Hawke's Bay

The Lonely Tree - Te Mata Peak

So I arrived in Hawke's Bay a couple of weeks ago and the experience couldn't be more different to Auckland. I've been staying at my cousin's who lives about 15 minutes away from town by car so there hasn't been so much partying as I don't wanna splash out on cabs and drink-driving isn't exactly an option.
Instead I've made the most of the weather and landscape and have done a fair bit of trekking and discovering the area. In the area you've got hills, beaches and an abundance of vineyards and orchards.

Trekking up Te Mata Peak has been a fairly regular occurrence as there are a number of routes around the peaks, all offering different views of the region.

My "Quiet Place" atop Te Mata Peak

Ocean Beach

Ocean Beach

 Other than excursions to the hills and to the beach, a fun activity in the area is to go cycling around vineyards, sampling all the different wines. There's a clearly marked up cycle path for those who want to spend an afternoon cycling around, rehydrating in various cellar doors. It's all free so needless to say I've taken advantage of the opportunity. Some of the places even offer cheese platters, so it's pretty much a combination of all my favourite things: cycling, photography, wine and cheese!!

To justify my cost free stay at my cousin's I've been doing a lot of gardening as well as a bit of manual labour here and there. On top of that I've done a few days work on his vineyard, which includes spraying/ fencing and bud rubbing. It's some of the most tiring work I've ever done. The vineyard is on a hill, which doesn't look like much but when you have to go up and down it over 100 times on a hot humid day it's pretty nasty.
At least I can drink the wine in the evening and the hospitality is top notch!

"Death hill" vineyard- where I've been working for a few days

I've been learning a thing or two about wine as well so I may have to look into it in more detail. The work is tough, but the rewards are sweet.

I've yet to meet a New Zealander I didn't like. Chatting to a 50 year old guy the other day cracked me up as he kept referring to me as "dude". Everyone in New Zealand is "dude" or "mate". I thought South Africans were chilled but Kiwis are on another level. 

That's about it for this post, I haven't been up to that much but things should pick from next week when I head off to Raglan and Gisborne for Christmas and New Year. Hopefully there I shall enjoy a sunny festive season with plenty of bbq's, surfing and cocktails on the beach.