TRAVEL BREAKS

ROSS THORBY: MY FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH SAILING WAS ON A 14 FOOT HOBIE CAT

Mother had done a sailing-for-ironing deal one summer with the housework-shy mother of the owner of the local squadron of rentable Hobie Cats.

In an arrangement, forged over a glass of Stone’s Green Ginger Wine and a cheddar and pineapple cheeseboard, my brother and I gained unlimited access to the flotilla of small sailing craft and all the beaches and surf that only a childhood in the Bay of Islands could provide. With the endless summers of our youth we made good on the opportunity.

Without any professional lessons or any clue other than trial and error, we learnt to tack and trim our way from one side of the bay to the other whilst Mother slaved over a hot iron and a shaky ironing board. Oh what sacrifices our parents made - just to keep us out of hair and house.

Long halcyon summer days in the ‘70s were spent skipping over the sharp peaks and shallow marine troughs whipped up by the bay’s sou’easterlies and nor’westers, in great mini-regattas fought to the death between rivalling siblings who shared just the briefest of connections.

We discovered, as most sailing boats do when pushed to their limits, that the small catamarans in our charge had one specific fatal flaw; if you sat in a particular position at speed and manipulated the sails just enough, the craft would dig into the water causing it to somersault or ‘pitch pole’, a trick we learnt as 12 and 13 year-olds to use to our great amusement. Team New Zealand would publicly expose the same flaw much to this country’s chagrin in San Francisco many years later, although admittedly on a more advanced boat, but the physics were still the same.

We also managed to sink more than one of the cats and often had to be towed back to shore by a passing speedboat, us sitting astride the semi-submerged vessel only to re-float again in the shallows and immediately return to the open waters. Another experience shared with the America’s Cup contenders.

Decades and a sense of self-preservation have now settled in since those carefree death-defying experiences, but the vestiges of those memories live on as I watch a new generation of sailors, some of whom started their sailing careers in much the same way as we hobbyists albeit with a different and more lucrative outcome.

But did I say ‘sailors’?

Today’s ‘sailors’ might as well be called ‘pilots’ as they sit aboard craft evolved a million miles more distant from those small 14 foot cats we once sailed; comparative space ships against a horse and cart. Sailors who are perhaps now more expert in aeronautics and ‘lift’ than a pilot on a Boeing Dreamliner.

Anybody who has watched the America’s Cup since we first became aware of it in Perth with Denis Connor in 1987 has watched in awe the leaps and bounds in technology that the sport has produced with each new challenge. Every new event has brought along some great advancement or some ‘tickling’ of the limits of the rules; the ‘plastic fantastic’, the introduction of the catamaran, the onboard ‘cyclors’ and now the new foils. It’s truly a sport for technologists with the excitement of the races and the more extravagant speeds that they can now achieve with each additional knot of wind.

The technology ‘bleed’ will benefit more than just the race itself, much like what NASA did with the microwave and Velcro. Foils are already seen in hydrofoiling bicycles and surfboards. Are cruise ships next? I yearn for the day the Queen Mary 2 leaves our harbour with the commodore announcing, “Ladies and Gentlemen please take your seats as we are about to raise up on our foils for our trip across the Tasman.”

The thrill of sitting on Te Rehutai as she flies through the air must be palpable. A vision of beauty, she and her compatriot boats must bring about an awe-inspiring rush of adrenaline to those onboard as they ply around the course. For me it’s a flutter of the heart and the thrill of a memory back to a youth spent on my first Hobie Cat.

The Prada and America’s Cup are much more than racing, especially in these days of Covid-19. We have the world looking at us and wondering how the little country that could, did; how, while the rest of the world wears masks and worries about random coughing we can hold an international event and marvel at how a little kiwi really can fly. (ROSS THORBY)  PN

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1. Lockie Murrell was a pupil at TAIHAPE SCHOOL, he is a budding writer, artist and photographer. He is pictured by the well known big gumboot.

2. Our cruise columnist Ross Thorby is pictured waiting for Trevor Mallard to return to his Speakers chair @ WELLINGTON PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS.

3. THE NORTHERN EXPRESS from Auckland to Wellington driver Andrew Hamblyn enjoyed his read of our latest issue!

4. Cary, owner of the FLAGSTAFF GALLERY, DEVONPORT has a browse of her page in the November issue of Ponsonby News.

KERRY LEE: LA MEXICANA - NEW TO GREY LYNN

It might be only a few weeks old, but the La Mexicana in Grey Lynn is already starting to make a name for itself.

“It all started as a little idea to show people what Mexican food really tasted like. My partner Fletcher and I wanted to do it for years, but it was only in 2020 that we finally decided to take the plunge.”

In terms of menu, Marco decided early on to move away from what people thought of as Mexican food and instead focus on more traditional tacos and tortillas.

“We make our own tortillas using dough made from the freshest New Zealand corn. They’re made in house; that way our customers know what a real tortilla is.”

Some people will definitely be let-down when they come in expecting to see their favorite dishes, but Marco’s determined to keep things 100% genuine.

“I want to show people how our food really is, so they’ll taste it and walk away with a better understanding of what a taco really tastes like. I could either give in to their expectations or stick to my guns and show them what our cuisine is like, and how we eat it.”

Risky, but it’s a move that really seems to have paid off, with La Mexicana quickly gaining a small but loyal following. “The response from our customers has been overwhelming. People come in and they love it. Members of the Mexican community who try our food tell me they’ve finally found a place that sells real tacos!”

LA MEXICANA, 572 Great North Road. To make a phone order call them on T: 09 360 1623, www.lamexicana.co.nz

ST STEPHEN’S PONSONBY CHURCH FIRE

Just three weeks before Christmas, on Saturday 5 December 2020, a ‘suspicious’ fire struck the iconic St Stephen’s Ponsonby Church building on the corner of Jervois and Shelly Beach Road.

It appears to have started under the floor of the Shelley Beach facing nave and travelled up into the roof cavity where it has done the most damage. St Stephen’s are currently doing all they can to make the building safe. They have started a give-a-little page and would appreciate any support.

FACES AT GREY LYNN FARMERS MARKET

On Sunday mornings, Alice Mitchell can be found in the aptly named Garden Room at the back of the Grey Lynn Farmers Market.

The Garden Room is a relatively new space for the market, how is that working for you? I love it. The regulars know that is where George’s Garden has moved to. They queue patiently for their vegetables and then come to see me for flowers. I enjoy the busker playing on the deck next to us while children play on the playground.

You grow all your own flowers Yes - I have a plot on my parents’ farm inland from Warkworth. I’m so lucky to live in town, in Arch Hill, and commute north to tend my plants. It means that when customers want mid-week orders I can take flowers to them on my way home.

Have you got a horticulture background? Not really, but farming is definitely in the blood! I grew up on a farm, but I studied photography at university and have no formal horticulture training. I actually got the idea for the farm from Mum. I had been working part time for a florist in Ponsonby after moving back home from several years overseas and was learning how florists sourced flowers, and that’s when Mum suggested that I grow my own!

Wow - That was a big leap! Yes - it has been a big learning curve. I have been delighted with the support that I have received from local flower growers and I belong to a collective of small-scale flower growers. And of course, there is a lot of information online.

How did you go about transforming a paddock into a flower farm? Wind and weeds were my biggest concerns. I started with a controlled burn to eliminate weeds and return carbon to the soil. The perimeter of the plot is protected by a windbreak, and we made steel hoops to support netting for the flower beds. My partner, Adam, sourced the steel piping for me, then Dad and I spent a day bending it with a borrowed machine.

You made them - that sounds very handy. I like building stuff myself. We also made the planting tunnels. I’m always looking at ways to re-use resources already on the farm.

How long have you been farming flowers? Three years. I have got into a nice rhythm but I’m always experimenting with new ways of doing things. I use a mixture of different farming philosophies, adapting and combining them to suit my way of working and our land. How does the collective work? There are seven of us. We work together to sell a consistent and complementary range to florists so that we don’t need to go through the auction system. It is an incredibly supportive group - we share ideas and encouragement.

Valentine’s Day is coming up. Have you got plans for that? Valentine’s Day and Mothers’ Day are the two biggest days on the floral calendar. We flower growers struggle to grow enough for the huge demand, which is why the prices always spike then. On those days, it would be easy for me to sell my whole farm load three times over but I really want to make sure that market customers get some of my flowers. So I will be taking pre-orders and making up special bouquets for Valentine’s Day.

Last year was an unusual one. How did you cope? It was hard like it was for everyone, but we are just grateful to be living somewhere safe. Adam and I met in England so we miss our family and friends and we know that it will be a long time before we see them in person.

Do you manage to get away from the farm? We love the outdoors. In summer we like to go camping. We also have a runabout that we take fishing, or just exploring the Hauraki Gulf with friends.  PN

GREY LYNN FARMERS MARKET @ the Grey Lynn Community Centre, 510 Richmond Road, www.glfm.co.nz

Sunday mornings at the Grey Lynn Community Centre 510 Richmond Road

COOL BLADES AND FUN DAYS MAKE YOUR OWN KNIFE

If you have ever wanted to try your hand at making your very own knife, you can, with a bit of help from Willie at Kiwi Blade Knives.

Auckland based local knife maker, Willie van Niekerk, has been teaching workshops, large and small, to people who are curious about the craft.

“There’s nothing better than creating a tool that you can use on an everyday basis – designed and thought through by you - to fit with your lifestyle,” he says.

“Knives are practical instruments which date back to our earliest origins. The thrill of making one incorporates all of that human history into the choices surrounding the style of blade that you choose to make. It’s an organic process as much as it is one governed by need and human history. There’s more to it than you might think and actually making one is a lot better than watching a YouTube how-to video!”

What you come away with at the end is a functional knife and a whole new appreciation of the craft. It’s a fun day which requires a bit of grit and determination – but it’s well worth the effort. A day spent knife making can take you away from the stresses of your everyday life too.

Imagine sailing off on your next holiday or tramping into the bush, or cooking up a storm in the kitchen with a knife that you can impress your family and friends with.  PN

Call Willie on 027 410 8320, E: willie@kiwiblade.co.nz, www.kiwiblade.co.nz, www.facebook.com/kiwibladeknives

Welcome back folks! At least we’re having a great summer with no lockdowns so far and life is almost back to normal. Short ‘n’ sweet this month, here’s a roundup of my favourite wines since my December column.

Château Gassier Esprit Rosé 2019 - $24 Crisp and dry, flavoursome, fab and French. Hints of cherry nougat, and red berry fruits. A clean tangy finish. Available Meldrum Philips Jervois Road. BTW I forgot to mention that Meldrum Philips stocks Billecart Champagnes as featured in the Christmas issue.

Matawhero Single Vineyard Gisborne Pinot Noir Rosé 2020 - $22 Pale salmon pink. A lovely aperitif, with strawberries and cream palate. Medium bodied and with a hint of sweetness and spice. Crisp and refreshing. Available: Glengarry.

Matawhero Single Vineyard Gisborne Gewürztraminer 2020 - $21 Classic gewürzt profile. Aromas of passionfruit, lychees, and jasmine. Clean and crisp palate of lychee and guava with a hint of rosewater. Finishes yeasty, crisp and tangy. Available: Glengarry.

Pegasus Bay Waipara Valley Gewürztraminer 2019 - $30 Complex and dry, with flavours of tangy grapefruit marmalade and Turkish delight. Rich, unctuous and a bit funky from wild yeast. The grapes were picked late with a degree of Noble Rot (botrytis) and left to age for six months in oak puncheons. Available: Glengarry.

Matawhero Single Vineyard Gisborne Sauvignon Blanc 2020 - $21 Fresh cut green pepper on the nose. An elegant and softer take on the typical New Zealand sav. Herbal and grassy flavours with a hint of green tomato and passionfruit, with medium acids. Available: Glengarry.

Giesen ‘The August’ Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2018 - $41 Something different – a barrel fermented sav with soft acids and lots of complexity. At a respectable 13.5% alcohol, this is a mouth-filling, creamy wine with flinty minerality and soft acids. Big palate of black currant, creamy yeast and a bit of gooseberry. Available: Fine Wine Delivery Co.

Lake Chalice Plume Chardonnay 2016 - $50 Flinty and funky on the nose with a rich palate of grapefruit, peach, nectarine and canned apricots. Lengthy intense finish with yeasty tang. Available: Glengarry, www.blackmarket.co.nz Bogle Phantom Chardonnay California 2018 - $30 Phantom is a reserve style from Bogle, a tad more restrained than the standard label. Notes of toffee, toast and a hint of vanilla with a lengthy palate of roasted peach, butterscotch and ripe grapefruit. Available: Pt Chev Organic Wines, Meldrum Philips.

Lake Chalice Plume Pinot Noir 2017 - $50 Smoky aromas. Very much a savoury take on the pinot noir style. Big flavours of black olive, mushroom, black berry fruit and cassis. Lengthy palate. Drink now or keep for two years. Available: Glengarry, www.blackmarket.co.nz

Coal Pit Tiwha Central Otago Pinot Noir 2018 - $57 Stunningly good value pinot from Central Otago. I sampled this wine on a recent visit and just had to bring a bottle home. Smoky, soft and savoury, with ripe blackberry and cherry. Silky and seductive. Available: Caro’s Parnell.

Molly Dooker ‘Maitre D’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 - $40 Wow. Ticks all the boxes for a standout Australian hot climate cabernet. Deep dark garnet colour. It’s a muscly youthful swaggering wine, full of potential and confidence, but very seductive just the same. 15.5% alcohol. Loaded with huge blackcurrant, dark chocolate, spice and a hint of typical cab mintiness. Available: Pt. Chev Organic Wines. (PHIL PARKER)  PN

www.finewinetours.co.nz

FINE WINE & FOOD TOURS

“No. 2 Auckland Wine Tour” – TripAdvisor

Your host, Phil Parker wine writer.

Affordable tours for small and large groups.

E: phil.parker@xtra.co.nz www.finewinetours.co.nz