Cuisine by Design

So recently I had a blog explosion.  One or two posts a day for a week.  A lot, I know.  I was just so excited to share two of the best weeks I've ever experienced with all of you.  And now I don't really have anything to post.  Quite a shame.

As of right now, I am super busy with school work.  And my busy social life isn't helping any.  Due to this lack of time, I have a lack of subjects to blog about.  However, there is a subject that will apply to everyone that even my school and social lives can't get rid of.  And that topic is, of course, food.

Who doesn't like food?  (Rhetorical question by the way).  I know I've mentioned food in this blog before, but I don't think I've gone into too much detail.  That is about to change.  The rest of this blog is dedicated to some of the foods I have discovered/ been introduced to in New Zealand, be they good or bad.  That way I can make you drool and also, if you ever come to New Zealand, you'll know what's up.  We will start with some general observations...

Crêpes and Rugby, My Favorite

4/30/11     Kaikoura -> Picton -> Wellington -> Palmy

This morning began relatively late for the Kiwi bus, 9:00.  We hit a little snag, however, when Andy (the driver) told us that the alternator was broken and the battery was dead, thus the bus wouldn't start.  Luckily the mechanic was super fast in showing up and helping us out.  We were on our way by 9:17.

Due to our late start each of our stops was only about 5-10 minutes.  We did get to stop and see some seals.  Honestly, if you don't like baby seals there is something seriously wrong with you.  They're just so adorable and awkward.  Anyways, our only other stop was a toilet break.  Everything else was straight on to Picton to ensure we made the ferry to Wellington.

A Poltergeist is Afoot...

Alright everyone, I’m back.  Back from the South Island and two weeks of fun and carefree travel.  So what I’m going to do to chronicle my journey is the same thing I did for Fiji.  I kept a journal, this time actually writing every day, and I’m just going to write here what I did there.  So let’s get this started…

4/18/11     Palmy -> Welly -> Picton -> Nelson

Our mid-semester break began yesterday with a journey to Wellington.  For some (Kristen, Tony, and Travis) the trip began at nine in the morning.  They caught the bus to town at 9:10, then a bus to Bulls at 10:50, where they waited until about 4:00 to catch the Kiwi Experience bus to Wellington.  For others (Kaleb and myself), the trip began at 3:00 when we hopped into the car of a lovely Kiwi bloke by the name of Nic.  You may be asking, “Why didn’t you all drive?”  The answer is convoluted.  I will leave it by saying that the car ride was a favor we thought of asking for after booking the bus.  Plus, the car was not big enough for everyone plus two weeks of gear.

After rejoining and purchasing ferry tickets, we headed over to Cuba Street to grab some grub.  Cuba Street is this awesome, basically pedestrian, street with a boat load of restaurants, cafés, shops, and bars.  We decided on Indian, against my better judgment.  I only say that because I had curry the night before and it gave me heartburn for most of the night.  I should have listened to myself because again, heartburn all night and into this morning.  The food was absolutely delicious though, so I only slightly regret it.

After trekking up multiple hills to reach our friend Neil’s place (he was kind enough to house five of us for the night) we set about to playing Bananagrams (our new favorite group game).  After almost total domination by Kaleb we gave up and set about sleeping. 

Today began early, 6am to specify.  We were out of the flat by 6:30.  The boys hoofed it through the rain while Nic was again awesome and drove Kristen and myself and all the gear to the YHA hostel.  There we caught the bus to the ferry, upon which we were joined by Nora and Tifah.  The ferry crossing took about three hours.  Of those three hours I slept for about two.  The ride began quite rough, but once we reached the South Island the sea was super calm.

Another two to three hours found us and the Kiwi Experience bus in Nelson.  We’re currently staying in the Fern Lodge, which is connected to the Prince Albert bar.  Great place.