Musseled Espresso
I’ve been searching back catalogues of images as recently I haven’t had much opportunity to shoot new ones. Packing up a house ready for a move has rather taken over my time in the past two weeks. However, in a bit of space in my schedule today I found some images taken on an afternoon trip to Aramoana in August last year while filling in time between hospital visits with my wife after her accident.
The return journey brought me back through Port Chalmers, the principal port for the City of Dunedin. The Port Chalmers township consists of a short strip of low-rise shops, offices and pubs on the main road that leads to the port. It has that gritty feel to it which many port areas seem to acquire. By the time I drove back through the town my stomach was telling me it was time to stop and find something to eat. The only option available was the grandly named Port Royale Cafe situated in a narrow three story building, the window of which was emblazoned with the seal of “Musseled Espresso”.
This visit proved that one shouldn’t judge an establishment by it’s surroundings. Inside the cafe exuded a comfortable “lived-in” ambiance with a modern cafe overlay. Even at 4.oo pm the food selection was still good, and the coffee very acceptable. In one corner a port worker sipped his coffee while reading the newspaper, in another a group of local ladies chatted around a table near the window.
I liked the look and feel of the place, and it certainly set me up for the next hospital visit.
A View to the Cape
Yesterday’s post talked about terroir and the stony nature of the grape growing soils in New Zealand’s Hawkes Bay wine region. The image used to illustrate the post was taken at Te Awhanga Beach. Here is another image of the beach, this time taken along the gravelly shore towards Cape Kidnappers in the distance.
Apart from being a wine region, Hawkes Bay is a tourist region as well. Much of the activity is centered on the city of Napier which was rebuilt in an art deco style after a devastating earthquake flattened the city in 1931. In recent years the city has hosted an annual “Art Deco Weekend” when thousands of people from all over New Zealand and overseas come to dress up in the fashions of the 1930s and celebrate Napier’s resurrection.
Long before the art deco event came into existence New Zealand families and tourists alike came to Te Awhanga and nearby Clifton beaches to the south of the city to camp for the summer, and to visit the gannet colony on the cliffs at Cape Kidnappers. Many walk the 5 hour return journey at low tide along the base of the cliffs between Clifton Beach and the Cape. An enterprising local farmer offered an alternative, however. For a family-affordable fee he would tow a trailer carrying holiday makers behind a tractor along the narrow stretch of sand below the cliffs to the gannet colony, and bring them back again before the tide came in. This is how we first took our family of three young boys to see the gannets. Everyone who undertakes that journey (it still operates in the summer) comes back with happy memories of the adventure. For some, the gannets are a added bonus!
The Cape Kidnappers Gannet Reserve is managed by the New Zealand Department of Conservation.
Terroir
“Terroir can be very loosely translated as “a sense of place,” which is embodied in certain characteristic qualities, the sum of the effects that the local environment has had on the production of the product.” (Wikipedia) Its a term the French are very fond of when they attribute that certain “Je ne sais quoi” to the wines of the various wine growing regions or “appellations” in their beloved country.
In the New Zealand wine growing region of Hawkes Bay the terroir of the Gimlett Gravels is defined as “an area covering 800 hectares that is strictly determined by the gravelly soils laid down by the old Ngaruroro River which were exposed after a huge flood in the 1860’s.” A precise area map can be found at the Gimlett Gravels Wingrowing District website. Essentially, the the sub-structure of the Gimlett Gravels area, just below the topsoil level, looks something like this gravel bank at Te Awhanga Beach on the coast a short distance to the east.
The Gimlett Gravels Winegrowers Association protects it’s “Gimlett Gravel” brand vigorously, just as the French do. Indeed, they claim to be the ‘first winegrowers in the New World – wine growing countries outside Europe – to define and protect their terroir based on an ultimate designation of their district according to a tightly specified soil type.” And who can criticize them for protecting the reputations they have worked so hard to win?
Wine producers in the “Gimlett Gravel” appellation area produce some outstanding red wines that have gained international recognition. Indeed, the Association promotes on it’s website that producers from this region have won 653 gold medals and 215 trophies in domestic and international competitions since 2001. That’s a pretty big accolade for such a small territory. Personal sampling on a recent trip to the Hawkes Bay confirms that those accolades are deserved!
Elephant Hill
Elephant Hill Winery is situated at coastal Te Awhanga in the Hawkes Bay region of the North Island of New Zealand, not far from the art deco city of Napier. Owned by a German couple who fell in live with the region, it is one of the newest wineries in the area with immaculate lawns and striking modern architecture. However, a surprise awaits visitors as they approach the winery, restaurant and tasting area. Situated on a concrete plinth in the lawn immediately in front to the imposing buildings is an equally imposing statue of a Burmese elephant, trunk raised and charging forward with a load of passengers on its back.
The elephant becomes an immediate magnet for visitors who want their photograph taken with it and the background of grape vines.
The stylish Elephant Hill Restaurant overlooks the vineyard across a reflecting infinity pool. Every feature of this establishment is different from most other wineries in New Zealand, except perhaps the Craggy Range and Black Barn wineries also in the Hawkes Bay area which have similarly stylish and first class restaurants.
Reflections
Apart from the stylish restaurant, the winery also featured some equally stylish wines.
After the Storm
The storm has come and gone, but there is more rain forecast for the weekend. Not as severe as last time, but bringing more welcome wetness.
Northerly storm systems pound the reef at the western end of Takapuna Beach and uproot kelp seaweed from the rocks. Waves then distribute the kelp along the 1,200 metre beach where it lies for up to two weeks until the local authority brings it’s machinery out to gather the seaweed up and take it away for composting. Local hobby gardeners also gather seaweed to add to their compost heaps, or dig it into their gardens to lie over winter in preparation for the spring growing season.
Here Comes the Rain Again …
Here comes the rain again
Falling on my head like a memory
Falling on my head like a new emotion
I want to walk in the open wind …
This 1984 Eurythmics song by written by Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart came to mind this morning as the rain finally arrived. It’s now 9.10 pm and a storm is raging outside bringing much needed rain after 4 months of dry weather. The experts tell us that this one weather event will not be enough to relieve the drought – we apparently need at least 100 mm of rain before they will even think about telling us that the drought is over.
I love stormy weather, as long as it doesn’t go on for days on end. On the coast you experience the full force of whatever is thrown at you. We have had some pretty fierce storms over the years, but never anything that has caused us any notable property damage. At high tide in a storm the waves come right up to our boundary and occasionally wash slightly up the bank and under the trees at the bottom of our sloping property, but never any further. We don’t get the full force of the ocean swells because our part of the coast is protected by out-lying islands. However, it can get pretty wild at times.
Because of the long spell of hot, dry weather we’ve had since December we can put up with the stormy tantrums for a few days to allow the ground to soak up the moisture and the vegetation to replenish itself.
This image was taken at 11.00 am this morning.
Another Autumn Sunrise
This morning, fully clothed this time, I ventured onto the beach to capture another autumn sunrise. It was different this time, not so red, but more dappled grays and blues.
We are lucky here to face the east and have a view out across the Rangitoto Channel to the island from which the channel takes its name. During the day Rangitoto continually changes its mood as the sun moves from east to west. On some evenings the setting sun lights clouds over the island with red and orange light. In storms it presents a very moody face.
This morning we were presented with a pre-storm view. There is rain predicted for two day’s time. On such occasions the atmosphere often clears and New Zealand’s fourth largest island, Great Barrier, shows clearly on the horizon. That happened in the late afternoon yesterday. Already the sky is overcast. Let’s hope that the rain comes as predicted. We really need it after the long hot summer.
I was going to show only two images from this morning, but I have decided to show five instead. I have been wanting to take photographs from the eastern end of the beach in the morning for some time. Here are the results.
Autumn Sunrise
When I woke this morning and looked out the window I knew right away I had to capture the moment. So, still in pajamas, I grabbed my camera and walked down to the beach to record the sun rising behind Rangitoto Island and the early morning crowd out getting their exercise. A man passed nearby walking his Dog. “Good morning”, I said. “Good morning” he replied, no doubt wondering why I was still wearing my PJs on the beach. It didn’t worry me. I got my pictures and was feeling very happy.
Going …
… and coming
Can we have some rain please?
This year New Zealand has had one of the hottest and driest summers on record. Most of the country has had temperatures some 2-3 degrees Celsius above normal monthly averages since December, and record low rainfall. As a result all of the agricultural lands in the North Island and on the west coast of the South Island have been declared drought areas.
Last weekend we traveled to Napier in the Hawkes Bay region of the North Island to attend a meeting and also visit a forest in the Kaweka Ranges, some 50 km inland from Napier. All of the areas we passed through on the 420 km drive from Auckland showed clear evidence of no rain, resulting in brown and dusty pastures. Farmers are having to feed their animals either with feed normally reserved for winter, or from feed stocks purchased from outside suppliers. Some suppliers have already run out of their reserve stocks. Farmers are having to de-stock to ensure that animals don’t suffer, and to allow pastures to recover when the rain finally arrives.
Because New Zealand is primarily an agriculture-based economy, the impact of the drought has flow-on effects into the wider economy. Already a predicted milk shortage has caused prices to rise on international dairy markets, and dairy farmers are receiving early payouts from the country’s biggest dairy products exporter to assist with drought relief.
The above image was taken from the road leading to the forest we visited in the Kaweka Ranges. There had been as light rain shower in the day or so before our visit which allowed a small amount of green to show. Mostly though, the pasture is brown, and what green there is is of little use to the animals. The green field in the distance is irrigated by the local farmer who has a water right to draw from a nearby stream.
It’s now autumn here in this far flung corner of the South Pacific, a time when we normally expect to get regular rain. So far it hasn’t arrived in any meaningful amounts. Farmers are concerned about grass regeneration to see them through winter and into the next spring.
There is one consolation from all this heat and dryness though. The Hawkes Bay region is one of New Zealand’s major wine producing areas. The long hot summer has produced a high quality crop of grapes this year which the wine producers are very excited about. It promises to be a great vintage.
Barrier Sunsets
I mentioned at the end of my previous post that one of the great rewards at the end of a good day’s fishing is watching the sun set in the west. The westward view from the passage between Port Abercrombie and Port Fitzroy is past the small Sugarloaf Islands slightly to the north of Motuhaku Island. These small island are highlighted as the sun sinks in the west when they are silhouetted against the orange sky.
The images below were taken as we approached the entrance to Port Fitzroy on the western side of Great Barrier Island, and then as we slowly motored to the nights anchorage. A great way to end a day.
Sinking Sun
Sun setting over Motuhaku and Sugarloaf Islands, Port Abercrombie, Great Barrier Island
Fingers of God, Port Abercrombie, Great Barrier Island
Silky Smooth, Port Fitzroy, Great Barrier Island
Needles
Early in March I went with a group of friends on a five day fishing trip to Great Barrier Island, New Zealand’s fourth largest island which stands at the entrance to Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf. The Hauraki Gulf is famous as a sailing paradise and is dotted with small islands and sheltered anchorages. It was the sixth time I have joined the crew for the Great Barrier trip on a friend’s 12 metre long power cat launch. Great Barrier Island has a number of sheltered anchorages on its western coastline, the most sheltered of which is Port Fitzroy.
Each year we try to round the northern end of the island to spend at least one night at Arid Island (Rakino) on the ocean side. To reach Rakino one has to round Aguilles Island and Needles Point. I always enjoy this part of the voyage because of the rugged and spectacular coastline. The images below were taken on the return journed from Rakino (Arid Island).
Aguilles Island and Needles Point
The eastern side of Great Barrier Island is battered by whatever the Pacific Ocean throws at it. On most of our trips we are unable to round the Needles because it is too rough, so the weather has to be right for long enough to make a safe return journey.
Needles Point, Great Barrier Island, New Zealand
I am trying out the NIK software suite from Google at present, and especially NIK Silver Effects Pro for black and white conversions. I thought the rock structures at Needles Point would make an ideal test subject, hence the monochrome images above and below.
You can see that the Needles are not a place where you would want to be in bad weather. The pinnacles of rock sticking out of the water can do a lot of damage and need a wide berth.
As for the primary purpose of the trip, fishing, it was a mixed bag. For most of the time we had to return the catch to the sea because the fish were under-size. We managed to get enough to eat each night, and sometimes for lunch as well. Our luck changed on the last night where over the period of an hour we kept more than we returned, with enough for a small amount to take home as well. On our way back to Auckland we stopped off the shore of another Hauraki Gulf island for an hour and had the best fishing of the trip, ensuring that the wives of the crew members received a reward for being left at home.
One of the rewards of being on the sea comes in the evening when the sun sinks in the west. The image below was taken in the bay at Port Abercrombie as we were returning to Port Fitzroy for the night. It makes a great way to finish a good day of fishing.
Sunset, Port Abercrombie, Great Barrier Island
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