Happy Christmas!

The sun is shining, the trees are green, and the birds are chirping. Merry Christmas!?

As a Canadian, it feels so strange having a green Christmas. I've had white and brown, but never a green! It doesn't feel like Christmas at all to me because, well, where's the snow!? I always chuckle when I walk by a store display full of Christmas trees and fake snow.

Christmas Kiwi-style! Here we go:

Beach and Camping!

Whites bay - gorgeous!

Cherries and Plums!

These cherries are called Early's.

There is a row of plum trees a few blocks away - free fruit!

Blue skies, green trees, blue water.

Pohtukawa - the Kiwi Christmas Tree! Bright red sprinkled throughout the town.

GIANT Hams! This one is nearly 12 kilos! And $220 to boot! I saw 10 different preparations of ham alone in one grocery store advert.

Sweets! Kiwis love their sweets.

Super tiny, super cute sugar decorations

Gingerbread trees

Cookie tree hangers

Dutch Tulband - the lightest and fluffiest fruitcake ever!

Mini stollen

Interestingly, there is no concept of a lump of coal for bad behaviour. I asked my boss about making coal-shaped cookies and he just stared at me like I was crazy. "That would make sense in a mining town." Um, not quite what I meant. :P

In summary, Kiwi Christmas is the total opposite of a Canadian Christmas. But the celebrations over food with family and friends is definitely the same. :) Just replace the snow with beach and the turkey with BBQ!

I love the beach weather, but I have to admit, I miss the snow! It also twists my mind a bit when I realize that this is summer vacation for the school kids. Summer vacation and Christmas?! Mind blown.

I am really looking forward to these two days off though. A break is always appreciated, especially before all hell breaks loose (summer bakery sales sky rocket). I've also been told the New Years fireworks are quite spectacular on the foreshore. :)

Have a great holiday and New Years!

Baking in Picton

Hello beautiful South Island! Every person we talked to from the North would tell us the South Island is way more beautiful and awesome. It is definitely less populated, which contributes to a lot more natural beauty.

We've been in Picton for three weeks now! Picton is a little port town where most of the inter island ferries land. Small, but charming.

Pretty cool mini golf course

On most days, BF and I try to get out and simply walk around randomly. There are a lot of beautiful home gardens here and there, and of course, there is always the view of the blue harbour and the green mountains surrounding us.

In the south, a beach is called a foreshore

I have been working a small but busy bakery called the Picton Village Bakkerij. They make real sourdough and pain au levain and all sorts of delicious goodies! Most mornings I take the breads and buns and set them all up for the display case. One of my secret pleasures is feeling the soft fluffy buns.

I have to admit, its been tough getting back into the swing of a commercial kitchen. I still have that awkward which-way-are-you-going dance with my coworkers sometimes and I have been making some pretty basic mistakes (my batter is a mixed up but I haven't set up my pans!). But it has been an amazing learning experience. I have never worked in a kitchen that has paid so much attention to what I am doing and actively demonstrating better methods. I am actually a bit sad that my stint here will be so short, but I know I will emerge a much improved baker. :)

Top to bottom: savoury breads, sweet breads,
and then bars and slices

Fruit tart

Lemon filled brioche doughnuts

My day usually starts at 2am where I begin packing items away for the Blenheim shop (we bake for both stores) while also setting up the bread display. I then move onto filling up the display case with the savoury and sweet breads, glazing and finishing them. After, I cut and fill the doughnuts. When everything that needs to be put out for the day is done, I then start baking or finishing items that need to be restocked like bars, cookies, or tarts. Some days I start at 9pm and on those days I help a lot more with the savoury breads.

Kiwis LOVE their cream

As the Christmas season is approaching, we've started making mince tarts.

And gingerbread men. :)

I like giving them all a bit of individuality

I even got to write for a cake which I haven't done in 2 years! Turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself.

Of course, the money makers are the pies! But you know what? I never even thought to take a picture of the pies. But trust me when I say they're pretty darn good!

While hopping around the country from one Help Exchange to another was a lot of fun, I am definitely a creature of routine. I am really enjoying having a regular schedule and cooking our own food. And best of all, baking!! But who knows, maybe the travel bug will bite me again in three months time. :)

What about you? Do you prefer the security of a set routine or do you prefer to play life by the ear?

Beautiful Wanganui

Hello! Is anyone out there? I know I know, it has been over a month since I last posted! Time flies by so fast sometimes, it's just ridiculous.

Castle Cliff beach on a cloudy day

For the last month, the BF and I have been sitting back and enjoying a lesser known town called Wanganui. Wanganui (or Whanganui as the government calls it), is considered a poor town with large slum areas,  but honestly, I thought it was a beautiful place! The slums really more resembled a lower class neighborhood in an average Canadian city. The town is filled with beautiful parks, walks, beaches, and a lovely riverfront that plays as backdrop for a weekly farmer's market.

By far my favourite place was Lake Virginia. A gorgeous garden like park with three different levels of walking tracks surrounding it. It's like being in a rural forest right in the middle of a town. There is also a water fountain that will put on a show with colored lights for $1 per 10 minutes - great at night. Unfortunately, all the pictures I took of Virginia park didn't work and I didn't know! You'll just have to see if for yourself. :D

I did get a few pictures of the bird sanctuary there. It shouldn't be a surprise, but BF and I laughed when the parrot spoke in a Kiwi accent.

A few blocks away is a Fallow Deer Sanctuary.

"Heeeey"

Across the river is Kowai Park, a huge, creative, and colorful children's park. It has a big zipline, called a flying fox, that the BF and I came back to a few times. :) Not far from it is a little "amusement park" that has mini golf, paddle boats, and race karts! BF and I jumped into the race karts and the attendant asked us if we wanted to learn how to drift. YES! I won, but only by the smallest margin. :P

At the base of one of the many hills around Wanganui is a tunnel.

And that tunnel leads to an elevator. It still requires an operator and is the only underground elevator open to the public in New Zealand.

Ride the elevator all the way up to the top of Durie Hill.

And from there you can climb the spiral staircase to the top of Durie Memorial Tower!

Near Wanganu is the Bason Botonic Gardens. A huge park with several different sections.

A little farther away is a a beach called Waverly beach. Go during low tide and you'll get to explore the caves the ocean creates in the clay cliffs. Also, we saw seals both times we went. Just make sure to use the stairs down instead of trying to walk down the boat ramp. It is mad slippery with all that gravel. I would know. :P

"Run away!"

Those two used to be connected

And while we're talking about beaches, I would also recommend checking out Otoka Beach. There are beaches everywhere since New Zealand is an skinny island country, but Otoka is stunning and being out of the way, is less visited. There are also many birds that nest in the cracks of the cliffs.

Now for all you foodies out there, Wanganui is lucky and awesome enough to have an all-vegan cafe! Su-weet! The place is called Petre Dish and is part of a yoga studio. Everyweek, BF and I would walk along the riverfront, putter about the farmer's market, and then pop into Petre for lunch. Their pumpkin cashew curry is so amazingly good we ended up ordering that several times even though there were other dishes to try.

Left to right: Cottage pie, pumpkin cashew curry, and three
different salads

Left to right: wild rice salad, moroccan chickpea,
and barley and veg

The BF and I have crossed to the south side and are planning to stay in Picton for the next 3-4 months (the Christmas season). I just got a job as a baker at one of the best bakeries in New Zealand! Needless to say, I am majorly excited to get back into the kitchen and the staff and owners seem ridiculously nice and awesome already. Til next time!