End of Cardoness

Yesterday marked one month that we have been in New Zealand and this morning we departed from the wonderful Cardoness Lodge. Our experience in NZ thus far has certainly been a positive one and the time has flown by!

We couldn't be happier in our decision to forgo Wellington for the time being to head North. Cardoness was a nice change to have some solid productivity during the day and to eat healthily and VERY very well! We definitely warmed up our muscles, as well as our appetites, and got a little tan to boot. The last two days were sunny and hot--but they provided a clear view of the scenery--including the mountain ranges in the distance that had been previously covered by clouds. Apparently it was the mountain range used as Mordor in the Lord of the Rings movies!

But Neil and Sarah couldn't have been better hosts and their son, Chris, was great to work for, as his passion for their wine was apparent and we learned a lot from them. They have even offered to ask around their own contacts for any work that could be available to us. We also hope to go back here and there to do some day work on the vineyard and occasionally join them for dinner. Or perhaps we will run into them at the monthly Quiz Night! But they have been most helpful in offering advice and assistance during our stay here and it was wonderful to meet Mark and Pam as well. We hope to keep in touch and possibly see each other again as we travel around New Zealand. 

Our last day with them we headed to a local pub after work called the Chook and Filly where Neil treated the four of us (me, John, Mark, and Pam) to a round of beer and some fun games of pool. I proved to be decidedly not talented, while Mark and Pam were quite humble about their pool talents! We still had a good time and I learned a bit more about how to play. It was a great way to spend our last evening there.

When we returned back to the lodge Sarah had prepared a wonderful meal for us. Salmon, new potatoes, and asparagus with Hollandaise sauce. Now, I had never had salmon as I generally don't like much sea food, but I had it AND I really liked it! So there you go, constantly expanding my horizons. The whole meal was delicious and was topped off by a scrumptious strawberry meringue, tea, and another game of cards.  

We were also treated to a beautiful sunset on our last night. It had been a lovely day and the sunset, to me, (I'm sure John would find it a bit hokey) seemed indicative of good things to come as we move on to our next experience!