It's getting hot in here...

Not that I am going with a song theme here, but it seemed only appropriate after visiting a very active thermal spring area these last few days. As we know, New Zealand is home to many natural beauties. From the aforementioned waterfalls, to beaches, to mountains, to glaciers, it's really got it all. I have been in the Bay of Plenty area, home to many natural warm water springs, bubbling mud pools and roaring geysers-getting hot hot hot

My first stop was in Rotorua, a popular Maori city, home to an infamous sulphur smell from the thermal activity below.

Lake Rotorua


Just walking around town, you smell the sulphur and see pipes from the ground, safely releasing the gases below. Here and there, you also run into hot water ponds, with steam rising rapidly in the crisp autumn air.


I took the opportunity and visited Te Puia, a very active thermal site just outside of downtown Rotorua. It is home to bubbling mud baths 40,000 years old


Three active geysers


Landscapes that made me feel more like on the moon then here on Earth,


And a fun traditional Maori show, celebrating their heritage, their traditions, and way of life.


The guide at Te Puia was born and raised in the area, and lives in the same place as her grandparents and their relative before them



She was such a kind person, and told her stories of playing in these springs as a kid, evading security guards so they could get to the best spot. She explained on how they cook their meals even still, over the steamy areas in her backyard. Now she has to be the security guard she said, as kids come over and try to steal her cooking out of the pot above the boiling earth below. Though I don't think anything would protect her dinner if this happened...


I was sad to only spend a short time there, but I had to move a little more south to Lake Taupo.


Though my main mission in this area was unattainable and spoiled by unfortunate weather, I was able to spend some quality time in the natural thermal spa just minutes outside of downtown Taupo.


The water rushes furiously out of the hillside, and has created lovely baths for many to enjoy.


The spring leads into the Waikato River, and though this picture, taken from the warm protective spa waters, doesn't quite show it, the river was fabulously clear, blue, and swift.


So swift in fact that just a few kilometers down the road, you find this narrow section of river, full of roaring water, called Huka Falls.





If you look to the middle right of the photo, you can see the fence on the cliff, and then gauge how big these falls actually were.



The falls landed in this crystal clear pool and the river, though still very strong from the rains, seemed calm and peaceful again. Simply amazing.

Cathedral Cove

A quiet beach, with little distractions from the outside world. Plus, one perhaps final day of bathing suit weather before winter starts to hit! Simply bliss.
















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Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls

You know, TLC had it wrong when they sang that song. Ive found that chasing waterfalls in the most literal sense is one of the best things a person can do. Waterfalls are majestic in their space, whether it's 40 meters tall or just 1 meter. The way the earth can be carved out by something so simple as water pleasantly reminds me that there is little I can do to battle the force of nature. I had the most pleasure in talking a self-proclaimed waterfall hike along the Hatea River in Whangarei, a town about 3 hours north of Auckland by bus. With each bend in the river, I came across things I had never seen before. Foliage casually draping itself across the path, Kauri trees that seemed as tall as my Redwoods back home, and of course, the waterfalls, made for a surprising and peaceful walk.

The Whangerai Falls





A creek into the Hatea River



Canopy Walk



Kauri Tree, standing tall


Elegantly placed across the path


Pukenui Falls



Tree roots as stairs....



...And the canopy as an umbrella


Waikoromiko Stream


And back to the Hatea River



It was a beautiful walk, and as my mom would say, everything just looked like a picture. So this one is dedicated to my Momma, Happy Mother's Day <3

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Wonderful Wines of Waiheke

Well, I have to admit, this country is growing on me quickly. Though I have only been here a full day, it is something quite amazing. Yesterday was ok food (though my SOUP was good), rainy and umbrella-less. But today was a beautiful offshore island, with wine, beaches, and the most gorgeous sunset. We're off to a good start.

I spent today on Waiheke Island, about a 40 minute ferry ride from Auckland city. I took the 10 am ferry and managed to squeeze in a few photos and have a lovely chat with a family from Bangladesh.

The ferry building and ferry:


The boats at the entrance to the harbor:



After making my way down to Oneroa Bay, I had to wonder, how on Earth do they have wineries here?!!
Shells etc washed up on shore:









The island is tropical and lush, with aromatic flowers and palm frawns all around.



And in my walk, I hadn't seen any vineyards to this self-proclaimed "Island of Wine", so I assumed that they were just confused. Well, was assumption was happily wrong as I found my way to Goldwater Vineyards.



Goldwater was the first winery established on the island in 1978. And they are so popular that they have run out of their Bordeaux style blends from previous vintages and are anxiously waiting for their 2010 to be released. Luckily for me, the rest of their wines that they have available for tasting were exceptional. They had their Goldie Estate Chardonnay and an Island Rose that was off the charts. In addition, it was a very nice location and the pourer, Collene, was very nice, and had been to California. A great way to start.






I meandered my way ( and I mean trekked aroud a bay and then up a giant hill) to my second place Mudbrick.



I started with the Standard tasting menu, but upon evaluation from the tasting room employee, he graciously bumped me up to the premium wine tasting list. They had a fantastic Chardonnay that was grown on the island. When I reach for a white wine, I normally go for a Sauvingon Blanc or a Pinot Gris and try to stray away from the Oak-strong buttery Chardonnays. But this one was light and delcious and very easy to drink as it was 2/3 in oak barrels and 1/3 in stainless steel blend. Yum! Another delicious wine was their 2009 Reserve Syrah, grown on the island. well balanced with white pepper spice on the nose and big plum on the palate this was a delicious wine. Plus the vineyard had fantastic views and a quiant little greenhouse to boot, making it an ideal destination.









My last vineyard was the more commercial Cable Bay Vineyards, just down the hill from Mudbrick.



But being more commmercial did not mean their wines were any less superior then the others, it just meant they have a distributor in California! Again, I was pleasantly surprised with the Chardonnay, grown on the island. They had a yummy Pinot Gris as well, not too sweet, and just about right on in acidity. Also in their tasting lineup was a Pinot Noir from Central Otago, which makes me very excited to go down and visit there, and a delicious blend they called Five Hills. It had an interesting green pepper nose to me, and a yummy plum and cedar palate. Before I jetted down to catch the ferry, I tried to grab a photo of their fantastic view of the Auckland skyline.



And made it just in time for the ferry, coming in just as I made it down the hill.






As I said, we're off to a fantastic start.


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On the Road Again

This here is a picture my first meal crossing the international date line, crossing the equator, but most importantly, this here is a picture of my first meal in New Zealand.


Impressive right? Well looks may deceive you but this wasn't actually bad. In fact it was quite good. It was encouraging to me to see Japanese people outside of this japanese curry house, and since it was raining and my last minute traveling left me without an umbrella, I decided to stop in. Seasonal veggies, rice, and that bright red stuff was ginger

This hereeeee is a picture of my second meal in New Zealand, a new take on potato and leek soup.



I went to the store and picked up this GIANT leek, and a kumara, a starch like veggie that looks similar to out potato.



I simmered the leek in oil, added some spices of ginger, Chinese five spice, curry powder, salt and pepper, and added just a bit of garlic. Add a veggie bouillon cube to the potatoes cooking in water, throw in the leek, some cream and Houston we got soup! Soup that my fellow hostelers were asking me about, since it looked more appetizing and smelled more appetizing then their can warmed up in the microwave.

So here I am, ready for my next adventure. This trip will take me to places that I have only dreamed of, places that are so different then my last travels in Europe that I can't even imagine the dishes that are coming my way. I can only hope that you'll once again follow my culinary travels, and be just excited as I am about them!

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St Patty's Fare

Lovely impromptu dinner at Casino Bar & Grill in Bodega tonight for some traditional and un-traditional Irish food. Great deal, great place, GREAT food.

Started with Green Lentil Soup with Red Wine Braised Bacon and a nice Truffle Oil float on top

Moved on to a Dungeness Crab Toast with Lemon Mayonaise & Butter Lettuces

With of course, Corned Beef Brisket, Cabbage, & Spring Vegetables. 

And a Strawberry Rhubard Fool that was so creamy and delcioius it was eaten up in a snap!

Thanks Chef Mark!!

Oh Hey its Pozole!

Dad got a little excited over the weekend to cook and broke out the La Caja China and some pork. What resulted was a 20 lb pork leg slow roasted for 12 hours with nowhere to go. So for the past week, we have been eating pork, and lots of it. A success that was turned into dinner then lunch and lunch again was Pozole, a yummy Mexican corn and pork soup. Traditionally, the soup is cooked with the pigs head and trotters, put in the pot in the morning and cooked on a slow simmer for the entire day. I didn't have that, but I still wanted to keep the soup as traditional (and yummy) as I could. My family thought it was successful, but the true test was to bring a bowl to my co-worker, born and raised in Mexico and claims to have a mean pozole himself. The result? ¡Que Delicioso!

Recipe:
For Soup 
2 Tablespoon cooking oil
1 onion, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno, seeds removed, sliced
4 stalks celery, chopped
1 Tablespoon cumin
1 Teaspoon coriander
1/2 Teaspoon each salt and pepper {more to taste}
1 T ground chili (ancho chili powder if you have it)
1 Tablespoon oregano (Mexican oregano if you can get it)
Approx 2 pounds SLOW ROASTED pork leg (could be shoulder, or the aforementioned head and trotters)
1/2 Cup Tequila
29 oz can of hominy corn
32 oz chicken broth
32 oz water

For Salsa Roja
2 dried pasilla peppers
2 dried guajillo peppers
2 Tablespoons cooking oil
1/2 onion
4 clove garlic
1 Teaspoon oregano
1/2 Teaspoon cumin
1/2 Teaspoon salt
Juice of one lime


Okay, don't be concerned by the long list of ingredients. Its super easy to throw together and all you have to do is walk away and let it simmer for some time. And for me, it was way faster with having the pork cooked aka perfect for a bunch of leftover pork!


To start, grab a soup pot to cook in. Slice the dried peppers for the Salsa Roja in thin strips, remove the sees and place in a bowl of water for them to rehydrate.  Over medium heat, saute the onions in the oil until just translucent. Add the garlic, jalapeno, and celery cooking till celery is just soft. Careful not to burn the garlic! Add the spices, (all of em!) and cook until you start to smell them, about a minute. Add tequila, and cook down till its not such a sharp alcohol smell, approximately two minutes. Add the chicken broth and water and hominy corn. Now is where the recipe could change. If starting with RAW meat, add and cook for at least one and a half hour, or at least till the meat is falling off the bone, but please please consult another source to make sure!!  If starting with COOKED meat, cut into a bit smaller then bite size and cook for about twenty minutes, till the meat is soft and warmed through.


Either way, while the meat is cooking or re-heating, make the Salsa Roja! Grab the now soaked peppers from the bowl of water, careful to save about 1/2 cup of the 'soaking' water for reserve. Saute the onion and garlic on low till the onion is translucent. Add the spices and cook about a minute. Add the peppers, onion mix, lime juice and reserved water into a food processor and pulse till smooth. I didn't toss any of the reserve water till I was confident that salsa was smooth enough in the processor. 


When the meat is done (whichever way you choose) add the Salsa Roja to the mix and simmer for about ten minutes. Serve up in soup bowls with all the traditional fixings-cilantro, avocado, radishes, and my favorite crumbled cotija cheese. 

I would be interested to try a non-traditional Pozole now. Maybe with lamb and some Moroccan or Greek spices and vegetables??  Possibilities are endless.


Thanks to RadioGastronomy and Good Food, Good Wine, and a Bad Girl for recipe help!!!