Over last weekend we went north to an international/midwinter party hosted by the family we stayed with near Ruawai. On our first visit to Ruawai, we traveled north up highway 16 to Wellsford before getting back onto highway 1. This time we started in Auckland and drove directly up highway 1. There were several places that we wanted to stop along the way, but because we did not have a lot of time to spare our only stop was in the town of Warkworth.
Warkworth is the type of town that you read about in New Zealand travel guides and dream of visiting. It has that wonderful small town atmosphere that makes everyone slow down and wave at you, a lovely boardwalk that runs along the river flowing next to the main street, a well stocked kitchen store, two bakeries, a few coffee shops, countless cafés (okay not countless, but way more than you would think a town of that size could have) and a chocolate shop. All of that is within a two-block radius that you can walk in just a few minutes. The visitor center volunteers told us about even more activities spread throughout the outskirts of Warkworth, but our desire for a meal kept us from walking the 5 blocks to participate. We found a café in a back alley called Tahi that was perfect for us. Tahi served brunch until 2:30 in the afternoon and its beer selection consisted of a wide variety of New Zealand craft (micro) brews. The bartender was polite to a fault and took the time to talk to us about the types of beer that we liked and helped us to make our selections. We ended up with a couple of wonderful beers and some great advice about how to explore the rest of the New Zealand craft brew scene. Here’s a hint for anyone else who wants to give it a try: www.beertourist.co.nz. Jenni had an incredible Spanish Omelet that was so light it seemed to float and I had a delicious hash with succulent sausage and perfectly poached eggs. We could add a few more superlatives to our description, but the real point is that if you happen to be driving through Warkworth make sure you stop and visit Tahi.
After such a lovely brunch the rest of our trip passed quickly and we arrived in Ruawai ready for a party. It was good to see the family we had stayed with again and meet their interesting group of friends. Everyone brought an international dish and those who had the clothes dressed to match the dish that they brought. We brought japchae (잡채) and apple pie and there was a large assortment of wonderful dishes to sample. The japchae was a much bigger hit than the apple pie so we have made plans to purchase a lot of sweet potato noodles to spread japchae around New Zealand. We spent the night after the party and in the morning Jenni slept in and helped clean up while I got another morning on the ranch.
Our drive back to Waimauku was uneventful and it was good to see our host family again. The rain has let up for now and the weather has been amazing for the last few days. It is forecast to be good for the rest of the week which is wonderful news because it means the kids can play outside and the new house foundation can be prepared without getting too wet. The days are also getting longer and we have started to see daffodils which makes us feel like spring must be close.
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