Trip to the Far North and Kingfish lodge.

After a week spent in Auckland starting to get the reno of our old home underway, buying our new getabout wheels and catching up with our boys and my parents Pip and I headed back north to the Beach on Friday to find glorious weather, calm water and guitar strumming rellies ready to party the night away.

Saturday saw me hit the road again for the 2.5 hour drive further north to my lifelong friend's coastal property to spend her birthday with her and boyfriend Al.

Road sign, Nikau palms, Cabbage trees, wild flowers, Tauranga Bay;Visa North from Susie's deck, old wharf pilings, Susie's beach, skull.

Birthday lunch was a boat trip away from Whangaroa wharf, down the Harbour, to Kingfish Lodge just shy of the Harbour entrance. The lodge has a long history as the place for big game fishers to congregate and party once the day's fishing is done. We toasted Susie with bubbles overlooking the bay, then ate crayfish bisque and fresh snapper along with the most delish corn bread on the dining deck. (Katrina our server kindly shared the recipe with us!) We loved the relaxed atmosphere of the place and were sad when our boatman called us for the trip back to the Whangaroa wharf. There we had a quick stop into the game fishing club to ogle at the huge trophies the lined the walls. Some 456 Marlin were caught or tagged and released in 2010...which seems pretty staggering really!!! Seems like a hell of a lot of stoopid Marlin out there!

Whangaroa; View from Kingfish Lodge; Fishing boat at Whangaroa;  Kingfish Lodge; Big Game fishing boat; rooms and surrounds of Lodge; Susie, Julie and Al; Snapper with Asian sauce and curried cauliflower with grilled pineapple; Crayfish Bisque; Orange syrup cake with praline and vanilla bean ice cream.

After a quick Sunday afternoon driver home through the summer countryside, and a quick stop to remind myself how cool the Hundertwasser loos are in Kawakawa, I met up with Pip back at the beach house. Life hasn't quite ticked over into neutral yet, we are both still jobless, though I am overseeing the reno of the house so that's keeping me occupied for now. The purchase of our little car makes life easier and jobs will come!!

Kawakawa is sizzling with Hundertwassar artwork, the loos are his most famous installation here, using glazed urns and pots as pillars nd wine bottles as windows.

Dinner tonight was gathered from the sea even though the weather has turned misty and rainy. Scallops from our bay gifted by a friendly diver, Piper (small long thin fish with a beak) the boys netted below house, snapper caught by Pips brother, Pipi's (clams) we gathered on the Tuatua bank after a quick boat ride through the rain. Wash that all down with a jolly good little enzed Chardy...what more could you want. After a sundown walk along the beach, where we met our new neighbours from France who'd moved into the old farmhouse today, we finished up with Plum Kuchen, a recipe given to me by friend Dina in Toronto!


Dina's Plum Kuchen (Old Polish Jewish recipe)

Stone and halve 10 plums
Grease a quiche dish or pie dish
Cream half a block of butter with 3/4 cup sugar (2 sticks butter)
Add 2 eggs and stir in.
Add 1 cup flour and 1 tsp of baking powder and stir or beat in. ( I throw a pinch of salt in if unsalted butter is used)
Pour batter into greased dish and spread smooth,
Cover top of batter with plums, cut side down until completely covered. Start in centre and work out.
Mix 1/3 cup sugar and 1 - 2 tsps cinnamon and pour over plums to cover.
Bake for 35 to 50 mins (seems to depend on oven) at 180C until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean.
Best Served warm with 1/2 whipped cream -1/2 plain good yogurt mixed together or good vanilla ice cream. 
Can be frozen.