NZ North Island – Puhoi Village and Brick Bay Wines

With Jenny at the wheel of her and Doug’s hired Hyundai Tucson – a little more butch than our Nissan Tiida – we headed off from Parihoa Farm in Murawai to the nearby wine country of Matakana. On an apparent whim (so unlike my own, strictly destination-focused husband), Doug spotted a sign for the historic village of Puhoi – and then actually turned off and stopped the car!

Chauffeured by our kind Singapore friends Jenny and Doug Robinson – bring on the wine!

Jenny, Doug and Roy outside the Slow Water Trading Post in Puhoi – an unlikely collection of Native American memorabilia and tat; that’s a reindeer skin from Finland hanging outside…

Puhoi translates as “slow water”. Its first settlers were German speakers who arrived in 1863 from Bohemia (now part of the Czech Republic), attracted, so the local librarian Sandra tells me, by the government’s offer of 40 acres for each adult and 20 acres for each child. The village still holds a festival on 29 June each year to commemorate the event.

Early photograph of the Bohemian settlers who established Puhoi

Descendants of the Bohemian settlers are still to be found in Puhoi – that’s got to be one of them in the right hand corner of the photo below, at a table for one outside. His facial hair, at least, was identical to one in an old photograph in the hotel pub.

Roy, Doug and Jenny outside Puhoi Hotel; spot one of the descendants of the original Bohemian settlers
Memorabilia and humorous knickknacks line the historic pub; Bohemians are evidently a hilarious lot!

Stained glass windows in the Catholic Church (built 1881) reflect the Germanic names of the settlers. It’s dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul because their Feast Day in terms of the Catholic calendar falls on 29 June.

 

For more, see www.puhoihistoricalsociety.org.nz.

 

Lunch at Brick Bay Wines

Lunching alfresco at Brick Bay Wines – perfection!

Whether you have lunch or nibbles in the Glass House, overlooking the waterlily pond, or at an alfresco trestle table under an archway of leafy vines, Brick Bay is a good place for lunch.

Zoom in to read the lunch menu at Brick Bay Wines
The wines aren’t bad, either

A walking trail around the property takes in the ponds, birdlife, vineyards, outdoor sculptures – all with a view of the blue, blue sea. A fee applies if you’re not a guest at the restaurant. (Fair enough.)

Brick Bay vineyard – and yes, that’s the blue, blue sea in the background

Home by Another Way

While I snored gently in the back seat, Doug (or was it Jenny?) stopped for photo-opportunities at Snell’s Beach, Sandspit and Omaha.

Sandspit at low tide
Snell’s Beach

After a night in Auckland, we say goodbye to North Island and head to our lakeside apartment in Queenstown, South Island for a week.

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Verne Maree

Born and raised in Durban, South African Verne is a writer and editor. She and Roy met in Durban in 1992, got married four years later, and moved briefly to London in 2000 and then to Singapore a year later. After their 15 or 16 years on that amazing island, Roy retired in May 2016 from a long career in shipping. Now, instead of settling down and waiting to get old in just one place, we've devised a plan that includes exploring the waterways of France on our new boat, Karanja. And as Verne doesn't do winter, we'll spend the rest of the time between Singapore, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand - and whatever other interesting places beckon. Those round-the-world air-tickets look to be incredible value...

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