The Great Kiwi Summer - Mt Maunganui and Gisborne

It seems most New Zealanders feel an inalienable right to a decent 2-4 week break over Christmas and New Year.  Businesses shut down, many of Auckland's best cafe's shut down (partly because they need a break and partly because no one is really left in Auckland - they've all gone to the beach!) and New Zealand goes into slow(er) mode.
My best friend from Canada was out last year and could not believe this phonomenon.  There is no way a Canadian business would shut down for that long - it's commercial suicide.  Not so here.  In fact, we expect and plan for it.

This year, our break consisted of Christmas at Mt Maunganui and a few days in Gisborne, which are both such great Kiwi holiday destinations, and then a week just puttering around the Auckland region. 

Here are some of my out of town highlights:

Mt Maunganui


A fine day outside at Astrolabe

 Astrolabe, Mt Maunganui Rd. We started with Justin's big birthday here and had a fabulous time. Good weather is required, which we had, as it's basically a big Astroturf area with an eclectic mix of camp chairs which you can pull up anywhere, almost like a picnic in the park.

'Nek Minit' at Astrolabe



Mills Reef Winery, Bethlehem.  This is a great winery and the cellar door experience has been good any time we've been there.  They are more than happy for you to try the full line up including their premium 'Elspeth' range.

Prawn Linguini, Tay St Bistro

Tay St Bistro, Mt Maunganui.  Always a bustling cafe and their prawn linguini was just what the doctor ordered on a miserable rainy day.  My coffee was good, but one of us was on decaf - they lost marks for using stale beans.

Catching up on the latest 'goss' at Grindz

Grindz Cafe, Tauranga.  My favourite cafe in the Bay.  This is the place to go on a bad weather day (or any day for that matter!  I go here every time I am in the Bay) - just chill out in the comfy sofas and read a trashy mag. Good long black and fresh decaf beans.

Grindz

Shopping Mt Maunganui.  They still have a lot of very cool independent boutiques with some neat things you won't see in the mall.

Walking around (or up if you're feeling fit) Mt Maunganui.  Obviously this is good weather activity, but I never tire of it. 40 minutes will get you around the base and then a coffee at either The Deck Chair or one of the other cafes on the boardwalk is great.

Gisborne

Matawhero winery - we drove here on the way into town to meet with everyone.  They have a lovely outdoor area and we had a fantastic platter for lunch.  This is the birthplace of NZ Gewurtz, though a bit of a drier style than I prefer. 

Millton winery - great wines and fantastic cellar door experience.  Their Chenin Blanc is a fave. 

Tolaga Bay - walk along the 600m long wharf and then try some fish and 'garlic' chips at Blue Water, a local delicacy.

Incidentally, Tolaga Bay's Uawa FM radio station holds a world record for the longest continuous radio broadcast.  In 2010, DJ Nikora Curtis broke the 175-hour with his record at 176.5 hours. How cool is that?!  This isn't exactly a metropolis, so a great way to put a town on a map.

Villaggio Cafe - we went here for both coffees and dinner.  A very cool little place and where I would go again if I was in Gisborne.

The Winemaker's Daughter - good brunch.

 

One thing we noticed on the roadtrip is that most restaurants had only 5 items on the menu to choose from.  Uncomplicated, but all menu options were good.  I suppose it makes sense - less waste, just a few very well executed choices.

So, as my own 2 week break comes to an end, on the one hand I am feeling a bit deprived because the weather hasn't been that great, but on the other I had a great time and am feeling a lot more relaxed than I did on the 23rd of December and I am ready to face another year of madness, mahem, and, hopefully, all that life brings us this year! 

As I set my alarm for an early start tomorrow morning back at the office, I wish you all a happy, prosperous, healthy 2012.