Wineries and (more) Waterfalls

So, it finally comes to an end. This has been our last week in New Zealand and I both can't believe that two months has gone so fast and feel like it's been an age since we last saw friends and family in the UK. We started this week with a trip to Lake Waikaremoana; a stunningly large lake set high up in the mountains. We took a long afternoon to climb to the top of one of the peaks surrounding the mountain which was a nicely wooded walk, though often more of a scramble than a walk.

After leaving the lakeside we then continued our tour of the coastline to spend several days in the Hawkes Bay area. The weather has been generally warm and sunny adding to the Mediterranean feel of this famous wine growing area, fields of vines stretching out in all directions. Not wanting to break with any traditions we've enjoyed visiting a couple of the wineries and working through the tasting menus offered!

We've added several more to our waterfall collection this week too, with two particularly tall specimens at Lake Waikeremoana, a walk to visit another couple as we drove around Hawkes Bay and a extra surprise waterfall seen from a parking area as we paused to stretch legs on our way inland at the end of the week.

The two main towns in Hawkes Bay, Hastings and Napier, offer much in the way of interesting architecture. The region was mostly flattened during an earthquake in 1931 and then completely rebuilt in the Art Deco style most of which has been preserved. We've wandered the shops, stopped for coffee and enjoyed dinner courtesy of the Hastings Night Market. 

We've finished the week driving back inland to visit Cambridge and our friends at Earthstead, reminding ourselves of the wonderfully hilly landscape that we saw at the start of the trip and preparing ourselves for the next stage of our journey; the homeward leg. 

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Wwoofing and Waterfalls

Our second week at Earthstead has been almost as busy as the first. There's always plenty to be done here and we never have a problem getting to sleep at the end of each day! We've both been under the weather this week and have enjoyed the novelty of making honey and lemon drinks with honey from Earthstead's bees and lemons picked straight from the tree. Our focus this week has been on finishing off our two main projects.

When it's not been raining we've been clearing the parking area of weeds ready for a fresh layer of gravel. Underneath the top inch of soil we were hitting sand and the aim was to clear the area - five generous parking bays worth - back to this, which for the most part was simply a case of scraping it off with a hoe, though some areas the weeds had taken a bigger hold and larger tools were needed. During our final week here we'll be moving the gravel over from another area of the farm and hopefully we'll be able to see this looking finished and shiny before we go.

Clearing the parking area

Wetter moments have been spent inside with the set of dining chairs. The original red upholstery was being replaced with a cream fabric and this week we polished up the wood and sorted the new fabric for the last two chairs. They look much better for the refresh and maybe we can utilise the new skills when we come to sort out chairs to go with the table back home.

Before and after...

When not working hard we've also had a little time off this week and took a day to visit the local seaside at Raglan. The beach was well frequented by surfers and we enjoyed lunch sitting above the sands watching them. The sands themselves were a lovely dark colour from the volcanic landscape.

The waves at Raglan

On the drive home from Raglan we stopped at Bridal Veil Falls - we're always a sucker for a good waterfall - and were very pleased with this one. The falls run over the edge of an ancient lava flow, slowly wearing away at the sandstone beneath it, leaving a long drop and interesting rock patterns. The car park was at the top of the falls with 261 steps down to the lowest viewing platform. Worth the trip down, but a little hard on the legs to get back up again!

Bridal Veil Falls from the mid-height platform

Finally we also enjoyed a sunny afternoon off to visit Hamilton Gardens. They have split up the land into lots of smaller themed areas which worked really well - we particularly enjoyed the Italian and Indian areas, as well as the sustainable living family garden, complete with chickens! Unfortunately they were clearly gearing up for the summer visitors and several of the gardens were empty of established plants. There was enough going on to keep us amused for a couple of hours but looked like it would be stunning in a few months time. We heard this weekend that Hamilton Gardens has just won an international award for Municipal Gardens - nothing but the best here!

The Italian Garden at Hamilton Gardens

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