18th, 2010 by Not Quite Nigella
“Mr and Mrs Elliott” the smiling face greets me as we exit out of the car. We’ve just arrived at Huka Lodge, said to be the iconic New Zealand lodge and having passed a most impressive entranceway with the lushest, greenest lawns you could imagine and small ponds with fast moving mist hovering above it. It’s movie set lovely and did I also mention cold? When the plane took off for Taupo, we had heard the pilot saying minus 1 degree which we thought to be just us having faulty hearing.
They take care of our bags and we are welcomed into the main lodge room where a crackling fire holds centre stage and cold we gravitate straight towards it. My tea and Mr NQN’s coffee are brought to us along with a selection of the butteriest demerara sugar edged shortbread in vanilla and chocolate as well as some fish shaped chocolate-dark filled with praline and milk filled with truffle. Did I mention the fish? Huka Lodge was originally a fishing destination and has preserved that theme throughout the lodge even after the jade green Waikoto river was closed off for recreational flyfishing. Now the guests are more of the genteel variety seeking luxury, the odd royal (Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip as well as the Belgian King and Queen and the prince and princess of the Netherlands). Huka Falls is the most visited natural attraction in New Zealand.
Library room
The Library room was apparently Queen Elizabeth’s favourite room and we can only guess that the tartan might have reminded her of Balmoral. Guests can choose whichever room they’d like to have their dinner in from the study, trophy room as well as various table outside. there are also activities but these are mostly around the $2,000-$4,000 price point per person although the idea of fly fishing at another location and having the chefs here smoke or slice your fish sashimi style is appealing.
The room is enormous, with a king sized bed one on side and doors that open out onto the green outside where there sits two sunchairs ready to sunbathe in as well as a family of rather bold ducks (that have been known to venture into guest suites).
Resident ducks
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| July 16th, 2010 by Not Quite Nigella
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