From start to finish

This was an amazing treat.  Dion came home after a hunting weekend with 4 young deer attached to his helicopter.  The deer are considered almost pests, so there is no trophy hunting for buck, and no need for a tag or license.  Dion goes to get young, tender meat to feed his family (his daughter eats nothing but mince). Crystal was able to skin and break down the deer fresh from the hunt and so she honored it with a four course dinner using multiple parts.  Hunt to table:  we started with appetizers of venison jerky and venison sausage wrapped in house bacon she cured, followed by venison tartare from the loin, venison curry stew from the shoulder, seared backstrap loins in a parmesan crust, finishing with the venison leg. We used some wild flowers and herbs found in the back country and paired four courses with two NZ wines: a Bordeaux blend from Rod Macdonald that went amazingly well with the stew, and Black Barn's exceptional Syrah for the last two courses.

Venison leg, field mushrooms, wild rice, pine cone gastrique, fat hen

Parmesan crusted backstrap, asparagus tips, charred lemon vinaigrette

Hanging to dry

Dion giving some tips

Getting it done

Julian learning how to break down an animal

Venison jerky

Patsy learning all the parts

Venison tartare, juniper cracker, pickled rhubarb, cured egg, sage & basil flowers

Venison shoulder curry stew, burnt honey & curry leaf carrot, apple pearls

The line-up

Skinning the beast

So focused

Breaking it down

Natural wonders

A river runs through it

Julian on the blue pools bridge

Skipping rocks after dinner

The mountains bleed crisp clear water

As we get settled into a rhythm, we are getting a chance to explore our surroundings a bit more and have found some amazing hiking spots.  It is remarkable to be hiking in almost tropical bush and yet have these grand snow-capped peaks as a backdrop.  The birds make music we have never heard before, though the Tui sounds like Close Encounters of the Third Kind.  We ventured into a glow worm cave which was very cool, but alas, part of the magic of the moment was the inability to take a picture.

The beauty of the bounty

It never gets old watching the copter come and go

grilled zucchini & potato, crispy pork bits, herb vinaigrette, gorgeous poached egg

NZ croques madames

We aren't having any fun

City kid goes country

The neighbors

The work days have been long as we get ourselves settled into routines, but the backdrop is too fantastic for words and every moment of downtime seems to be filled with a new speck of bliss and amazingness.  The roar of the helicopter taking off doesn't get old, and we are all super excited to get in it!  Foraging for new things to eat and play with in the kitchen is dreamy, Patsy comes every day bearing gifts from the earth (these are green pinecones), her garden and now a few chickens(see those gorgeous orange yolks?)..with all these gifts from mother nature, it hardly feels like work at all.

We are thankful to be here

Week two we decided to share some American traditions with our Kiwi guests.  Turns out it is harder than it looks to recreate Thanksgiving down here at the ends of the earth.  No fresh cranberries at market (it's rhubarb season!) and they have never heard of pumpkin puree.  However, we managed to pull off a feast (yes, those are 3 turkeys) and while we didn't catch the football, we learned the rules of rugby tossing it around on the front lawn.  Not too shabby: picture-worthy turkey, sausage and apple stuffing, gravy, perfect mashed potatoes (I think it has something to do with the rich dairy here), cranberry relish (we managed with dried cranberries & orange juice), green beans & shallots, creamed leeks & mushrooms, kumara(it's the NZ sweet potato) pecans and bacon, fresh rolls and after rugby rhubarb cheesecakes and pecan pie.  NZ wine pairing: Wooing Tree rose and Akarua Pinot Noir.

New Zealand Thanksgiving table

Leftover turkey: glazed wings appetizers

predinner game of spoons

Eat your heart out, Martha Stewart

A little casting help from Chris

The view from the kitchen when we leave work at night

Thankful for family and friends

Wow.

Handsome co-pilot

the river from way up high

frozen lake

You can almost see our house

thrilled beyond belief

First time for all of us in a helicopter.  I'm not sure we could have picked a better place, or a better pilot (thank you, Dion). Being able to see the landscape from above, and to get so close to glaciers and the treeline was jawdroppingly beautiful. P.S. that's a frozen lake!

Home is where the hearth is

Arrived.  And it is gorgeous.  After a few days of getting used to our surroundings (this is our cute little stone cottage with the green screen looking backdrop).  We wake up here every day and still can't believe it isn't a rollaway set.  The lodge got a facelift this year and while we have no idea what before was like, NOW looks just lovely. As we make our way around the place and the kitchen, it seems hard to find reasons why we might not like our new life.  Ok, the showerhead pressure in our house isn't grand (and for two of us, it's a little low) so there are adjustments to be made to live in paradise.  Week one we have some people to impress: two charming returning Australians and some special friends from home.  Here goes.

Cedar Lodge

Sending off his just made boat down the river

The river is so clear and so blue

Master wood chopper

Patsy is always enthralled in Crystal's kitchen

Home

Dinner Number One: leg of lamb, roasted spring veg, herb mustard butter, whipped potato, chervil

Headed to our new home

We get up with the desire to just cruise straight to our new home.  We have seen some amazing scenery and have had some lovely little stops in town, but after a few days on the road, the 13 year old in all three of us just wants to get 'home'.  So we head to the supermarket to buy what every country New Zealander will tell you is a must-have wardrobe piece: gum boots. Armed with those and our last big kiwi breakfast in the hippest little diner in the middle of industrial city (the same odd way that the best sushi is always in some horrible, weird stripmall), we hit the road. I will bore you again with the lack of vocabulary I have at my disposal to give proper props to the awe and amazement that took our breath away as dropped into the valley which we will now call home for the next five months.  Unreal. That is all.