Castles, Toy trains and Epic Views, oh my! Otago Peninsula Trip Part Deux

Our little cabin was on a working farm so we awoke to roosters cock-a-doodle-dooing and sheep baaing each morning. There was also a mini train that the kids got to ride on (and Mike had to push):

We visited a castle, Larnach Castle to be exact:

We frolicked in the gardens and had incredible views of the peninsula:

Oamaru, Moeraki and Dunedin, oh my! Otago Peninsula Trip Part 1

We had a fabulous trip down the east coast to Dunedin and the Otago Peninsula a few weekends ago. I would have to say it ranks as one of our best trips so far. First stop: Oamaru and Moeraki where we saw the Moeraki boulders (above). These boulders are perfectly round and mostly smooth and really are a freak show. Some were cracked open and had mini-tide pools in them. They are beautiful really and, as the link above describes, are quite special to the Maori people.


Oamaru is home to some yellow-eyed penguins:



We saw about 10 or so float in on the waves and waddle up the beach and disappear into the "bush". Fascinating little critters and to think, this is one of the only places in the world where you can see these penguins, unless you happen to visit some of the sub-antarctic islands. They are endangered due to the destruction of their habitat by humans.

Then on to Dunedin and the Otago Peninsula. We stayed at a lovely little cabin that overlooked the harbor.

It is starting to happen....

A New Zealand accent.

Miss M has been at school full-time for about 2 months now and in the last few days, Mike and I have noticed her saying certain words with a kiwi twang. "No" is the most noticeable and is pronounced "nu-oh". An inflection at the end of a sentence, as if a question mark has been placed there instead of a period (or a"full-stop" as they call them here), is typical of the kiwi speech cadence and we notice her doing that as well.

Soon we will hear her saying "yes" as "yiss" and "ten " as "tin". Then we will really be convinced she is turning into a kiwi. But for now, here is a glimpse of what is to come with her budding kiwi accent:

How to Speak New Zulander
(for bist effict, rid these out aloud)

Peck - to fill a suitcase
pissed aside - chemical which kills insects
pug - large pink animal with a curly tail
min- male of the species
mess kara - eye makeup
mcKennock - person who fixes cars
Mere - Mayor
leather - foam produced from soap
lift - departed
kittle crusps - potato chips
guess - vapour
fush - marine creature
fear hear - blonde
ear - mix of nitrogen and oxygen
duffy cult - not easy
amejen - visualise
chuck - very young poultry
bug hut - popular recording
bun button - been bitten by insect
sucks peck - half a dozen beers
Ear New Zulland - an extinct airline
one doze - well known computer program
brudge - structure spanning a stream
sex - one less then seven or "sivven"
tin - one more then nine
cuds - children
cuttin - baby cat
sivven sucks sivven - large Boeing aircraft
sivven four sivven - larger Boeing aircraft
earplane - large flying marchine
beggage chucken - place to leave your suitcase at the earport

And a wee video:

Late Summer hike at Godley Head

South Pacific Sky

Shopping, crying over spilt hot chocolate and the kindness of Kiwis.....

Miss M and I headed out to the store to gather a few things for dinner as we are entertaining an American ex-pat this evening (Hi D!). As is often the case, I had to go on a bit of a wild goose chase to track down one of the ingredients for our salmon entree. You would think that with all of the Asian cuisine here that it would be easy to find some rice vinegar at the store. But alas, no. In the States, you would have your choice of 4 or more varieties of rice vinegar but here in New Zealand, you are lucky to get one option. There is just not the volume of people here to have a wide selection of goods like we do in the States. Of course, this is a good thing on many, many levels but I do get frustrated with the search I have to go on at times. We have a running list of essential items (real peanut butter without added oil or sugar, maple syrup, limes, jalapenos, corn meal, black and pinto beans, etc) and we know exactly what stores carry them and what stores don't (which is most!).

So, anyway, we stopped at another store to look for rice vinegar and voila! Success! Shopping done.....now time for a Starbucks fix (see previous post) at the mall. Crowded House was playing overhead (only in NZ!) while Miss M ordered a kid's hot chocolate with whipped cream and well, you know exactly what I ordered. Miss M and I had just said cheers when she knocked her full cup of hot chocolate down the front of her dress, down her leg, onto her shoes and everywhere else. Many tears and loud crying (shrieking) ensued. Many of the people around us assumed she was burned but it was sheer humiliation in those cries and tears. As I cleaned her up, a woman offered me her wet wipes, another came over and gave me a lolly to give to her, the baristas made a new hot chocolate for her without any prompting (and at no charge!) and a group of Japanese girls were ogling over her cuteness and trying to make her smile.

This incident is a reminder to me just how kid and family friendly this place is. When my kids lose it in public, I never get those nasty, disapproving stares that I used to get in the States. Instead I find people here to be all smiles when it comes to children. And it is very refreshing to experience that....

Notes on Coffee in New Zealand

Being a bit of a coffee snob, I am naturally quite picky about any coffee that passes my lips. I prefer it to be fair trade, organic and STRONG (so I am a dark roast kinda girl.) In Portland, I was a die-hard Stumptown fan. I start to drool just thinking about smelling the grinding of Stumptown beans and a latte or fresh cuppa made from their magnificent beans.

But I do have to admit....I am a sucker for a Starbucks iced-grande-3 pump chocolate-mocha-with whip.
Now, that said, I do like iced mochas from other places. New Seasons (our local grocery store in Portland) made a mean iced mocha with Dagoba chocolate sauce and Stumptown coffee and I felt good supporting the locals. But I still (guiltily) enjoyed my Starbucks iced mochas on occasion.

So, being in New Zealand, I have learned about Flat Whites (which frankly, are the same as lattes but the kiwis swear there is a difference) and Mochaccinos. And there are a good number of decent organic and fair trade coffee roasters around like Hummingbird Coffee. I have set out to support the locals here, as I did in Oregon, and I have mostly succeeded. We have a number of nice coffee shops just around the corner from our house (Silverbacks and Zeroes are two of my faves) But.....well...now here is where I complain.

Kiwis don't know how to make an iced coffee drink.

An "iced coffee" gets you ice cream blended with instant coffee and ice. Blech! An "iced mocha" gets you ice cream blended with instant coffee and powdered chocolate and ice. Double blech! I mean, let's call it what it is people. It is a milkshake. Having made the mistake of ordering an "iced coffee" here, I have asked for a flat white on ice only to have it reluctantly made and handed to me with quite the puzzled look. When I have ordered my coffee this way, it tastes alright but I find myself yearning for a Starbucks.

Fortunately (?) there are 3 Starbucks in Christchurch where I can indulge in my drink of choice. I only go on occasion and I feel a pang of guilt every time I partake of one. But oh, dear lord, it is a real iced mocha and it lets me forget for a while that the kiwis don't quite have it right with this iced coffee thing.