New Zealand Day 12: Waitomo Glowworms

After we left our little cottage in Taupo we headed west to Waitomo... but I will get to that in a minute... on the way we went to the Orakei Korako Geothermal Field.

 New Zealand is a super active place in terms of volcanic and seismic activity. This was a place that was just super full of geysers, sulfurous flows, fault scarps, and silica terraces. And since I love geology this was the place for me! 

There was also tons of native forest with fern trees and roots and vines and lots of I love everywhere.

And boiling mud pits... what could be better?

In all actuality I was very sick this day, I came down with a cold or flue or something and my throat hurt, I couldn't really breath, and I had no energy... so I was kinda miserable the whole time and it was very sad... but I didn't really have time to be too sad cause our next adventure was just around the corner. We continued on our way to Waitomo like I said earlier... which is famous for its GLOW WORM CAVES! Derick and I took tour through the glow worm caves (which are filled with water) on TUBES. We got wetsuits and inner tubes and floated through the most magical world I have ever seen. There were places where we had to walk, other where we had to jump off waterfalls, and still others where the guides tricked Derick into standing up where it was really deep and he went under in pitch black, freezing cold, eel infested waters! But mostly we just floated with cathedral ceiling aglow in a ethereal blue light! AMAZING! We did our tour through the Backwater Rafting Co. and although we were not allowed to bring cameras "for safety reasons" (which means they want us to buy a cd of their photos) I stole these off the internet!

So in the end all drugged up on Ibuprofen and Pseudoephedrine I had a fantastic three hours exlporing the Waitomo Glowworm Caves!

This is what the glowworms look like up close... they are a bunch of fly larva on the ceiling that produce bioluminescent mucus... to attract prey which they catch in their glowing snot string!

 But this is what they look like from the tubes... like the heavens!

New Zealand Day 10 & 11: Honey Hive and Huka Falls

Well all of day 10 we spent exploring Wellington, and I gave my camera a break for the day. But we shopped at the "bohemian heart" of Wellington... very disappointing... not what I would call bohemian... I would just call it the retail heart. We went to Weta workshops where they built props for and lots of other stuff for movies like Lords of the Rinds, Narnia, Avatar. Just really cool stuff! We ate dinner at a brewery that had hard cider on tap- AMAZING! And we went to the cultural museum that I talked about yesterday.  So over all a day full of urban exploring is not my favorite but it wasn't bad either.

Now for day 11. We had a long drive this day. We drove like half of the North Island in one day. So after we got to Taupo, almost straight north from Wellington by a big lake, we settled into our cabin (which was really cute) and set off exploring the town town...

This is Mt. Ngauruhoe and behind it Mt. Tongariro both active volcanos

 This is in the Rangipo Desert... what you cant tell is sand is blowing EVERYWHERE!

 Mt. Ruapehu another active volcano

 Huka Falls north of Taupo

And then we went to the Honey Hive... full of local honey products

 honey mead and liqueur

New Zealand Day 9: Dolphin Swim & Ferry

The next morning Derick and I work up at 4:45 to get ready and be at the dolphin place of 5:30. We did the early swim because one the guides said the dolphin activity is betting in the early morning and two this way we could swim and still make our 1:30 ferry to the North Island. Derick and I were not really excited this morning. The seals had been okay but not AMAZING, and it was so early and the water was going to be so cold. But neither of us said anything (I think if one person would have said "I dont want to" the other would have jumped on that real fast and been like "okay back to sleep") and we went to the Dolphin Encounter building on got all suited up for our trip. While the seals were a mom and pop kinda thing, this was a super stream line high tech kinda thing. Which on one hand was kinda nice... there was a hot water hose on the boat so if you got too cold, just stick this hose down your wetsuit, a bathroom on the boat, we watched a safety video, and they fed us cookies and hot chocolate, but on the other hand I kinda just felt like a number. Where as with the seals, there was no hot water, no hot chocolate, no bathroom, but I felt like we got treated as individuals. 

Over I all I would suggest doing both the seals and dolphins if you go to New Zealand... especially if you go to Kiakoura. We had people in out seal group the did the dolphins the day before and said the seals were way better... but one day later when we went to the dolphins the dolphins were way better. I think since these are completely wild animals and are not enticed in any way that they do what they want and some days will be better then others.

There are the Dusky Dolphins that we went swimming with. They are highly curious and highly acrobatic. Since these are entirely wild dolphins playing with us of their own free will the guides told us they will stick around longer in they have good entertainment. The dolphins like when you make dolphin noises through your snorkel, make eye contact and swim in circles, and dive down. Any time I did any of these things there were immediately 1-5 dolphins by my side. It was amazing. They were inches from me. 

Check out my video!

 

 While we were swimming in the ocean we were with a pod of about 300 dolphins, and later when we got back on the boat, that pod joined another pod to make over a thousand dolphins. There were everywhere... from horizon to horizon! 

After the most amazing experience of my life we left the south island to go to the North Island on the Inter islander Ferry. Our rental car came with free ferry tickets for the 1:30 sailing which worked with out schedule so we went with it. It was so nice just being able to drive on, hang out for four hours and drive off without having to get a new rental car, moving bags, and all that lame stuff. We got our car through Apex Rentals by the way.

This is leaving Picton Harbor and traveling through Queen Charlotte Sound. 

 This is emerging from the sound out into Cook Strait.

 So for our first evening in Wellington we explore the city including their botanical garden. And if you know me then you know I am a sucker for botanical gardens. They had a really beautiful rose garden.s

After the botanical garden we continued our explorations through the downtown to the cultural museum (which was already closed) but we went in for like 45 min. before it closed the next day and it was SO COOL! If you go to Wellington go to Te Papa Tongarewa it was the coolest interactive hands on museum ever! Anywho these are some sweet sculptures outside the museum.

And this is looking out from our hotel at night. If I had to do it again, the hotel we stayed at wasn't bad, but the city is a little hard to navigate and we ended up having to drive most places anyway so I wish we would have stayed out in the country instead of the heart of the city so kinda get away from the rush. But I have never been a city girl.

New Zealand Day 8: Kaikoura Seal Swim

We left Christchurch quite early to drive two hours to Kaikoura. We had to get to Kaikoura early for our seal swim. I talked to the tour people and they said the earlier tours are better for tidal conditions so we went with it. We got there about 30 minutes before our tour started and explored the beach a little bit.

 

The beach was all pebbles and when the waves crashed and went back out is sounded like a thousand little chimes. It was SO beautiful. As you can see there was some fog that morning but the sun started to burn it off and it was like a picture window to the mountains.

 The reason Kaikoura is such a good spot of Whale, Dolphin & Seal watching is because the mountains are so close to the sea and that topography continues underwater...

 "The Kaikoura Peninsula extends into the sea south of the town, and the resulting upwelling currents bring an abundance of marine life from the depths of the nearby Hikurangi Trench." -Wikipedia

SO here we are all suited up to go swimming with the seals. We used Seal Swim Kaikoura. They were a family run Father, Daughter, and I think even Grandfather business. They were really awesome. Since the tours are totally out in the wild they can be unpredictable so for people that reserve in advance if the weather is too bad to go you get a full refund, and if you go out there and there are no seals, or due to tide, weather, or seal behavior you can't swim with them you get most of your money back, they just keep a small fee to cover the cost of what they did do.

The water was really cold, but it was so exciting to swim with the seals I hardly noticed. We got a little waterproof camera bag called a DiCaPac for Dericks little camera and it worked SO well... with the exception of a little bit of black on the corner of some the pictures it was awesome and only like 25 bucks!

 There was Kelp everywhere... I felt like I was swimming through a kelp forest. Unfortunately some of the fog hung around and it kept the temperatures cooler and the seals usually get in the water during the day when they are overheating... so we only got to swim with like 5 different seals. But it was still awesome... but I was a little sad. But I knew we were swimming with dolphins the next day so I kept my hopes up!

 This was the view from our hotel. We stayed at the Panorama Motel which was a little bit older but really nice. We had a two bedroom apartment with a kitchenette and sea views!

 And I of course am out there exporing the ocean every chance I got. I love the ocean SO much!

How to make the Perfect Turkey...

This makes a seriously good bird... I have used this recipe the last two Thanksgivings and everyone says its the best turkey they have ever tasted... It is adapted from a Martha Stuart Recipe... in her November '08 Magazine... I have changed a few things but its mostly the same (my notes will be italicized) ... its super easy... but you do have to start like a week out... IT IS SO WORTH IT... okay, here is what Martha (well actually Ed Bruske... but he works for her) says about the Dry Brine meathod:

"The (salt) encrusted turkey is bagged and refrigerated for two days, allowing ample time for osmosis to act in miraculous ways: tenderizing the meat to its core, retaining its precious juices, and accentuating, but not overshadowing, its inherent flavor-minus the heavy lifting of a wet brine. Put simply, it ensures a perfect, pleasingly plump bird that will transcend everyones expectations."

Roasted Dry Brined Turkey
Serves 12-14


Make ahead tip: Salt the turkey and make giblet stock two days in advance. Make sure you take your turkey out of freezer in plenty of time... usually 5 hours per lb. to defrost in fridge... I take let mine defrost in fridge for 5 days... that means taking turkey out of freezer 7 days before cooking.

FOR THE TURKEY

• Course salt and freshly ground pepper
• 14 dried bay leaves, 12 crushed, 4 left whole
• 1 whole fresh turkey (22 to 24 lb..) I use frozen cause that is our only option here in Japan, giblets and neck reserved for Simple Giblet Stock (recipe follows)
• 8 ounces (2 sicks) unsalted butter, softened plus more for baking dish if needed
• 1 cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc I used white cooking wine once cause I forgot and it still was good
• Two crisp sour apples (granny smith, jonagold) and 1 onion all cut into 8ths
• 1 cup water plus more if needed

FOR THE PAN GRAVY

• Pan drippings, reserved from turkey
• 1 cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (I use whole wheat)
• Simple Giblet Stock (recipe follows) or 4 cups homemade or store bought turkey or chicken stock
• 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• Course salt and fresh ground pepper

1. Make the turkey: Combine 2/3 cup salt and 10 crushed bay leaves in a small bowl. Rinse inside and outside of turkey, and pat dry with paper towels. Rub 2 tablespoons salt mixture evenly inside turkey cavity, 2 tablespoons on each leg portions, 1 1/2 teaspoon on each wing, and 2 tablespoons on each breast. If you have extra salt just rub wherever looks empty. Place turkey in large oven bag and seal tightly, removing any trapped air. Place in a rimmed baking sheet, and refrigerate for 48 hours.

2. Remove turkey from bag, and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Combine 1 stick butter, the wine, and whole bay leaves in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to simmer, then remove from heat.

3. Preheat oven to 425 with rack in lowest position. Rinse inside and outside of turkey, and pat dry with paper towels. Gently work hands between breast and skin on top of turkey separating the two. Take 1/2 stick of softened butter, add two crushed bay leaves and fresh cracked pepper. Take butter mixture and spread in-between the breast and skin on the top of the turkey. Fill cavity with apples and onions and then tie the legs securely with kitchen string. Then tie the wings down by taking a string from the neck cavity around the sides and down to the legs securing them to the body of the turkey. Place turkey breast side down on roasting rack. Rub the remaining 1/2 stick of butter on the turkey and season with salt and pepper. Pour water into roasting pan. 

4. Place turkey legs first into the oven. Roast for 30 minutes, then baste with butter-wine mixture. Reduce temperature to 350, and roast, basting with butter-wine mixture & rotating turkey every 30 minutes for 2 hours. (Add more water to roasting pan if necessary to prevent pan dripping from burning.)  After the 2 hours flip turkey breast side up and continue roasting and basting until skin is golden brown and thickest part of thigh (avoiding bone) registers 165 degrees, 45 to 1 hour more. Transfer turkey to a rimmed baking sheet, reserving pan juices and roasting pan, and let rest for 30 minutes breast side down before carving.

5. Make the pan gravy: Pour reserved pan juices into a glass measuring cum or a gravy separator, and let stand until fat rises to the surface, about 10 minutes, pour or spoon off fat.

6. Place reserved roasting pan on 2 burners over medium heat. Add wine, and bring to a gentle simmer, scraping browned bits with a wooden spoon. Whisk flour and giblet stock in a large bowl until combined. Add defatted pan juices, whisking to combine, then pour to roasting pan. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half and thickened, 10 to 15 minutes.

7. Remove pan from heat, and whisk in butter. Strain through a sieve, and discard solids. Stir in parsley Season with salt and pepper if desired.

SIMPLE GIBLET STOCK

makes 4 cups

• Giblets and neck reserved from 1 turkey
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
• 1 carrot scrubbed and coarsely chopped
• 4 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 fresh bay leaf 
• 1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• 6 cups cold water

Put all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring all to boil. Reduce heat, cover partially, and gently simmer, skimming foam from surface as needed, until reduced to 4 cups, about 2 hours. Stain, and discard solids. Use immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week.

YAY for turkey. I hope you try it... Let me explain the two biggest things I changed... 

1. not putting stuffing in the turkey... stuffing cooked in the turkey is often not done when the rest of the turkey is so that means an extra step taking it back out and putting it in a dish and then cooking it some more... or an overdone turkey... so instead I put apples and onion to enhance the turkey and make extra giblet stock to use in the stuffing (cooked separately) to enhance it. 

2. I roast the turkey breast side down for most of the time so the juices rest in the breast... this is also why I let it rest breast side down... trust me it works... when I go to check the temp of the breast and pull the thermometer out the turkey usually squirts juice across the room!

New Zealand Day 7: Godley Head & Central Christchurch

While the Wentzels went on the Trans Alpine Train Derick and I decided to go hiking in the hills around Christchurch. We drove out past Littleton to the Godley Head... which is a peninsula on Pegasus Bay about 45 minutes from the center of Christchurch. 

 There were a whole bunch of old WWII lookouts and gum emplacements. We hiked the hills, explored the ruins, were whipped by the wind and breathed in the fresh sea air! It was AMAZING!

This is Cathedral Square in central Christchurch

After dinner at a Mexican Restaurant we walked to the other side of the city of go to the "best dessert" place in the city, another hint from a local! On the way we found Narnia... something that seemed to happen alot on the trip!

The walk was longer then we thought but it was SO worth it! 

This is my amazing Chocolate Desert from Strawberry Fare

New Zealand Trip Day 6- Drive to Christchurch (Steepest street, Maeraki Boulders, & Mt. Cook)

We decided instead of going straight to Christchurch from Dunedin to go out of the way to see the Mt. Cook Lookout and some awesome scenery. While it turned out the Mt. Cook Lookout was nice, and the water was freaking crazy I dont think I would have done it if I had to do over. It added quiet a bit to the drive, which made it a really long day.

Before we left Dunedin we went to Baldwin Street. This street holds the world record for the steepest street. We drove up and down it... it was pretty steep... I might have been freaking out in the backseat.

We then stopped along the ways to see the Maeraki Boulders... These crazy random boulders that appear to be washed up on the beach... they are perfectly round and come in two sizes... 1 meter and 3 meters! They were actually formed in the muddy soil next to the ocean through time and pressure and as the beach erodes they are "birthed" out of the side of the hill... They then get these cracks that crystals grow in and eventually break to boulder into these crazy pieces... it was really cool.

We then continued to Mt. Cook... well actually the Mt. Cook lookout... this is the real color of the water... it was so crazy looking, it looks that way cause there is glacial silt suspended all in it and it is super reflective... it looks like somebody poured milk in it and dyed it crazy blue!