Best Kind of Lost

Lights, Camera, QUEENSTOWN!

by Noelle

March 1 – 4

 

And so we continue our journey through the beautiful South Island of New Zealand. With the stunning natural beauty that makes this the choice location for dozens of famous films, including the most inescapable – The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, of course – we know what you’re thinking. After the stunning ‘scapes and wild nature of the West Coast from which we’d just emerged, how could anything compete?

By casting historic towns, quaint cafes and scenic streets to star in the sequel, of course!

QUEEENSTOWN:

We open the scene on our ageless, beautiful leading lady. Wide shot. The viewer sees a snow-capped, bustling town filled with adventurous hipsters bordered by a lake clear as glass. At first glance, you might be in any ski town across the globe (Vail? Geneva? Stowe?), the Remarkables dominate your views to the east and you realize you’re in none other than Queenstown, the largest city in the Southern Lakes area of New Zealand.

Zoom in and you’ll notice the line stretching 30 deep outside of Fergburger, the world’s worst “best kept secret” burger joint that brought us to our knees with it’s sky-high topped patties and greasy onion rings, and a few of the more popular pubs (Mac’s Pub on the Wharf, where the full line of Mac’s beer is on offer and cozy Atlas Beer Café where local craft beers rotate through the handful of taps lining the bar) with the backdrop of snow-kissed mountains looming over visitors’ shoulders. Talk about star power.

Named in honor of Queen Victoria (as it was considered to be “fit for a queen”) it has modernized its way into the “adventure capital of the world.” With early 20-somethings flinging themselves from bridges with nothing but an elastic rope tied to their ankles, jumping out of planes with mere fabric on their backs and floating effortlessly to earth strung perilously to the winged parachutes of hangliders, it has earned its title. Us? We weaved between crop tops and barefooted dudes to target the nearby farmers market (deliciously tiny) and prepare elaborate meals from our booty at our favorite campsite to date, trek to the highest point of the city (knock-me-down-breathtaking) or sit along the shores of Lake Wakatipu (pristinely peaceful and shoot location for LOTR’s “Lothlorien,” home to elven Lady Galadriel). It wasn’t easy, but once you knock the wheels of one skater’s boards off the sidewalk, they tend to steer clear.

With over 1.9 million visitors per year, this place isn’t new to tourism, so only a few days here will do before you feel the crush of her celebrity. And as atmospheric nearby towns were in abundance, we easily took our adventure to the neighboring towns of Arrowtown and Glenorchy, to get laser-local.

 

ARROWTOWN:

Pretty little Arrowtown, just 20 minutes from Queenstown, makes for our perfect supporting actress. Easily overlooked and enveloped by beautiful mountain scenery, the former mining town is a lovely day’s escape and its tree-lined streets crowded with century-old architecture transport you back in time. To the 1860’s to be exact. Arrowtown sprang from that era’s gold rush with over 1500 miners working the river in hopes of finding the elusive glittery rocks. As the gold ran out, the town became a fading rural backwater. With no pressure to replace the old, it kept its heritage heart so more than 70 historic sites remain. Its resurgence as a holiday place began in the 1950s and luckily the importance of the town’s picturesque old buildings was understood, leaving a lovely string of 19^th century miners’ cottages along one street, some of which had been converted to amazing bars or cafes.

Upon arrival, we made our way quickly to the crumbling remains of the Chinese Settlement. Poorly welcomed expats hoping to return home with fortunes built a separate settlement by the river, and were often neglected by the locals. Eventually, as things tend to go, acceptance crept in and Arrowtowners could be found stopping by the Chinese stores for Eastern food staples and playing “fan-tan” with the new settlers. You couldn’t help but feel the history – and admire the preservation efforts! – in this little nook of town.

We spent a cozy hour trying the local Gibbston Valley wines at the tasting room on the 3-block-long main street. While their 2012 Reserve Chardonnay left us wanting more, the blueberry nose and clove aftertaste of the 2012 Pinot Noir held our attention. The vineyards lie outside of town, and are a popular pitstop for visitors.

Shaded by lovely Sycamore, Willow and Larch trees, a stroll along the Arrow River will take you past old gold digging sites and – you guessed it – a Lord of the Rings shoot location (Gladden Fields, where Isildur is killed by orcs in battle and the One Ring is lost).

Finally, a bite at Fork & Tap will find you mingling with the locals and a beer by the fire at the New Orleans Hotel (established in 1866) will have you rethinking your mere 1-night stay. The sticky buns at Provisions Café will have you considering permanent residency. If they don’t help earn this idyllic dark horse a Best Supporting Actress nod, I don’t know what does.

 

GLENORCHY:

In our particular experience, Glenorchy can only play the role of our villain. A reluctant one perhaps, but a villain nonetheless. Our afternoon outing to the “Gateway to Paradise” was shrouded in rain clouds, limiting the usually spectacular 48km drive from Queenstown clinging to the edge of Lake Wakatipu and passing through small bays and forest. We had envisioned a lovely picnic taken by the water and calming strolls along the must-adored shores and through the picturesque town. Upon arrival, the roaring winds and spitting rain rendered the plans moot, and while we indeed picnicked near the water, it was done from the shelter of our campervan. Cue evil music soundtrack.

The town’s entirety spans a 4-block radius, so with the lakefront activities being a non-starter, we were left grasping for what to do with our time.

At the head of the lake, Glenorchy is the jumping off point for several tracks (Routeburn and Rees-Dart stem from here), but as tramping wasn’t on the day’s agenda, we passed the rainy afternoon at the more welcoming looking pub (there are only two in town).

And while we know the potential of this much sought after location for the film industry (with recent shoots such as The Chronicles of Narnia, X-Men Origins: Wolverine and the LOTR/Hobbit movies) lay somewhere beneath the fog, we didn’t find it that day.

After looping our way back to Queenstown, our time here was a wrap!

Let the credits roll.

 

February Faves

by Noelle and Dave

February 2014

 

The shortest month of the year saw us soaking up the last rays of Thai sunshine before making the jump to New Zealand where we’d begin our 3-week exploration of the kiwi country. Check out our favorite moments from February below!

 

She Says

10. It’s raining. It’s cold. We make an impromptu stop at a roadside pub to escape the gloom and walk straight back into 1863, stumbling onto the historic haven that is Cardrona pub. Tucked in the hills of Cardrona, New Zealand, the pub is exactly where you want to spend a rainy afternoon. A pint of local beer and piping hot bowl of chowder taken on an overstuffed couch in front of a roaring fire later and we were ready to move in permanently.

9. The anticipation and excitement around the start to our New Zealand adventure after 5 long months in fantastically vibrant, utterly overwhelming Asia was palpable, and flawlessly kicked-off with our Valentine’s Day hike to New Chum’s beach. The peaceful beauty of a pristine beach in a country focused on preserving its naturalness was stunning.

8. Our delicious dinner at Koh Lanta’s Time for Lime scores a spot on this month’s list (just barely, as it fell on the first day of February!) due to the restaurant’s mouthwatering tasting menu and beautiful Thai beach setting. It was the kind of evening that fades into a happy hazy memory that you pull out when you need cheering.

7. 5 months in Asia brought us lots of cheap, local beer – but all of it relatively tasteless. Enter New Zealand and their booming craft beer scene! We were in heaven. The breweries throughout the country produce some of the most deliciously hoppy beers we’ve ever tasted and we weren’t shy about tasting them. All of them.

6. Despite our ample time spent in the Thai sun, there is something special about stretching out on a plush hotel lounge chair, and the Krabi Sheraton was glad to help. Spending lazy days sunning my bod next to the crystal clear pool waters brought tears of joy to my luxury-deprived eyes.

5. A lazy afternoon spent snoozing on Koh Lanta’s Bamboo beach after an ample lunch at Pad Thai Rock & Roll (which included spicy Pad See Ew and a ridiculously tasty fruit smoothie) has been burned into my memory. The sexy isolation of the desolate beach visit that followed was exactly what I pictured from Thailand. I left a happy (and tan) lady. (EDITOR’S NOTE: Upon further review, the ruling in this post stands. Despite the fact that this actually took place on January 31^st, we make the rules here so we’re gonna go ahead and chalk it up to an overlooked star from last month’s Top 10 list.) (AUTHOR’S NOTE: And really, Editor??? Bite me.)

4. While it’s never something I’d have EVER considered on my Bucket List, I followed the lead of my (in hindsight) slightly wayward husband for a few days of WWOOFing at Wairunga Farm in Hawkes Bay, NZ. While he made sweet, sweet memories shearing sheep, I found myself hanging towels, making beds and pulling weeds….but more frequently…drinking wine with my curly haired, vibrant and vivacious new friend, Paulette. It was glorious. Paulette and John were the most welcoming and gracious hosts and we loved EVERY MINUTE of our time spent on their farm.

3. Dave and I love a good dance floor (who doesn’t??). One could say we found love on one such place (more specifically, Mother’s sticky 20×20 floor space, but who’s asking…). And so our “big night out” on Railay will remain forever vivid in my memory (despite the fantastic cocktails consumed on a floating boat bar and beers sipped in a bar more known for it’s illegal offerings), and tearing up the dance floor at THE late night establishment in the midst of the sloppy mass of early-20-somethings (and DOMINATING, I must say) was a highlight of the trip.

2. The three weeks spent sleeping in the back of a campervan surprisingly turned out to be one my favorite parts about our time in New Zealand! It helped that the “mattress” spread across the back turned out to be super comfortable, and there was something so cozy about our temporary hatchback home. We were able to come and go as we pleased and fully embrace the gypsy lifestyle. One particular evening, we piled into the back of our 4-wheeled steed with a bottle of Viognier and an assortment of cheese, crackers and jam and I couldn’t have been happier  as I nestled in further to the fluffy comforter next to my man.

1. Because I make the rules, this memory will be more “theme,” less “moment.” Our winetasting adventures in New Zealand’s Marlborough and Martinborough regions share this #1 spot. Filled with stunning vistas, impeccable Viogniets and atmospheric tasting rooms, we spent two separate days in those respective areas roaming the rows of succulent grapes and wondering how we’d ever adjust back to normal life. (I’m sorry, new boss person, you don’t offer a lunch time tasting menu? Hmmmm…methinks I need to rethink…)

 

He Says

10. It’s hard to leave Koh Lanta off of any Top 10 list, so our dinner by the beach at Time For Lime to kick off the month earned a spot for me. Not only was it yet another amazing meal of Thai dishes, but it was made all the more memorable by the walk home on the beach that included our best Oregon Trail impression as we forded the river, not knowing that we were returning at high tide through the same area that just hours before was less than ankle deep. Tides, man. They’ll getcha.

9. There’s something about our brief stop at the Cardrona Hotel that’s stuck with me. Set off all by its lonesome between Wanaka and Queenstown, this character-laden 150+-year-old piece of local history drew us in on a cool day for a 45-minute stop that felt like much longer. It was as if we took a step back in time, and if this place was any indication I would have loved me some 1860’s.

8. Our three days in Railay provided all the views you’d associate with a picture perfect Thai island landscape. Palm trees, karsts rising straight out of the sea and sun for days. It helped that we also had some of our favorite curries and tom yums days before we said goodbye to this area of the world.

7. An early indication of the endless views we’d enjoy in New Zealand came in the form of a 1-hour hike to New Chum’s Beach. Not much I can say that a picture wouldn’t accomplish on its own.

6. Our day spent in Gisborne started with us being among the first people on earth to see the sun come up that day and ended with one of the best sunsets we’ve had since Phu Quoc in Vietnam. New Zealand does landscapes well, but she paints her skies real nice, too.

 

…sunset.

5. That one time I blacked out and took about 300 photos during a 90-minute stroll around Lake Matheson.

4. I’d love to think that in another life I’d come back as a farmer, but for now our two-day stay with John and Paulette on Wairunga is all I have to hang my hat on. Beyond the endless hospitality of our hosts, I got to get my hands dirty with some good ol’ manual labor for the first time in a while and even sheered a sheep. Not too baaa-aaa-aaad.

3. February 23^rd was just a phenomenal day with so many good things packed into such a short amount of time I had to include it as one item. We started the day off with a trip to the Blenheim Farmer’s Market, followed it up with a few hours touring the vineyards of Marlborough, then went on to cruise atop Queen Charlotte Sound for intercoastal views and a picnic, and then capped it all off with some craft beers upon arrival in Nelson. Needless to say, the top of the South Island didn’t disappoint on day one.

2. Many places around the world offer wine tasting, but few can do it like Martinborough. Despite the sweating that carried on throughout the day (because I’m a Bauer and that’s what we do), you can’t beat a full day of sunshine spent walking between gorgeous vineyards tasting the local grape juices. No cars, no bikes, just a nice stroll to make you earn the payoff at each cellar door.

1. Our mo-bile home takes the cake for February. After the hustle and bustle of most of our stops in Southeast Asia, it was nice to simplify things for our time in New Zealand. Living, breathing and sleeping with one person in a late 90’s Toyota may sound like part of a kidnapping scene in the next Liam Neeson movie, but we learned to embrace it and loved every minute of it.

Seaside Riding Down the West Coast

by Dave

February 26 – 28

 

After a restless night of sleep spent spooning with the most annoying sonsabitches we’ve encountered since some of the street vendors in Saigon sand flies, we rose early, making haste and driving like we stole it to get to the coast. Weaving our way through gold country, this was the most remote of regions we had encountered in New Zealand. The West Coast (or Westland, as it’s sometimes referred to) is inhabited by only the heartiest of souls drawn by the mild climate and the isolated lifestyle the area affords them. Like the wild west of old, this region was full of boomtowns during the gold rush of the 1860s, welcoming with open arms some endless waves of Kiwis looking for their big break. Things have quieted down significantly since then in this area, where only about 1% of New Zealand’s population calls the region that takes up 9% of the country’s area home.

Now that you’re armed with history and context, let’s get to the good stuff. We covered a lot of ground in a few quick days, so instead of boring you with all the step-by-step details of our journey, Imma give you a sixer of some of the best of the West:

1. Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki – Fittingly, we stopped at that firmly-on-the-beaten-track destination right around breakfast. By happenstance, we beat some of the tour buses and arrived right at high tide. The dramatic sights and booming sounds were humbling (Mama Naytch at work yet again). The rock formation earned its memorable moniker through a long layering-weathering process called “stylobedding.” This caused the limestone to form into what appear to be endless stacks of pancakes. The sea has also eroded a few areas from the base of the rocks, helping form blow holes that, at high tide, put on full display the awesome power of the ocean as waves crash toward shore and erupt through the blowholes like overweight geysers. That’s a long way of saying it was really cool.

2. Greytown and Hokitika – Rolling down the coast, smoking tires, sipping on coffee and water (with my mind on a haircut and a haircut on my mind) we arrived in Greytown. The biggest of the West Coast’s cities, this was most memorable for the fact that I got my first trim in 10 months here. After I lost the locks we only had enough time for a quick tasting at Monteith’s Brewery before carrying on to Hokitika. Aside from being a fun word to say, Hokitika also gave us one of our favorite fish-n-chipses to-date.

3. Glaciers (or, if you prefer, glay-see-uhhs) – The bulk of the West Coast is bracketed by the Southern Alps to the east and the Tasman Sea to the west, making for some great visual candy in all directions. And soon after the mountains came into view we entered glacier country. Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers are two of the most easily accessible glaciers in the world, both coming into view within a short walk from their respective car parks. We made it to Franz Josef in time to make the 1.5hr walk toward the terminal face of the glacier to catch what we thought would be an up-close view before sundown. When I was in this area in 2007, both glaciers filled the slopes of the southern alps nearly all the way down to the valleys below. Fast forward seven years and the bottom face, or ablution zone (glay-see-uhh terminology, amiright?), of Franz Josef has receded nearly halfway up the mountain, to the point where guided hikes need to be helicoptered onto the glacier since hiking up from the bottom has become too dangerous. Alas, our viewpoint photos would have to suffice.

4. Lake Matheson – Having gotten our glacier fix with Franz Josef, we opted for another hike near Fox Glacier that didn’t involve a close-up view of the ice formation. A short drive from our campground, the path to Lake Matheson awaited and was kind enough to play nice and provide the postcard-perfect views we had hoped for. The lake is often referred to as a “mirror lake” because of the water’s smooth-as-glass surface creating a perfect reflection of whatever is off in the distance. The thing that sets Matheson apart from others like it is its “off in the distance” view is of none other than New Zealand’s two highest peaks, Mt. Cook and Mt. Tasman. The views through the forest and out onto the misty morning water throughout the walk are idyllic if you catch it on the type of day we did, but the fact that the two main lookout points are named “Reflection Island” and “View of Views” tells you all you need to know about the main attractions.

5. Wanaka views and beers – While this isn’t technically part of the West Coast, there’s a very good reason for it to be included in this post. We just kinda decided to add it here (good enough a reason as any, no?). In any case, Wanaka provided an easy stopover en route to our next destination, Queenstown. But the sometimes-overlooked city has plenty of reasons to warrant at least an overnight in the area. In many ways it plays the role of the quieter, shy younger sibling to crowded Queenstown. But it’s following suit of older brother with a comparable number of tour companies and outdoor adventure opportunities right in its own backyard. We stayed for one night only, before making haste (so much haste in these parts), for Queenstown. But before getting back on the road we stopped in at Wanaka Beerworks, a much talked about craft brewery that still is operating on a pretty small scale, but can hold its own against some of the best we had just tasted in Nelson and Wellington. The Apline Miere Dry Golden Ale in particular was a favorite of ours, with surprisingly satisfying notes of orange and honey that typically wouldn’t be our speed.

6. Cardrona Hotel – This gem tied a quaint and cozy bow on this leg of the south island for us. Completely by chance, the Wanaka Beerworks bartender gave us one of the best recommendations we received in the entire month in New Zealand. On her advice, we zigzagged our way through 70kms of mountain views, following the Crown Range Road en route to Queenstown. Aside from the tussock grass fields, rolling hills and snowcapped mountains along the ride, it also sports a hotel bar and restaurant that has barely changed – for good reason – since it opened its doors 150 years ago. The roaring fire in the dining room at the Cardrona Hotel provided a welcome respite from the cold wind and rain so we tucked into a bowl of seafood chowder and a beer on a comfy fireside couch.

Recharged and ready to go, we walked back to the van to find that the sun had come out and lit up the peaks atop the hills in every direction. And with that, we were off to Queenstown.

Favorite Things Part II: Beer in Craft Tresses and Blue-Watered Passes

by Noelle

February 23 – 25

 

Part II:

Alright! We’re back with Part II – featuring #2 and #3 – of my three favorite things (the time spent getting the title of this post to rhyme with the Sound of Music classic could be considered embarrassing).  Anyway, if you missed the #1 favorite thing, you probably:

a) are assuming it was wine,

b) are right, and

c) should read Part I before continuing below.

All set? Great. Let’s get to it.

 

2. Craft Beer

In Wellington, we were much impressed by New Zealand’s booming craft beer scene. Little did we know, the best was yet to come. Nelson, the oldest city on the South Island and perched on the eastern shores of Tasman Bay, has an epic craft beer trail that highlights New Zealand hops (the surrounding Nelson region produces all of NZ’s commercial hops, making up less than 1% of the world market – insane) and hard-working farm families at every turn. For six weeks in early autumn, the farms are busy, frantically harvesting the year’s crop. The vines are cut, and then the fragrant bitter flowers are removed and dried.

To get to Nelson from Marlborough, we took a slightly longer route in order to indulge in the picturesque drive along the Queen Charlotte Sound. Whoever first penned the words, “the water glittered” may have been inspired by this very same drive. Enjoying a late picnic lunch perched overlooking the water was a NZ moment we’d been anticipating. Yes, this is attention to scenery before its allotted “favorite things” space, but really, you can’t get away from it.

Arrival in Nelson brought Dave immediate reward for his patience in the form of Founder’s Brewery on the outskirts of town. An idyllic setting, we enjoyed a (sadly) average IPA and amazing Pilsner while perched on courtyard picnic tables.

After ditching our ride and quickly acquainting ourselves with a stroll through the few main streets of the town, we headed to the place we hadn’t been able to escape a recommendation for: Free House. Since opening in 2009, this atmospheric bar has featured 375+ beers from over 55 New Zealand breweries. It was everything we’d been promised. Great beers and piping hot, drippingly cheesy pizza delivered right to your table from the pie shop down the street. We walked back to our cozy van-bed just in time to nod off.

It was really only due course that our good fortune ran out.

Waking early to catch sunrise, we leisurely snapped photos of the rising fire before jumping back in the van to head off on our next adventure. But, as we can now attest, adventures are tough to impart on with a dead battery. When a jump from a nearby grocery owner didn’t do the trick, we had a friendly visit from the local AA (shout out to Dale!), only to learn that our calcium battery was unable to fully charge.

Fast forward a few hours – and several free AA-shop coffees later –and we were on a loaner battery (and buzzed on caffeine) until the next day when they’d determine if our original battery was redeemable. As our existing plans had kept us in the nearby area for the next 24 hours anyway, only a slight shift to our plans was necessary, making the situation bearable.  Plus, did I mention we were in the heart of craft beer country?? So we figured things out pretty quick. Below are the results of our consolation in the form of the much-buzzed about Bauer Beer Awards.

(Note: some of these winners would likely be trounced if accounting for our previous ale adventures in Wellington, and pilsner pilgrimages in Christchurch that would follow, but below are the standings exclusively for those brewed exclusively in the Nelson region.):

–       Best Brewery: Hop Federation – A tiny, newcomer brewery nestled among the Motueka hop vines with nowhere to go but up. The easy-going brewer was more than happy to oblige us with a taste of their full profile of beers (at the time of this post that includes a Golden Ale, American Brown Ale, Pale Ale and Red IPA).

 

–       Most Unique Brew: McCashin’s Stoke Brewery gave us a taste of an accidental concoction that resulted when a coconut flavored beer was errantly run through the lager lines. The result was a cross between cough syrup and sun tan lotion. Unique indeed.

 

–       Best Cider: Mussel Inn’s Freckled Frog Feijoa Cider. It’s crazy how prevalent the cider category is in this country. It’s not uncommon to see a full table of kiwis sipping on ciders versus traditional ales and lagers. We almost exclusively opt for the latter alternatives, but after our introduction to the unique Feijoa fruit, we were intrigued. Much to our pleasure, the beverage was fizzingly delightful.

 

–       Best Bar Vibe: Free House – for many of the reasons listed above. From the comfy perch of our benches, our taste buds traveled virtually across the region. Housed in an old church and showcasing a colorful interior, the place sported a retro-vibe.

 

–       Best Brewery Menu: After sampling the Golden Bay brewery’s offerings at Free House, we were compelled to make our way to the source of Mussel Inn’s creatively crafted beers. The restaurant/brewery was absolutely hopping, with a hearty menu, inviting bonfire and promise of live music later in the evening. The green-lipped mussels and lamb pie paired to perfection with our amber-colored Captain Cooker’s and Golden Goose Lager.

 

–       Best Pump Beer: “Pump Beers” are often called “real ales” – basically unpasteurized beers, or unfiltered beers served without nitrogen or carbon dioxide pressure, similar to the likes we found in the Czech Republic. Townshend’s Sutton Hoo pump beer was our winner – good but flat. To quote Dave, “it tastes like the leftovers in a beer pong cup from the last players’ game.”

 

–       Best Beer Business: You couldn’t walk down the street without hitting a Sprig & Fern, and their selection of brews – from the aromatic, easy-drinking Tasman Lager to the playfully spicy Fern Lager – was impressive. Brewed locally, but rapidly expanding their business, they are poised to be a big player on the NZ beer scene.

 

–       Most Historic Pub: Upper Moutere’s aptly-named Moutere Inn has been a much-celebrated pub since 1857, with electricity and telephone lines absent until the late 1950s and the founder and his family residing within the storied walls until 1893. They have a broad range of beers with about 10 craft taps, ciders and macros, not to mention a hand pump for cask ales and a few home-brewed beers including their 1516 Pilsner (good), Nendolf Ale (not so good) and Sarau Lager (worse).

And the most anticipated category in this year’s Oscars Bauer Beer Awards:

–       Best Beer: This was a hotly contested race, to which Dave and I have differing victors. My favorite goes to Nelson’s Dead Good Beer brewery and their particularly hoppy and delicious IPA while Dave’s still dreaming about Hop Federation’s Red IPA, This was a hard-won category since in usual circumstances, I’d be hard pressed to find a better beer than Mussel Inn’s Captain Cooker. Here? It was a quickly dismissed moment of bliss.

WHO NEEDS A BATTERY ANYWAY???

Well, likely us. But for now, an early evening tucked away in the back of our beloved minivan would prove much-needed for the scheduled physical challenge ahead.

 

3. Great Scenery

Finally – we’ve arrived at the OFFICIAL section for scenery. It’s everywhere, and it’s breathtaking, but the highlight from these few days was found in New Zealand’s only coastal (not to mention smallest) national park, Abel Tasman. So after an early morning drive from our new home of Nelson to the back end of one of the country’s Great Walks – the Abel Tasman Coastal Track (which, if hiked in entirety, can stretch into a 4-day hike) – we were ready to burn off some of our pent-up car trouble anger on the track.

Our amended 3-hour return day-hike found us tramping the Totaranui to Aearoa Hut section of the track, bringing us to dramatically beautiful bay viewpoints and through cluttered tree archways, even bringing our boots to the beach at certain stretches.

Exhausted, but satisfied after the day’s physical activity, we unavoidably made the drive back to Nelson to rescue our car battery (with very few highways running through the country, the backtrack took us only mildly out of our way, so we were still zen upon arrival), only to find that it’s time had indeed come. With a quick call to the rental company, we got the green light to make the swap to a brand-spankin’-new battery, and within minutes were back on the road. Continuing the drive south where we’d soon enter the country’s stunning West Coast, we were treated to some teasers.

Pulling off SH6 to the Lyell DOC camp, we were excited for a quiet evening at the peaceful site. Using veggies picked from the Blenheim Farmer’s Market, Dave was excited to execute his incredible idea of an egg and veggie frittata dinner. On our tiny, wind-weary grill top. I TOLD YOU: WE OWN CAMPING (and by we, I mean Dave, but I sure make a charming companion). Dining like champs and enjoying our last wine purchase from Martinborough, the only thing to dampen our spirits were the damn sand flies. They were seriously aggressive and seemed impervious to our bug spray. Ah, the great outdoors. (EDITOR’S NOTE: If you were watching us from across the campground while we washed our dishes that night, you may have mistaken our scrubbing for a re-enactment of the “Bees!!!” scene in Tommy Boy.)

Bring it, nature.

Brown Papered Wine Bottles Tied up with String…These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

by Noelle

February 22 – 23

 

As you’ve likely deduced (our extensive demographic studies choice in friends tells us our readers are extremely intelligent), the New Zealand portion of our travels finds us doing a lot. Every day. Moving from city to city with barely time to remember its Maori-derived name (which likely begins with a “w” and includes too many consecutive vowels than should be allowed). So, to make it easier (not that you need it, you geniuses, you), this post will be broken into two easy-reading posts, and cover three of my very favorite things: beautiful scenery, wine and craft beer.

Let’s start with the fun stuff.

Part I

1. Wine

After a week and a half on the North Island, we were ready for the majestic mountains, beautiful glaciers and bountiful vineyards we’d heard sung of in ancient South Island backpacker lore. Pulling our 4-wheeled white beast onto the Interislander ferry for the 3 ½ hour sunset ride across the Cook Strait into Queen Charlotte Sound proved to be our first introduction to the bounty the age-old songs had promised (okay, I realize this should technically fall under the “beautiful scenery” section, but bear with me for flow’s sake). High winds and frigid temps be damned, we left our faithful steed in the hull and spent our time gazing over the peaceful waters as the ferry swiftly made it’s way to the Picton harbor. We had arrived!

And, alas, it was dark.

So we pulled into the first DOC (reminder: DOC = Department of Conservation) camp we stumbled across and after a down and dirty meal of bread, cheese, hummus and veggies all drizzled in oil & balsamic (we OWN camping), fell quickly to sleep while visions of grapevines danced in our heads.

An early breakfast the next morning over a friendly chat with the DOC ranger who was tending to the camp (seriously, NZ DOC, you rock our world. We’d be lost without you– literally, your signage is, like, everywhere.), and we were off to Blenheim – or more commonly known as – the heart of the famed Marlborough wine region! In a fortuitous turn of events, we discovered our arrival coincided with Blenheim’s Farmer’s Market – my fifth favorite subject (largely due to my fourth favorite subject: food). So despite our earlier meal, we dined heartily on samples of meats, cheeses and nuts and indulged in the best breakfast sandwich we’d seen since leaving Chicago almost a year ago. Strolling the handful of stalls really brought to life the daily lives of locals living in a small, agricultural town. It was THE place to be that morning, with strollers filling the green space, kids playing baseball in the neighboring fields and picnic tables brimming with coffee drinkers catching up with neighbors (EDITOR’S NOTE: Our attempts to blend in and strike up neighborly conversations began and ended with “Hey guys…” Fingers crossed we find a way to strike up conversation with people beyond our marriage when we get home…). An excellent start to the morning.

But I digress. Back to the wine! With the last crunchy bite of local streaky bacon, our time for touring the Marlborough wine region had officially begun (can I get a WOOOOHOOOO!). Now, with limited time, we had selected five vineyards deemed worthy of a visit – thankfully after our recent tour through Martinborough, we were pros at vineyard picks. This was down from Marlborough’s 140 wineries – the majority lying within the Wairau Valley – and of that, the 40 who are open to the public.

I bring you: The Bauer 5:

• Lawson’s Dry Hills: Perhaps, as her first visitors of the day, we received Marianna’s full court press of customer service. After spending some QT with our girl over some delightful sauvignon blanc and an excellent gewürztraminer (a voluptuous dry white wine, despite smelling like a sweet one, rarely found in the US), we selected a bottle of the former for the road (the sunny days and cool nights here create the perfect climate for growing cold-climate grapes – making the region’s sav blancs world-famous. Not surprisingly, we would find this to be our favorite almost everywhere). Fun Fact: According to our host, this vineyard created screw top wine (originally to much disdain). Campers everywhere thank you! (You haven’t known heartbreak until you’ve settled into your campsite and you can’t work the cork out of your much anticipated, but completely stubborn bottle.)

• Wither Hills: Absolutely the most visually impressive, this flagship winery brought the heat with a pungent riesling and spicy apple pinot gris. Although we learned this is one of few wineries with product available in the US (the shipping rates for getting wine to the US from New Zealand will make your head spin), we caved to impatience and left with a bottle of their award-winning 2012 Riesling.

• Seresin Estate: Tucked away on a back road, Seresin is an adorable organic and biodynamic winery, whose charm gave you exactly what you wanted in a Marlborough vineyard visit and whose 2010 Gewürztraminer left you with a hint of rose petals (EDITOR’S NOTE: And their name sounds the same as a Friday Night Lights character, so they could have served us vinegar and I still would have thought highly of them.). My favorite was their 2011 Viognier (a rich, fruity, decade-old white wine, I found it somewhat similar to a chardonnay, but tastier), but samples of their olive oils on the way out – not to mention their cute handprint logo – brought serious competition.

• Framingham: This place rocked. Even the stroll through the cozy courtyard would have been enough. But I’m not crazy, and after stepping into the tasting room, I was blown away with sip after sip of buttery rieslings (which in New Zealand are available in both sweet and dry varieties), spicy pinot noirs (the only red wine grown in abundance in the region), and most impressively: their 2009 Montepulciano, grown solely at the whim of the founder, who insisted the grapes be grown due to his passion for the Italian wine. After our visit to Montepulciano last May, this was the specific reason for our visit. So naturally, we left with a bottle.

• Cloudy Bay: Unfortunately, not the best taste on which to end. Despite the beautiful grounds, we found the wine somewhat bland and the tasting experience a bit forced. Perhaps its recent popularity has driven it to don its corporate hat a bit more seriously rather than focus on the personal touch we found at so many others, but I left with only a faint memory of one tasty sparkling wine. It was also the only tasting we paid for.

Now, as Dave was my DD in this less pedestrian-friendly wine region (YAY FOR NOELLE FUN – WOOOOOO!), he had but mere sips and was ready to move on to the afternoon activity of the day (aside from driving) – some New Zealand beer sampling once we arrived in our next destination just a few hours west – Nelson. But as to not lose your attention (further research shows that most of you have full-time jobs and will only read certain amounts of text before moving on to a project on deadline, getting a client call or really, just losing interest), we shall resume again in my next post. See you soon.

Wine and Wind in the South of the North

by Dave

February 18 – 22

 

Leaving our wonderful hosts on the farm was bittersweet. There was plenty to look forward to, but I was gettin’ to likin’ farm life. But marriage is partially about compromise after all, so I can’t go and have all the fun on the farm while Noelle tries to find a way to make our familiar urban lifestyle translate to a much more rural setting. (EDITOR’S NOTE: The seemingly real consideration to become a farmer this sentence reveals scares me.) Don’t get me wrong – Noelle can rock the cowboy hat, boots and plaid with the best of them (and if you’re lucky, you might just see her country singing chops if “Redneck Woman” ever comes on at the bar). But full-time farm girl might be a stretch.

Once the final sheep had disappeared into the distance, we shifted gears and headed south to swap our pitchforks for pinots in a little-known grape-growing region named Martinborough, tucked in the southeast corner of New Zealand’s North Island. It was wine tasting time.

We’ve done our fair share of wine tasting in the past 10 months, with memorable vineyard visits in South Africa, Italy and Greece mixed amidst some self-guided sampling of a city or country’s local grape juices. But even still, neither of us would claim to be connoisseurs. Far from it. That said, we were committed to continuing our training regimen.

Martinborough is an often-overlooked winemaking region even in its home country, let alone abroad. New Zealand is primarily known in wine circles around the globe for its white wines, and for good reason. But the Wairarapa Valley is notable on the pinot noir scene. The area is still young by wine growing standards, and the fact that people even grow grapes here is completely by chance. Back in the late 1970’s agricultural scientists surveyed the soil and climate and discovered that the conditions mirrored those of Burgundy, France. Thus, the Wairarapa Valley’s wine industry was born and the first vines were planted. The long dry summers, cool nights and frequent winds have proved to be ideal conditions for pinot noir, which worked out nicely for us since we favor the spicy red wine at home.

The town itself is a quaint little dot on the map about an hour’s drive from Wellington, but it feels much further. We walked around the downtown area upon arrival, and had seen pretty much everything after a 10-minute lap. But what it lacks in size, it makes up for in character. The streets are laid out in the pattern of the union flag from the 19^th century with names after foreign cities that town founder John Martin had travelled. And while the grape vines may be young the historic town is not. The grocery store and hotel in the center of town were both built over a century ago and still stand in the same place. And, most importantly, many of the area’s vineyards are within walking distance of town.

Armed with almost none of this information, we set out on foot (EDITOR’S NOTE: Aside from the blazing heat and resulting sweat, traveling à pied made the day SO MUCH MORE FUN and our California vineyards which isolate themselves miles from one another on the Napa Valley hills were but a distant memory.) and we did our best “sophisticated wine drinker” impressions, taking cues from the pourers at all seven vineyards who generously shared the fruit of their labor… or labor of their fruit… we drank their wine.

As the tastings wore on, “Oh, I like this one,” turned into “Ah yes, this must be one of your ‘off dry’ reislings, yes?” or “I can really pick up the spicy notes on the nose of this pinot, which compliment the smooth finish nicely.” Or the always reliable, “The tannins. All of them. So many tannins going on here.” We came in as rookies, we left as… slightly more experienced (or at least loaded with more gooder adjectives to use about our wines), rookies.

Before we knew it cozy Martinborough was in the rear view mirror, and small town wine tasting moved aside to make space for big city beers. Our three days spent in Wellington, New Zealand’s capital city, were filled with walking around the city center, checking out the waterfront and tasting some of the city’s best microbrews.

We loved us some Wellington, and were treated to all the elements the city’s known for. Clear skies and warm weather on day one was followed by cloudy but pleasant conditions on day two. We thought we’d get out without having to face the gale-force winds that earned the city its “Windy Welly” moniker, but our final day was marked with absurdly windy conditions. We’re talking Michael-Jackson-Thriller-leaning on the sidewalk windy. (EDITOR’S NOTE: But we’re Chicago-tough, so, we moonwalked our way right on through…)

Like everywhere else in New Zealand, our time here was limited as we had much more to see. But between all the walking, eating and sipping around town we found time for a couple other activities.

Like, for instance, nerding out at Weta Cave, home to display cases full of miniature figurines and life-sized statues of Lord of The Rings and other movie characters. Weta is responsible for much of the costume design and special effects in Peter Jackson’s LOTR and Hobbit trilogies, and since those movies have driven so much tourism in New Zealand, the high demand for more resulted in the company opening up its warehouse for tours.

While other visitors seemed to be the die-hard types that may have flown to Wellington just to purchase some overpriced souvenirs from the gift shop, we were satisfied with photos as we rubbed shoulders with trolls, Gandolf, Gollum and the like… even if they were just in statue form.

The amazing planner that is my wife also uncovered a couple great breweries, and probably the best fish n chips in town at Wellington Seamarket. Much of what we stumbled across in the forms of bars, restaurants, cafes and parks was either on or nearby Cuba St., an energetic walking street in the center of downtown – a good starting point for any Wellington visit. And a couple nights a week it’s host to the Wellington Night Market, where we indulged in the best Mexican food in recent memory.

And since this was our first urban setting with the campervan, we had to get a little creative with the camping situation as well. There aren’t any campgrounds in the city, since… well, duh. Opting one evening to try our luck at a campervan parking lot near the harbor, we arrived to find it was at full capacity. Lucky for us, a Hawaiian overnight security guard with New Zealand relatives and a Hispanic name who loved Americans (who doesn’t know a guy like that these days, amiright?) let us park around the corner for the night anyway. We’re not entirely sure what was or wasn’t allowed here, but our new friend even gave us the bathroom and shower room security code so we left squeaky clean before splitting for another sophisticated pb&j and instant coffee breakfast taken along the waterfront. Point, Noelle and Dave.

Martinborough and Wellington treated us well, but it was time to move on to the next adventure, now comfortably settled into our quick travel pace.

There’s a common saying in New Zealand that people live and work on the North Island but play on the South. And if our last 10 days were considered work, we could only imagine what it would be like play. Next stop: Marlborough.

This Just In: Hawkes Bay, NZ, Hates Pronouns, Loves American cheerleaders

by Noelle

February 15 – 17

 

But before we get to our headlines, let’s visit the stories below the fold. Allow me to take you on a trip through the mountains of the North Island, as we did. You left us last on the Coromandel, where we had our appetizer of natural beauty. Consider our 3-day voyage down the East Coast our soup and salad. Seriously – the drives through this country are abso-freaking-lutely mouthwateringly beautiful.

The curves were reminiscent of our ride through Tuscany (minus the meat hangover) and the countryside of our cruise through the South African Garden Route (minus the ostrich riding). The constant shift of colors from mint green fields and baby blue skies to the hunter hues of the trees and aquamarine of the water keep your eyes endlessly occupied. The landscape continued to churn out breathtaking landscapes that photos couldn’t quite capture (but I sure did try).

The cloud-crinkled sky was a tasty amuse-bouche as we made the drive along the coast from the Coromandel peninsula to Whakatane, a small harbor town claiming the title of NZ’s “sunniest city.” Our time here was short, but very, very important. Because here, we had lunch at Wally’s on the Wharf. Aside from the greasy, crunchy, fresher-than-fresh fish and chips right on the – you guessed it – wharf, we enjoyed a lively conversation with some young Colorado expats currently living in sun-drenched Whakatane (jerks). You may wonder, as we did, as to what profession could make it easy enough for them to make the move from one side of the globe to the other (we’re taking notes here, folks). Turns out? They’re both doctors (serious jerks). So, back to the drawing board.

 After our piping hot lunch stop, we cut inland on our way to Gisborne. Traveling 144km via the Waioka Gorge, we lost sight of the water to gain incredible sheer walls of foliage as we shot around curves cut deep in the mountain. Our arrival in pretty little “Gizzy” found us mourning the loss of scenery, but a quick stop by Sunshine Brewing Company, kindly offering a taste of their four delicious home-brewed beers, revived our spirits.

Checking-in to a world-renowned, 4-star hotel grassy parking spot big enough to break out our plush couches and big screen tv folding table and chairs, we made camp for the night. Fancy, it may not be, but steps from the beach it absolutely was. We took in the crushingly beautiful sunset from our “front porch” on Poverty Bay while sipping our brewery takeaway treats.

 A mere 10 hours and deep sleep later found us on nearby Wainui beach watching the sun rejoin this side of the world. Or, more accurately, the world, as Gisborne is the easternmost city in the easternmost country on this side of the international dateline. Which means we were among the veryfirst people, of billions, to see the sun rise that morning. It felt momentous. Fueled with caffeine and confident the sun WOULD rise another day, we hopped back in our home on wheels and made the short drive to our morning’s activity.

What you’ll find in any town/beach/city street/back alley in New Zealand is that there is ALWAYS a hike to be found. They are endless and awesome and impossible to choose between. After much discernment and outside counsel, we settled on a morning hike to Cook’s Cove, starting near Tolaga Bay Wharf, the longest concrete wharf in the Southern Hemisphere. A few hours later, we were sweatily pleased with our decision and had put some more mileage on the old Canon memory card.

Somewhat isolated on the east coast, Gisborne easily maintains it’s small-town charm and we were sad not to have more days to roam the deserted beaches and peaceful cafes. But we were off on another adventure: farming.

Yes, you read that right. So to prepare for this ridiculous idea of Dave’s (EDITOR’S NOTE: “Bauer” is German for “farmer.” Fact. Doesn’t sound so ridiculous anymore, does it?), I leveraged a quick stop by Wrights Vineyard, a newcomer to Gizzy, and one that shouldn’t be missed if you’re in the area. The chardonnay and gewurztraminer were crisp and delicious and the fruity sauvignon blanc left our taste buds tingling. BRING ON THE ANIMAL MANURE!

So we’ve made our way back to the headlines – I appreciate your patience (but seriously, the above was like, 24-hours. There is so. much. to do here.) – you’ve been an excellent audience. So, like I said, the headline. Dave’s friend Tim had pointed us in the direction of Wairunga, a beautiful, sprawling sheep farm high in the hills of Hawkes Bay where he had WWOOF-ed (basically room-and-board-compensated work on a local farm, a common thing in the Kiwi country) last year and fell in love with the family. The remaining drive took us through farmland as far as the eye could see, with the sheep and cows dotting the hills like sprinkles on vibrant (and grassy) scoops of ice cream, and we arrived at Wairunga ready for whatever was waiting for us.

Which turned out to be John and Paulette – the warmest, greatest people to have ever lived. The next two days flew by with tons of laughs (all), loads of sweat (Dave and John and his two friends Matt and Matt), even more wine (Paulette and me) and we were sad to leave. The incredible – and first in months – homecooked meals didn’t hurt either…

In the midst of all the sheep-shearing, hospital-corner sheet tucking and local white wine-drinking, Dave offhandedly mentioned to John that “she” (= me) did something or other (the details are since forgotten and unimportant). John seemed almost confused, and it quickly came to surface that New Zealanders find it rude to refer to someone in pronoun form. Take a second and think about how often you do it. After learning of our social snafu, we worked hard to avoid it and we. worked. HARD. We said each other’s names more times in those two days than we had in the last 10 months away. A culturally-enriching experiment to say the least.

Also? It turns out that Kiwis (or at least these ones) are FASCINATED with American cheerleading – it’s not something done in New Zealand. For the first time in approximately a decade, I did backflips, the Carmel High School fight song and more high kicks than I could count. Their two daughters were keen on learning to cartwheel, and while I can’t say I was a successful teacher, their passionate effort was appreciated. And I’ll never forget the group chant that peer-pressured me into performing all of these things in front of PEOPLE again (because obviously I still strike high V’s and execute cheerleader claps in private. Any former cheerleader that claims otherwise is lying).

And like that, we were off again. So much to see, so little time. We’ll never forget you Wairunga! GO TEAM!

All Roads Lead to New Zealand

by Dave

February 12 – 14

 

I read somewhere that New Zealand is a collection of nature’s greatest hits. You’ve got your snowcapped mountains, pristine beaches, greener-than-green rolling hills, bluer-than-blue skies, massive glaciers, fjords, lakes… everything. It’s like Mama Naytch was just practicing with the scenery of other countries, then decided to save her best work to display in one, compact, hidden corner of the world (and that, kids, is where New Zealand comes from).

After two long days spent in four airports across Australasia, we were finally about to embark on our month-long journey through this natural mecca, trying to see as much as we could in that time. To say we were excited to get started would be like… I don’t know, but it would be an understatement.

With an open itinerary led fearlessly by a campervan (a white ’98 Toyota Estima that came complete with dents, chipped paint and 230k+ miles on her before we left the lot… she’s a beaut!), and paired with a plan-on-the-fly approach, the country was our oyster. Or mussel. Probably a green lipped mussel. Since those are on almost every menu and force you to inadvertently drool even when you didn’t realize you were hungry (or is that just me?).

Culinary temptations aside, New Zealand does plenty for the senses. We’ve been over the views and the tastes are great, but the smell of fresh air was a big deal for us after our 5-month stint in Asia. Quite the dichotomy when comparing the environmentally friendly ways of New Zealand with the litter-at-will approach many Asian countries seemed to take.

So how about a little background on this southern hemisphere treasure before we get started? I’ll take your inability to audibly answer as a yes…

• New Zealanders, or “Kiwis,” number 4.3million countrywide. If that seems small, it’s because it is. The country is bigger than the UK in land mass, but has just one-fourteenth of its population. There are actually more sheep and more cattle here than there are people (Don’t check this fact – I didn’t. Just take my word for it, I’m at least 74%… no, wait… 72% sure its true). And for good reason – the farmland and untouched pastures go on for days (Seriously, this place is like the Atlantis – or Cattle Club Med? – that North American, European, African and Asian farm animals have dreamed of but didn’t know existed. If I’m a sheep or cow anywhere else in the world right now, I’m finding a way to New Zealand, come hell or high water).
• You may also have heard that Peter Jackson hails from here and used the country to film the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. (EDITOR’S  NOTE: And, if you haven’t, then you haven’t been to New Zealand. Because that sh*t is EVERYWHERE. Small town brochures, pamphlets on excursions and street signs point you in the direction of the nearest LOTR film location, or if you’re lucky, where Liv Tyler was once thrown out of a bar.) Contrary to what some may believe, New Zealand isn’t Middle Earth and there are not actually hobbits living here. (EDITOR’S NOTE: Says Dave. I STILL BELIEVE! BOOK NERDS UNITE!) We actually met a Kiwi couple while traveling in Cambodia who joked that they’ve been told “Your feet aren’t as hairy as I expected” or “You’re awfully tall for someone from New Zealand.” We haven’t said either of those things to any locals, but we’ll let you know how that goes if we ever do.

We arrived in Auckland, having read plenty of good things about the city in our research, but for better or worse it was just a blip on the radar with only 24-hours to spare in the urban hub. Even though 26 days in this small country seemed like a lot when we booked it, it would become clearer and clearer as we traveled that its impossible to try to see everything in even that decent length of time. (EDITOR’S NOTE: If we heard, “ooooh you only have 3 ½ weeks here?” from another Kiwi, I vowed to shout back, “WHO CAN REGULARLY TAKE OFF ALMOST A MONTH OF WORK??” But I knew the answer already. Kiwis. Well, and Australians, if you want to get technical. Note to self: Look for Aussie/NZ employer upon return to the States.) So after an early night of minimal exploring around our hostel’s Mt. Eden neighborhood, our jet lag had us oversleeping our alarm and rushing to pick up our van. The next 36 hours would take us on a tour of the Coromandel Peninsula, with eight of them spent in our new wheels so we had to get moving.

And quickly decided that driving was going to be an incredible way to see the country. With white-capped waves of the Hauraki Gulf, rolling hills of farmland and varying treelines out the windows in all directions, we anxiously took in the views, and knew it was only going to get better.

Our first stop along the scenic route was The Mussel Kitchen. Set all by its lonesome a few kilometers before reaching Coromandel Town, the quaint restaurant is known for cranking out some of the best mussels in the area.

Our first foray into this local specialty was phenomenal. Going with a fitting palate pleaser to help us properly transition from Thailand to New Zealand, we ordered up a pot of massive green lipped mussels cooked in Thai green curry sauce. Add a lemon and a toasted baguette and you’ve got perfection in a pot, folks.

This is my second time in New Zealand, having done the campervan tour about seven years ago for just under a week with some friends. That was before the NZ Department of Conservation (DOC) began cracking down on campervan regulations, so we were able to pull over on the side of the road to sleep anywhere. Nowadays, the only way you’re allowed to do that is if you have a “self-contained” van, meaning there’s a toilet inside. Our wheels don’t have the proper facilities (how does the saying go? “Don’t ___ where you sleep” or something like that?) (EDITOR’S NOTE: And, ew. No.), so we would have to locate designated campgrounds or holiday parks along the route.

Before setting out on the open road, we challenged ourselves to stay in as basic campsites as possible – breaking only when needed for hot showers and power accessibility for charging. So naturally, the first place we stayed had a fully equipped kitchen and provided utensils, a full building of hot showers, and enough outlets to power the Hubble Telescope. On the upside of our complete weakness, the next morning was Valentine’s Day, and my wife got a home cooked breakfast courtesy of moi.

Continuing with the Valentine’s Day celebrations, we set out for a short morning hike to New Chum’s beach near Whangapoua, which rivaled any stretch of sand we’d seen all year. The hike provided overhead views of the wineglass shaped bay before we descended to get a closer look.

And with the sand still between our toes, we were off again. We stayed coastal the rest of the day, cruising down the eastern side of the Coromandel with views of the Pacific constantly by our side. With our trunk full of sandwich staples and snacks, we scouted the countryside for an idyllic place to nom. Enter Hahei Beach. The perfect morning weather extended into the afternoon so we set up a simple spread and listened to the waves while warding off some aggressive seagulls.

Continuing our momentum, we squeezed in a quick walk to Cathedral Cove, located on yet another picturesque beach (it’s as if New Zealand wanted to give us a guilt trip for thinking we’d seen enough beaches in Asia).

All the driving with our jaws in a constant drop zone from the surrounding scenery led us to a DOC campsite – sans showers, kitchen, and power outlets… the real deal this time – where we finally got to use our fold-up chairs and table to set out a spread of peanut butter, jelly and banana sandwiches; some local beers; a meat, cheese and cracker plate; chips and salsa; and some Tim-Tams. Seemingly random, these elements would become staples of our upcoming travel. I was not disappointed about that.

After a typically beautiful sunset we were treated to a thick blanket of stars overhead. And just like that, we had found our groove. The whole campervanning thing around this gorgeous country was gonna work out after all.

T(ha)ime To Say Goodbye to Asia

by Dave

February 2 – 9

 

If Thailand were one giant green curry, then Krabi and Railay served as the last two spoonfuls – just as tasty as the previous ones, but forcing you to reluctantly admit that this good thing is coming to an end (food analogies…amiright?).

After our amazing six-day stay on Koh Lanta, its Andaman Sea neighbors to the northwest had a tough act to follow. While Krabi and Railay are both technically part of the mainland each provided its own island feel before we said so long to Thailand (and Asia, for that matter).

While a longer stay in Krabi would come about four days later, we started with a night Krabi Town, a convenient stopover from Bangkok before making our way to Railay.

Relatively unimpressive – save a lively night market that produced tasty noms and a token fire dancer– there was one redeeming quality. Banished to the other side of the world during that whole Super Bowl thing had us setting our alarms for 6:30 am and rushing to the lively sports bar awkwardly quiet garage café across the street. All in the name of watching the Super Bowl live. Crowded around small tables with coffee and homemade pumpkin bread (made with love and sent overseas via Monty Express Delivery from my mom) with other NFL fans, it was the first game I was able to watch live all season.

In hindsight, we probably would have been just as well to stay in bed and read the recaps later with the way the game went, but soon after the final whistle we were on a longtail boat – the quintessential form of water transportation in these parts – en route to Railay.

Railay is best known for its giant limestone karst formations that bracket its beaches and provide great surroundings to enjoy a sunset, drinking out of a coconut, drinking out of a beer can or any other similarly lazy activities. We were getting really good at those. (EDITOR’S NOTE: Warning Addendum to Lazy (Wo)Man’s Guide (see post): Lazy habits are easily addicting, and it’s unlikely you’ll be able to resume effective behaviors for at least 3-5 days following.)

It also draws plenty of avid rock climbers, as one of the premier spots to climb in SE Asia. That, we did didn’t do so much.

Our days here were marked with lying around the beaches, eating some more delicious Thai food (typically Tom Yum or Green Curry washed down with a cold Chang, then repeated again later that day) and a couple nights even making it out to a bar or two (kind of just to prove to ourselves that we will actually be able to go out on a weekend with friends when we get back home).

It was a simple stop, but with scenery like this, “simple” is serene. (EDITOR’S NOTE: He fails to mention our ridiculous night on the town where by midnight we were BY FAR the oldest people in the bar, but – naturally – dominating the dance floor a la circa late 2010 – or what some may remember as Mother’s dance floor where Dave and I found love in a hopeless place.)

Three nights in a cheap and basic bungalow later, we were back on a longtail and headed to Krabi for our final days of a 5-month stay in Asia, or more specifically, the Krabi Sheraton Resort. Our years of business travel and nights in hotels paid off with three nights free of charge thanks to our Starwood points. Set the scene with an infinity pool and cushy lounge chairs, a near-deserted beach and delicious restaurants, and we were in weary traveler heaven.

Like our previous stay in a real hotel (we can’t quit you, JW Marriott) we enjoyed the hotel amenities more than the surrounding area. Free breakfast, 24hr access to a modern gym and days spent poolside left us little desire to explore much else. A pretty great way to tie a bow on Thailand.

But all good things must come to an end. Before we knew it, our time in Thailand was over and we were back on our final overnight bus en route to Bangkok for our flight out of the country. I wish I could say it was tough to move on, but I’d be lying. As much as we loved our stops around the country, we were ready for a change.

It was time to trade the tuk-tuks for taxis, noodles for mussels and motorbikes for campervans. We were off to New Zealand.

A Look Back at January: New Year, New Us…Okay Fine…Same Us, New Top 10

by Noelle and Dave

January 2014

 

With no New Year’s Resolutions made, we were ready for anything 2014 had waiting for us. Split between Cambodia and Thailand, January brought adventures in both SE Asian countries – with some of our most memorable (and most disparate to date) below:

 

She Says:

10. While Angkor Wat was overall a pretty incredible experience, I would say walking through Ta Prohm was the absolute highlight of our day of touring the ancient temples. The Tomb Raider scenes echoing from the tree roots, we were blown away at the absolute disrepair the sanctuary once so pristine was experiencing. History at its finest, folks.

9.  Watching the sunset aerobics (likened to ‘80s jazzercize, of which I have extensive experience thanks to my mom’s instructor status for much of that decade) in Kampong Cham. It was awesome. It felt authentic. And we totally watched…the whole hour. Twice. You GO girls.

8. Our hippie oasis found in Pai Chan Bungalow in Pai was a paradise that will not soon be lost. Well, except for those hours lost to good books and excellent scenery viewing.

7. Dave planned a romantic date night in Koh Lanta’s Old Town. A delicious dinner followed by apple pie and coffee was eclipsed by the experience of riding behind my handsome husband as he cruised the roads home under a star filled sky on our sweet motorbike. It was a moment of true freedom. Moving at a speed unmatched by feet with no effort of my own. A lovely, memorable feeling.

6. Rising before sunrise is a task I find revolting. Apparently my stomach can easily be settled when it’s in anticipation of catching the orb’s ascent behind the most famous temple on earth – Angkor Wat.

5. Once again, my time on the back of a motorbike has scored a spot on this month’s “tops.” Our long, winding journey to Pai was filled with amazing views, frigid weather and white-knuckled curves. One of those true “feeling alive” (and holy sh*t!) moments.

4. Spending hours strolling the Sunday Walking Market in Chiang Mai was both culturally and stomach enriching. From sweet coconut balls to mouth-watering Khao Soi to otherworldly fruit smoothies, my palate could barely keep up with my mind as we watched locals hawk their wares.

3. I love when people rub my feet. And as I have yet to have a pedicure in my long 10-month sojourn from home, our funky fish massage and then a good old fashioned foot rub were MUCH appreciated. Coveted, really. Enough for a number 3 spot.

2. I will remember the moment Dave’s dad, Monty, walked off the elevator in the JW Marriott and we saw him in person for the first time in 9 months. It was just like the movies – heart leaps, tears spring, hugs ensue. There is nothing like seeing family while so far from home.

1. And sorry Monty, but the moment of witnessing your appearance was quickly trumped, likely only because we’d gotten that emotional reunion out of the way. So I bring you: the first hours at Bangkok’s JWMarriott, where Monty so kindly played host to us for a week. Bliss. So you can fathom the awesomeness, I’ll give you a glimpse. The itinerary was as follows: early arrival meant lounging in the Executive Suite for a full buffet breakfast and as much coffee as I could drink (which is a lot), getting to our palatial room and immediately jumping on the luxurious and ginormous bed, long sweaty workout in the state-of-the-art gym, leisurely soak in spa’s hot tub with turns in the sauna, steam room and cold plunge pool, long hot shower in the largest shower I’d stepped into in months, lounging in comfy robe before heading back to the Executive Lounge for all the free cheese, sushi and wine I could consume. So this. All of this. You understand, Monty (and all humankind).

 

He Says:

10. Sidewalk aerobics in Kompong Cham. Overall, I’d have to say that Kompong Cham was a swing and miss on our part. We wouldn’t recommend making time for a visit to this sleepy town on the Mekong for anyone traveling through Cambodia, but you can’t knock the local enthusiasm for aerobics in public every night at sunset on the banks of the river. In a mostly forgettable city, getting treated to this on back to back nights was anything but.

9. Our western food revival in Siem Reap and Bangkok. In just two days in Siem Reap we found time to sample some familiar Italian and Mexican eats. And then in Bangkok at the Marriott, we were treated to all sorts of creature comforts like cheese, breakfast pastries, eggs to order and countless other items. We love us some Asian food, but every now and again the tastes of home are even better.

8. Navigating the border run to Burma and rewarding ourselves with a couple quiet days in Mae Salong. Our final stop in the northern half of Thailand was worth the long trek to get there. Mae Salong has tea fields, piece, quiet and relaxation for days, and we soaked up all that we could in our two days, earning that relaxation after a somewhat complicated method of extending our visa eligibility in Thailand by spending less than 10 minutes in Burma (yes, it’s as confusing as it sounds).

7. The beaches in Koh Samet were a great introduction to our amazing stay in Thailand. We had plenty of lazy, delightfully uneventful days with little to no decisions to make other than where to lay our towels that day. So we had that going for us. Which was nice.

6. Walking Markets in Chiang Mai. A lot of our stop in Chiang Mai was spent walking the streets of the inviting city without a plan, and it usually included stops for amazing food along the way. This was never more apparent than at the Saturday and Sunday Walking Markets that were an experience for the senses. The sights, smells and sounds kept things interesting, but still paled in comparison to the tastes we indulged in along the way.

5. Our day of biking around the Angkor Temples. From our sunrise start at Angkor Wat to the hours of exploring the ruins at Ta Prohm and stone faces of Bayon, we were able to see why the temples attract so much attention. That being said, getting back to Siem Reap in the afternoon for beers and a foot massage after the time in the heat and on the seats of our cheap rental bikes was almost as appealing.

4. Motorbiking to and decompressing in Pai. Our ride up was quite the adventure (as we did our best Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne impressions, braving the brisk wind in shorts and minimal layers), with all 762 curves leading us to the chiller than chill atmosphere that gives Pai its character. While we didn’t exactly fit right into the hippy-ish crowd, we loved the mountain town so much that we called the motorbike rental company to extend our stay by a day, despite the fact that we had only packed clothes for a 2 night stay. It was hard not to get caught up in the laid back feel of the town, slowing down without having to make much effort as we strolled the street markets or just laid around watching the day go by from a hammock.

3. Khao Soi in Chiang Mai. Easily my favorite food in all of Thailand, and even is giving pho bo a run for its money as my favorite food in all of Asia. Just amazing.

2. Exploring Koh Lanta by motorbike. Koh Lanta was my favorite stop in January, due in large part to our ability to explore the vast (by Thai island standards, at least) island for the three days we had a motorbike. From Long Beach to Old Town, Bamboo Bay and everywhere in between, we saw everything we wanted to and loved every minute.

1. If the top spot of this list was ever in question, it was quickly locked in when I brought in the righty out of the bullpen for the win in Bangkok. My dad’s visit was memorable for many reasons (staying in a real bed in a Marriott hotel being a big one), but none more so than the fact that we got to spend five days with him that felt more like five weeks after the long spell of not seeing family we had.