Strawberry Fields Forever

One of the joys of a rural or suburban lifestyle here in New Zealand, is the availability of locally-grown fresh produce. The rolling fields are dotted with grass-fed cattle and sheep, and locals have smallholdings where they grow vegetables and fruits. Some will have honor stands on the roadside where you can get avocados, plums and much more. Just drop your coins in the box, and off you go.

But some have ... pick-it-yourself fields! Eat as much as you want, and pay for what you have in your container.

As strawberries are in season, that's what we've done, a couple of times. And you really cannot compare the flavors of a freshly picked, sun-warmed strawberry to those available in the supermarket.

Somerfields is one of the local growers. They also grow blueberries and raspberries so we have to keep those picking dates in mind!

With our containers in hand, we headed into the field, thinking we might have to really hunt! But no, the berries were literally begging to be picked. So it was onefor the container - and one for me! As I popped them into my mouth, the flavor was exquisite, like nothing I can remember. The warmth of the sun had intensified the flavors  and the berries burst with the first bite. One that I picked was so big, it took four bites to finish it! If I hadn't eaten so many, we probably would have finished picking a lot sooner.

But who can resist just one more? And one more... And one more...

By the time we were done, we were completely satiated.

What a lovely way to go local and have a little fun!

Tauranga Farmers Market

I LOVE Farmers Markets and love to visit them wherever I am. It's a great way to get a feel of  'local' and they give me a real sense of 'place.' Most areas have markets - some areas of the world there are so many that they have them just about every day of the week. Visiting a market is one of the easiest and least expensive way to enjoy the local area without breaking the bank. Everyone has to eat, so why not do your shopping at your local market and make it an adventure! Here in New Zealand, the Tauranga Farmer's Market is every Saturday, all year and is held on the local primary school grounds. What a wonderful market it is! A real community affair with farmers and vendors coming from all over the Bay of Plenty area. And they don't call it Bay of Plenty for nothing. This area is so fertile, just about everything grows. And the market has a very good representation of the abundance in this area.

Naturally, I was keeping my eyes open for story ideas and local presents to take back with me. There was so much there, I was almost overwhelmed!

For instance, Macadamia Liqueur, anyone?  This stuff is absolutely heavenly! Smooth and silky, slips down very easily. The plus for me was they have the little mini bottles so I can take a couple with me. The market is full of the traditional market ware - seasonal vegetables, flowers, plants, cheeses, local and organic meats, prepared food stands with amazing baked goods. And there was a great food demo going on presented by Peter Blakeway, a well-known New Zealand cookbook author who prepared some wonderful-looking scallops! Everything he used in the recipes was available at the market, that day.

Then there was all the tasting to do! Delicious Kiwi cider, as good as any I have had anywhere! Lots of fruit wines and wonderful cheeses. We even tasted local olive oils, pressed by a local farmer who uses biodynamic farming methods.

Tauranga Farmers Market Primary School Arundel Street Trixie Allen, Market Manager 07 5525278

Harbourside Macadamias  402 Matahui Road Katikati New Zealand Phone : +64 7 552 0718 Fax : +64 7 552 0718 Mobile : +64 27 552 0718 Email:   info@harboursidemacadamias.com

Ocider 50 Oikimoke Road, Te Puna Tauranga New Zealand Phone: 07 552 4558 Email: info@ocider.co.nz

Katikati Frantoio Limited Bert van Heuckelum 117 Lindemann Road RD1 Katikati, 3177 New Zealand Phone 07 549 1467 Email:info@olive-oils.co.nz

Peter Blakeway 027 571 2518 Email:peter@peterblakeway.com

Getting There...

 

Getting there is usually half the fun, but this flight was not the best. I was on Air Tahiti Nui which was a code share with Air New Zealand, so I assumed it would be as good as, or better than, ANZ. The flight itself wasn't bad, a bit bumpy at times, but I was completely unimpressed with the food and the service. Los Angeles to Papeete was 8 hours. We were served cold meals with very old, dry rolls. The flight attendants were almost invisible, barely coming round at all. I know it was the middle of the night but not everyone sleeps. And I didn't, with a huge family of Tahitians in the seats beside me and for three rows in front, all of them coughing and sneezing and wheezing the entire night!

It was wonderful to get my feet on Tahitian soil again and it was so tantalizing - I did not want to get back on the plane for the last 5 hours. The traditional dancing as a greeting got my memory banks going. The airport is much larger than when I was last there, and the smell of flowers couldn't compete with the smell of jet fuel.

I spent a little time in the Duty Free store, bought a couple of bottles to take to New Zealand. The Tahitian rum was VERY good!

It was good to be able to stretch a bit and walk around before the next leg, where the service and food was marginally better.

Once again, the flight was jammed, not a free seat anywhere, but it was a relatively short flight. Immigration and customs took forever, as I understand there were 7 international flights that arrived at the same time. So Zoze and Jenni's faces were a welcome sight in the arrival area.

Jenni took the scenic route home to Tauranga, with a stop for coffee and a walk along a river (name to be determined). I did find, though, that although I was tired, I was not jet lagged as technically I had just skipped a day - a 20 hour forward flight. So it was easy to get back into a normal routine, after a good nights sleep.

Victoria the Garden City

Shopping Downtown Victoria

Victoria, British Columbia is a delightful city to visit and probably to live in too!

My friend and colleague Betsy Crowfoot was up visiting from Southern California and as I have a story to do for HARBORS magazine about shopping in Victoria, it was a great chance to have company on my trip. Although we didn't fly there on Kenmore Air (we would have had to drive to Seattle to get the flight) we had a good ride over on the Black Ball ferry M/V Coho. 

Our overnight was hosted by The Magnolia Hotel & Spa, a boutique hotel in the heart of old Victoria, making it the ideal place for visitors to stay. It is within easy walking distance of the ferry dock and the Air Harbor, where all the seaplanes have bases. We were treated like royalty with a lovely, newly decorated room, a bottle of excellent wine and chocolates on arrival! We had a view of the Parliament Buildings which are beautiful during the day but spectacular at night, when they are all lit up!

Victoria is a walking city. Numerous crosswalks and cars actually obey the rules and stop for pedestrians. The downtown area has shops of every imaginable kind. From Cuban cigars to Irish linen; from tourist t-shirts to exquisite artisan-crafted jewelry. I can happily skip the tourist stuff, the cutesy stuffed animals, the silly t-shirts etc., all made in China. But once you get past the front row, the stores are wonderful and I could easily have spent a fortune - if I had one!

We saw dainty Irish linen hankies like I used to have as a child; etched crystal glasses with First Nation art beautifully done; clothing stores proudly displaying "Hand Crafted in Canada" signs. And cooking stores galore! To go along with the foodie nature of the city! Victoria ranks 2nd in number of restaurants per capita in North America; San Francisco is number 1! What a pleasure! From the traditional "Tea at the Empress" to hole-in-the-wall places selling ethnic foods to The London Chef, whose establishment doubles as a cooking school and cafe, your taste buds are covered.

And there's Chinatown, the 2nd largest in North America apparently. Here old world meets new and unfortunately, in some cases new is winning. But the old stores are wonderful; colorful and unpretentious! We went into the local grocery store and were the only white faces there - but the food! Wow - what a wonderful assortment of weird and wonderful stuff!

All this, all within walking distance of the hotel. We barely scratched the surface of what's available and the City of Victoria definitely warrants several more trips from Granny Susu.

Tourism Victoria

Progress

Today I made progress on the New Zealand planning. My biggest issue is someone to take care of the kitties while I am gone. I know, it's silly. But these little guys have been my anchor through a lot of s**t over the past few years, so I can't just leave and have someone come in to feed them occasionally. They would pine away, they are such people kitties.

So...I put an ad on Housecarers.com Jenni told me about it and I had heard about them, in fact was registered as a house sitter but had forgotten!

This is a great service - it doesn't cost anything for people offering a house sit situation. If you want to house sit, then...

Next Day

I started this post last night...and this morning I was completely blown away! Four responses to my ad already! And they all sound qualified! I've been reading their references and will respond later today but I think I already know who I will engage.

But back to what housecarers.com is - and does.

On their website, they say, "Housecarers.com is online search and screen database for house sitters and homeowners to share information." There are two sections; one for available houses to care for and the other for potential house sitters, who can peruse the listings and apply. It doesn't cost anything for home offerers and just $50 for a membership for house sitters, a fee that would repay itself in no time.

For travelers, this is a great way to experience the world, not as a tourist but as a local, which is the way I love to travel. A sitter's responsibilities are defined by the home owners whose house they will care for. Some need pet care, like mine. Others are strictly just to have someone there while the owners are gone; a good security measure. Still others require more gardening and maintenance. It all varies and house sitters and owners work out what is best between them.

In my situation, which seems to be the norm, it's pet sitting more than house sitting. So when whoever I select moves in, they will just be living here with normal chores - keeping the house clean, etc. The house sitter, in a long term house sit, also pays utilities. A good thing because, especially here in the cold country, the heating can get out of hand if you aren't conservative and conservation-minded.

What a great deal - for both parties concerned.

Can you tell I am stoked?

Planning Begins

For those of you who read why I am doing this, a lot of it is about planning for a surprise visit to my sister in New Zealand. It began just over a week ago. I was bowled over by an email from my niece who lives in Tauranga, New Zealand where my sister and her husband have retired. We are from South Africa but I live in the United States and I haven't seen my sister for several years. She turns 70 this year (I can't believe I have a sister that old!) and so Jenni wants to surprise her at Christmas.

Of course I am going - the ticket is already booked for November 15, but I will go to Southern California a couple of weeks earlier to celebrate an early Christmas with my sons, their partners and my two adorable grandsons.

But because I live in a cold climate, I need to address the issue of summer clothes! So I am going to break out my old skills and start sewing! Yes, I still have my old Bernina sewing machine that is still going strong. And I discovered that I can download patterns from the pattern companies! No paging through the big old pattern books, just scroll through the designs online. Very cool! And I have dug out fabric that has been stored for years and will make skirts and tops that I would never have the chance to wear hear in the Pacific Northwest.

Perhaps my biggest hurdle to cross being away for 4-6 months is - what to do with the kitties? And the house? So I have already put out the word for a caretaker and will probably take out an ad on caretaker gazette. I need someone to take care of my two "boys" who are my daily companions.