Cakes and Parties

Since Nicki and I started making cakes life has taken on an accelerated pace! Who knew baking party cakes was so addictive or so time gobbling!

Last weekend, our biggest yet, with five cakes going out to five happy customers. I was lucky enough to enjoy two of the celebrations we'd made celebration cakes for. 

Ben and Taryn's engagement party ticked all the boxes. Thoughtful arty decorations, a hip venue at Minnie Street Studio's in Eden Terrace, a dessert buffet with monogrammed chocolate goodies, pretty pink meringues and my OTT cake.

Kermadec Exhibition at Maritime Museum

9 artists travelled on the NZ Navy ship Otago to the remote Kermadec islands. Video of their journey and artistic responses to the pristine string of volcanic islands along the edge of the Kermadec Trench are on exhibit at the Maritime Museum.

You might be as surprised as me to find that Raoul Island, the Doc inhabited island in the Kermadecs, is not off the tip of NZ but situated two days run in the ship out from Whakatane on the way to Tonga.

The work I loved best were the giant tapa's of  Robin White, the fabulous vibrant resin works by Elizabeth Thomson, Phil Dadson's sounds of the Kermadecs and Fiona Halls beaks and peaks.

Artists are: Phil Dadson, Fiona Hall, John Pule, John Reynolds, Robin White, Elizabeth Thomson, Bruce Foster and Gregory O'Brien.

. Exhibit entry is free to aucklanders with proof on address.

JAFFA's go Bush in Gissy! An adventure at Tangihau Station

Last weekend 8 old friends took a short plane trip to Gisborne on the east coast of the North Island. The hostess Susie, Rosie and I have known each other for about 50 years!!! I had been on farm tour with Susie about forty years ago...which makes a long time between donning gumboots together...and  that last time we were more interested in the surf swells at Mahia Penninsula than farm stock levels, superphosphate prices and the use of farm dogs in the high country!

Tangihau (wailing wind) Station is an historic block of land owned by the Susie's family for generations. Arriving at the homestead we were met by Station manager Dean McHardy and his family. A quick cuppa and intro to the four wheelers we'd be using for the next three days and we were off on our adventure, two up on each bike, bumping over dusty farm roads and tracks high up into the hills.

Entering the Safari Park, a block of bush deer fenced to keep the feral deer in and off the farmland, we finagled our machines up to the hunting hut camouflaged in the bush. Dinner cooked over a raging fire in blackened dutch ovens, red wine flowed and candles lit the night.

Next day we toured the farm, travelling some 67 Ks without seeing the whole near 16,000 acre spread. It was exhilerating to be amongst the hills and animals, thousands of sheep, cattle and deer roaming the mulititude of paddocks. Visiting the deer farm we learn't how velvet is harvested, high up on the top of a hill we raced down the very sloping airstrip and saw the huge vault that holds the super phosphate that is topdressed by planes each year over the hills. Later we stopped at a river camp complete with long drops and fresh water tap, long plank tables and piles of firewood. The river bounds with brown trout and tempted us all to come back and camp on the river flat another day. We saw stands of ramrod straight Robinia's grown for fence posts and the huge farm buildings and yards needed for machinery, shearing and musters.

Claybird shooting was something I did not partake in.. last time I held a gun I nearly accidentally killed a man so I swore never to hold one again. The others all potted a clay or two before we headed back to base for a swim in a brown cool bush dam. Heaven after the dust and heat of the day.

Mark had stayed back, opting to be our chef, and cooked a magnificent venison stew over the open fire redolent with red wine, pepper, potatoes and onions. Before dining Mark and the boys took off on a stealth mission to stalk deer, sadly Al B was having a snooze at the time and missed their exit. Our chef shot his first deer while Al and the girls drank wine and told stories in front of the fire.

All in all it was a great weekend, the weather god blessed us with sunshine, making our final adventure to the Rere rockfall all the more fun. Taking life and limb in hand, said hands grasping a boogie board to ones chest, this bunch of fifty somethings slid down the waterfall to land with a sharp splat in the pool below. Dried off and back in our utes we ended our trip winetasting at Matawhero Vineyards back down in Gisborne before the obligatory fish and chips and a quick flight back to the big smoke.

Wedding at the Chateau, Ruapehu

Our friend Andrew married sweetheart Julia this weekend at the Chateau. Pip was bestman. It was such fun being back at the Chateau and a treat to find their service and food was pretty spectacular these days. 

January is Gone roll on Summer!

Well that was the weirdest January, the weather was autumnal at best but finally we are hotting up in the city and summer seems to be here.

Auckland Anniversary Weekend was spent revisiting old water skiing haunts on the Waikato River down Reparoa way.  Staying in a very nice house at Broadlands just north of Taupo, right on the river, with friends Nicki and John and their three sproglets, we spent our days on the River and nights eating far too well.

 Pip testing the glassy waters on Saturday morning. A little later John dusted off his barefoot skills and tumbled up a few times much to his kids delight.

 At fifty something....OMG....I still managed to heave myself out of the lovely warm water  on Saturday morning to enjoy that fabulous sensation of skiing on glass. A little tentative at first but by Monday I was starting to find my feet again.

Family fun on the river, the kids aged 5 to 11 all took to the water on skis or donut. Pip managed to find a jet ski and rode the wakes as Nicki skied elegantly down the river.

 Highlights were a trip to Paradise, a natural hotwater inlet, were skiers and wave humpers (that's wake boarders) get together at the end of the day for cocktails floating in the hot water. Three families had their dogs floating on lilos or donuts, all had their own methods of storing beverages on the water. Our kneeboard was a floating bar, dispensing Moscow Mules, Corona's and Nachos.

Local livestock holding up the traffic, offroading in the bush, the green green grasslands at Reparoa.

New Year in the Far North

Traveling on New Years Eve through squalling showers and under grey skies we were hopeful at the very least that we would see the sun at some point during the next five days holidaying in the Far North just south of Tauranga Bay in the North Island.Our destination, a bach in the truest meaning, off the national grid, all power from solar and gas bottles and water piped from a meandering stream.

We must have been very good at some point during the year because the sun came out and the weather stayed calm and conducive to a real holiday laid back vibe. New Years Eve was heralded by the pop of champagne corks and THE most fabulous piece of bbqued beef fillet followed by meringues and cream.

Lazy days were filled with walks, swims, kayaking, paua gathering and fishing expeditions. Blueberry pancakes were whipped up for brekkie, lunch was Coronas with ham and tomatoe sarnies, dinners fresh salads filled with herbs and bbqued meats accompanied by fab NZ wines, our fav being Coal Pit Road.

Pohutukawa's in full bloom line the bay, sadly we'd missed the Orcas by mere hours on New Years Eve, though stingrays still cruised the bay giving us a hell of a fright when swimming in the shallows.