Our first day in Auckland got off to a perfect start at the Eden Park Bed and Breakfast, where Marlene and Tony greeting us with hearty platters of eggs benedict (with fluffy egg whites as soft and plump as pillows), sliced figs, dishes of marmalade, orange juice, multi-grain bread, and, of course, vegemite. (If you haven't had vegemite, you can approximate the taste by sucking on a buttered bullion cube.)
We ate ourselves into a state of pure bliss, then headed out for the morning, catching the bus down to the Central Business District. We wandered the waterfront, snapped photos of the SkyTower, and did some shopping before heading back to Eden Park to catch up with Stu of Coast2CoastNZ.com.
It takes all of five seconds to feel like you've known Stu for ages. His well-reviewed day tour takes folks like us out of the city to take part in an authentic New Zealand adventure. After shopping for NZ-made crafts (the store had suffered a fire, but let us in all the same!), we hit a fine winery (free samples!) and honey farm (more free samples)!
But the high point of the day is definitely a stop at Stu (and his wife, Donna's) farm, where we were made to feel like old friends instead of new tourists. After a greeting in the Maori language, Donna welcomed us into her home, shared family photos, and served us rainwater (from the farm's own catch basins) and homemade pavlova — think meringue topped with heavy whipped cream and slices of green and gold kiwi fruit. After a tour of the house (loaded with green features, from the wood stove-heated water to the water-conserving dishwasher, we went out into the farm itself.
The pristine land around Stu and Donna's house — rolling green hills, wind-sculpted trees — looks like the kind of place hobbits would call home. Instead of furry-footed hobbits, though, the population of the farm includes any number of other furry, woolly critters: sheep, lambs, a menagerie of jewel-toned Australian birds, rabbits … the list goes on and on.
More details later … but for now, just know that a day with Stu and Donna is a remarkable thing indeed. One detail I want to mention especially for my friend K.R. back at the Company — you'll be proud to know, K., that the entire trip to Stu and Donna's farm is carbon neutral: at the end of the day, you have the opportunity to plant trees that will off-set the carbon emissions created by tooling around in the farm's van for the day. Our group bought and planted tree number B48, and we can check on our plant's progress via webcam.
I looked up your tour since I am going in Feb for a month, was just curious to see what you chose 🙂 Looked like fun! Here’s the one I will be on for 3 weeks, if you’re curious:http://www.wrybill-tours.com/schedtours/norsouth.htm#21day plus a few days each in Auckland and Christchurch. Enjoying your photos!!
We are just driving around on our own for eleven days … and that’s not nearly enough to even BEGIN to tap into what New Zealand has to offer. I’ll be eager to see your photos of the South Island, as we won’t have the time to go there this time around.
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