TRAVEL

weekly TRAVEL

Canterbury

ALEXIA SANTAMARIA GETS A TASTE OF THE SOUTH’S INTOXICATING WINE REGION

Above: The meandering Waipara River. Below: So many treats await you at Amberley’s Farmers’ Markets.

We were only going to stop in Amberley for a takeout caffeine boost after an early flight, but what should have been a five-minute break turned into a sit-down coffee and caramel slice, a mooch round the farmers’ markets and half an hour of glorious fossicking through Mumma T Trading Lounge, a magical world of Good girl! Beagle Rosie has sniffed out another truffle. perfectly curated modern, vintage, retro and antique collectibles. This much fun, even before we got to our destination?

If you’re heading to North Canterbury Wine Region for the weekend (and you should be, especially in early March when they hold the Food and Wine Festival) do stop at Amberley, especially if it’s market Saturday. It was so much fun chatting with the friendly and quirky producers and – of course – sampling their wares. We stocked up on luscious cheese from Little Farm Goat Dairy, fresh crusty bread from Rachel Scott and locally grown roasted hazelnuts from Harvest Glen. It had become clear people like good food in these parts.

The only thing to tear us away from this tiny town was the thought of spending an hour with Gareth and his adorable beagle Rosie at Limestone Hills. This clever and cute canine showed us how she sniffs, digs and hunts out truffles – Perigord, Burgundy, Bianchetto and Winter Black. A fascinating process which resulted in six fat, earthy specimens in just 10 minutes. It’s incredible how a whole business can come down to the talents of a tiny dog’s nose.

Shopping, markets, coffee,

WHEN TO GO: Definitely March 8 for the North Canterbury Food and Wine Festival, but any time of the year is charming. BEST HOME BAKING: Coffee and a cabinet slice at Little Vintage Espresso in Amberley. FLY WITH: Air New Zealand to Christchurch, then drive 45 minutes to Waipara. SHOPPING DESTINATION: Amberley has Mumma T as well as several other great gift and homeware spots. WHAT TO PACK: Don’t pack too much, so you have room for all the wine and artisan produce you’re going to want to bring back. An insider’s guide to ... North Canterbury Wine Region

adorable beagles with big brown eyes –just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, we arrived at our lunch destination, and it did! A wine-tasting and long leisurely lunch at Black Estate made it evident why it’s so regularly awarded. The kitchen team only works with the best local, often foraged, ingredients and it makes a discernible difference. For example, on the side of our perfectly pink lamb swimming in a fresh zesty salsa verde, we ordered the local greens –nothing fancy, just green beans (from Little Owl biodynamic farm), briefly blanched and sprinkled with salt. I’m pretty sure I’ve never tasted such incredible beans A place to call home: Karetu Downs is the perfect country retreat.

in my life and apparently the staff all get really excited about them too. In the afternoon, we headed to our farmstay, 30 minutes out of Waipara. For city folks, Karetu Downs couldn’t have been any more of a treat. No cellphone coverage, an enormous 2000-hectare hill country property to wander (complete with 4500 sheep, 120 cattle, two kune kune pigs and a donkey called Barney), all right next to the Waipara River. With such beautiful accommodation, large grounds and peace and quiet like we rarely experience, this was utter bliss. Sitting in that gorgeous garden with a bottle of Black Estate’s Dam Steep Pinot Noir in a silence only punctuated by birdsong, it could actually be packaged as therapy. The next day was all about wine tasting. There are over 90 vineyards in the whole North Canterbury Wine Region, all with quite distinct flavour characteristics due to the varied terrain. From the volcanic Banks Peninsula to the clay and limestone soils of the Waipara and Waikari valleys, it’s an area well known for pinot noir, chardonnay and riesling. We concentrated on the Waipara area, and fell madly in love with the wines at The Boneline and Greystone, and the rambling gardens, sculptures and lovely walk at well-loved Waipara label Pegasus Bay. We only really had time to make a small dent in what was on offer. Our day ended with a pizza and some local brews on our way home at Blue Moon in Amberley, before heading back to Christchurch for our flight the next day. I’m a little embarrassed to have visited Christchurch so many times and never taken this marvellous short trip north, but I certainly plan to make up for lost time by visiting again soon.

Pegasus Bay Winery (right) was the first to put down vines in the area. Below: Writer Alexia is delighted with the local flavours.