Post by Trevor on Jul 13, 2011 18:07:14 GMT
Posted by Charlotte, Oxford on 13/7/2011, 18:19:00
NB The following relates to middle aged British couple! I thoroughly recommend a NZ holiday. We absolutely loved it and you can do a lot in 3 weeks. We were coming from Sydney so no jet lag.
We self-catered mostly and ate out occasionally. We had good cooking facilities almost everywhere (motels and hotels) and traveled with a folding cool box (buying the ice blocks in a DIY store there). I had my own oats with me for breakfast (technically these are not allowed into Australia…) and bought nuts and seeds. We shopped mainly in supermarkets (NB few outside main towns. You need to stock up when you can in remote areas eg in Northland). These had GF items like biscuits and crackers, mainly Australian. Nothing very special and no fresh bread but fine. We often cooked lamb and beef steaks with salads and potatoes, mainly because this kind of meat was so cheap and good. Even supermarket steaks were good. So didn't bother with pasta. Did not locate any beer.
The food out was OK. It’s fairly easy to find GF options in more upmarket eateries and cities. It’s all much cheaper than Australia but like there (and here) a lot of popular cheap take away food is very wheat based: pies, bread, pasta, pizza. Awareness of GF is widespread but, like Australia, understanding of actual CD and contamination issues more limited, possibly because more people are self-diagnosed. Many cafes (especially healthy or organic) had GF cakes (usually brownies or almond cake) but they were very rarely separate from regular cakes (and certainly not made in dedicated facilities). This was fine for me occasionally. One cafe advertised GF pizzas but these were cooked on the same pizza oven surface. My one attempt to locate a dedicated bakery was a disappointment. I made a special trip to a GF café in Keri Keri www.santeez.co.nz/ but actually the items were pretty stodgy. It seemed popular with locals.
Like most places, the best GF food was in the best restaurants. It appears most of these are in Wellington. Nelson is a foodie place with a nice farmers market. You need to eat early in many places as people do go to bed early. On a Sunday in Dunedin it was almost impossible to find anywhere open after 8pm.
There was a widely available fantastic white chocolate and boysenberry icecream on a stick made by Kapiti: www.fonterrafoodservices.co.nz/index.php?option=com_ffpr&view=product&id=220&Itemid=5&manufacture=0
All the following are recommended places to stay and eat *highly so (best places we visited in brackets).
I booked all accommodation in advance via booking.com or direct.
North Island
Birdwood House B&B (* for full suburban Auckland experience!)
*Aubergine in Albany (suburb on the North Shore www.auberginealbany.co.nz/ An unpromising location in a small shopping mall but really excellent food. The best meat we had in NZ and very good value: wine, meat and GF choc fudge cake was $108 (about £50).
Northland NB we travelled north up the WEST coast (*giant Kauri trees, *Kauri museum,* Hokianga Harbour). Whangaroa Harbour: *Lodge Motel. www.whangaroalodgemotel.co.nz excellent motel, stunning location and much quieter (and cheaper) than the Bay of Islands.
*Pear Tree Restaurant Kerikeri www.thepeartree.co.nz/ Pricey but good, prettiest historic location
Amora (aka previously as Duxton Hotel) Okawa Bay is good value if you want to avoid Rotaru itself www.rotorua.amorahotels.com
Wellington: really excellent fish and food at reasonable price (if casual service) *Olive Cafe, 172 Cuba St, Wellington 6001
South Island:
NB If your car hire includes a ‘free’ early *ferry to Picton you can pay a little to ‘upgrade’ to later one.
Marlborough Sound: *Te Mahia Bay Resort www.temahia.co.nz/index.html
(*Nelson Farmer’s Market. *Upper Moutere Valley vineyards)
Abel Tasman: Buena Vista www.buena-vista.co.nz/ good location near park. (*Farewell Spit, *Golden Bay. Abel Tasman itself beautiful but many day trippers inc motor boat trips etc).
West Coast (lucky with weather very benign and beautiful) NB If we had planned an additional stop near Hokitika we could have planned night visit to see kiwis.
Fox Glacier Rainforest Motel www.rainforestmotel.co.nz/ (*Haast Valley road, *Fox Glacier Valley (you pay to go on it with guide but can just walk to edge)
Wanaka (nicer and much quieter than Queenstown) Clearbrook Motel (good facilities inc washing machine) www.clearbrook.co.nz/ (*Matukituki River valley)
Te Anau/Milford Sound *Knobs Flat www.knobsflat.co.nz/ Only place actually in the national park and an hour to Milford Sound. Without the tourists of Te Anau. (*start of Routeburn Track)
Dunedin: Bluestone on George www.bluestonedunedin.co.nz/ (*Albatross Centre)
Would like to have eaten at Scotia but shut www.scotiadunedin.co.nz/
Lake Ohau: *Lake Ohau Lodge: www.ohau.co.nz/ Stunning location, good dinner with fresh gluten-free bread provided. Easy beautiful drive (Mt Cook views) from here to Christchurch airport.
General:
*Rough Guide, *AA Road Atlas.
The driving was easy. Road excellent and none are single track even I remote places. NB There are speed cameras on some remote highways and yes the speed limit is 65mph.
If you want to see kiwis you need to plan an overnight stay nearby and book.
March was late summer and great weather. Also good fruit and veg. The sea was warm enough to swim in in Northland (pleasant) and Abel Tasman (brisk).
Excursions, trips, museums, wild life centres and extreme sports etc tend to be very expensive. Unless extreme sports are essential to your holiday, you don’t need to do them or spend a lot. Lots of wonderful short walks, not just long trails.
Great loos - even up some mountains!