Northland NZ for a week of Golf & Food

Day1 – Kerikeri

Kerikeri is approximately 3.5hours from Auckland, but plan for longer. The road is windy, hilly and under development constantly. Don’t be put off by this though it is a picturesque journey with lots of small towns along the way to break your journey. Actually, at the half-way point is La Nonna, an Italian Bakery in Kaiwaka which is always great for a stop. Great selection of food, good bathrooms and eat in or take-away options.

The weather at this time of year is usually very hot and our day was no exception. We are looking forward to a week of summer weather out on the golf courses and beaches of Northland.

Located in the Bay of Islands, Kerikeri is well known for its sub-tropical lifestyle and history. Kerikeri is the largest town in Northland. It is sometimes called the Cradle of the Nation as it was the site of the first permanent mission station in the country, and it has some of the most historic buildings in the country. Kerikeri was the first place in New Zealand where grape vines and citrus were planted. Since then, Kerikeri has become a well, established producer of passionfruit and avocados.

We are staying at the Kerikeri Park Lodge which is on the main road into Kerikeri township and directly opposite the Packhouse Markets which are vibrant and full of fantastic local product on Saturdays & Sundays. Next door is also the famous Matakana Chocolates Factory and shop. This is a fun but dangerous location for food lovers.

We arrived in Kerikeri at midday and after checking in we walked up the driveway and indulged at the Chocolate shop. I feel it’s an absolute must to stock up on treats for a week of golf and relaxation. In my mind there is never a wrong time to eat good chocolate.

Because good food ranks as highly as good golf for us, we went into Kerikeri to check out possible restaurants for dinner and bars for sundowners, and this is where it goes a little off the rails plan wise. Kerikeri turns out to be limited in evening dining options. Our accommodation host had given us a couple of ideas but caveated that advise with the length of time since last eating at these places.

^{_{We did locate Ferment which he had described as “possibly the best wine shop in NZ”. It certainly is impressive and a lot of fun. We had a drink there whilst looking through the vast selection of wines on offer. Later I was told by a local business owner that Ferment is the Friday night wine bar option very popular with locals and visitors.}}

We came across Churchill’s which is a very well stocked Butchery of the old style no-longer readily available in NZ. I highly recommend that if you have access to a kitchen or BBQ that you visit Churchill’s and explore the many gorgeous offerings. I cannot imagine anyone not finding what they are after. (Vegetarians aside)

In the end the best dining advise came from the owner of Pure Day Spa, where I started our holiday with a spa massage. Ladies you will understand where I’m coming from on this. Pure Day Spa is located in the main street of Kerikeri and was welcoming, modern and the massage was very very good. By the time I left I was floating in a bubble of relaxation and ready to embrace my holiday free of all work or home responsibilities.

Armed with good, up to date, dining recommendations and intel we decided to book at Maha which is set in a private park of natives and tropicals. If you want to you can walk through the gardens at any time and view the sculptures amongst the foliage.

Maha was fabulous, the service exceptional. Friendly and informative without being intrusive. Māha utilises a seasonal approach to food, so the menu is ever-changing. We opted to sit out on the deck amongst then bush and the atmosphere was very calming. We were there for 3 hours, a rare option when eating in most establishments these days. But they let us order drinks and courses as we were ready rather than all at once so we could manage the pace and truly savour the flavours.

We started with the Entrée specials- Flame grilled octopus & Chinese sausage in an Asian inspired salad on a Shiso leaf and the Braised wild nz Paua, grilled tofu with a snow fungus and kombu salad. Both dishes were tasty, well presented and did not disappoint. We split the courses with a round of cocktails and then had the Fusion platter for 2 – Korean style fried chicken with Māha sweet chilli sauce, Māha style wood roasted NZ pork belly and sea scallop & grilled squid salad with sambal dressing, served with tempura kumara, sautéed local greens, Japanese potato salad, Asian style marinated / pickled vegetables. We followed the recommended local wines, and everything worked well. We would eat here again given time.

A perfect way to complete day 1.