Reminiscing the Mackenzie Country

18 months after our nuptials, I finally found the time to complete our thank you notes (I know, this will make any wedding planners pop)! I could not help it but smile at the memories of the event, people involved and everyone who'd remembered and celebrated the event with us.

10-7-10

at the Church of the Good Shepherd, Lake Tekapo

by Reverend Michael Kerr

with our immediate family

Photographer: Jen Rayment @ Alpine Images

The mountains that are solid, the water that cleanses, the matagauri bush - albeit full of thorns, produces the sweetest fragrance every year, and the Cross.

The night before with clear sky, such that the nearest galaxies to us are visible - the Magellanic Clouds.

Alpine Springs - skating on ice in our wedding gear!

by Mt John

My homemade bouquet, and loving the snow backdrop to help flaunt the winter theme!

Lake Alexandrina

and of course, Lake Tekapo

Lake Tekapo is a lakeside village in the Mackenzie Country, 2 1/2 hours drive from Christchurch. It's geographic location is so strategic such that the Mt John Observatory have the best views of the night sky. It is also a popular destination for outdoor activities, camping, a romantic getaway and family fun.

We stayed at the Bluewater Peppers Resort for the serviced apartments, so to cater to everyone's needs whilst there. Rooms were spacious and very comfortable indeed. Of course, with beautiful views!

For places to eat, these are our favourites:

• Kohan Japanese Restaurant
• Pepe's Pizza Bar and Restaurant
• The Rakinui Restaurant @ Bluewater Pepper's Resort was where we had our reception dinner

(our much delayed wedding reception with the rest of the family and friends was held in Christchurch at the Newbery Lodge)

Lake Tekapo, the place I married my bestfriend ♥

Eggplant Casserole

Arabbic - musaqqaʿa 

Greek - μουσακάς

South Slavic - мусака

Turkish - musakka

English - moussaka

A peasant dish made posh by Nicholas Tselementes in the early 1900s.

I have been meaning to try it and decided to do so this spring when the eggplants came to season. The greek version, with the bechamel sauce, was decided in the end. Filling our home with the aromatic smell of Greece (I think)!

Choosing the ideal recipe to try was probably the hardest part of making this dish. Probably because my husband helped with making the bechamel sauce! In the end, it was the Australian Masterchef's Masterclass recipe by one of the judge's mother, Mary Calombaris! She was a big hit!

Moussaka
(Serves 8)

3 eggplants, sliced 5mm thick
2-3 tablespoons salt
1/4 cup olive oil
300g lamb mince
100g pork mince
100g veal mince
1 onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon lemon thyme, chopped
1 tablespoon rosemary, chopped
2 cinnamon quills
250g crushed tomatoes
400g tomato passata
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 cups water
Olive oil, for frying
4 large potatoes, sliced 5mm thick

Bechamel
100g butter
100g plain flour
600ml full cream milk, warmed
100g keflagraviera cheese, grated
1 egg, beaten
Extra keflagraviera cheese, grated

1 Preheat oven to 180C.

2 Lay eggplant over a shallow tray or dish and sprinkle liberally with salt. Cover with muslin or a clean chux and set aside for 30 minutes.

3 Heat oil in a large frying pan or saucepan, add lamb, pork and veal mince and cook until browned and meat breaks up. Add onion and sauté until softened. Add garlic, oregano, lemon thyme, rosemary and cinnamon quills and allow to cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4 Add crushed tomatoes, tomato passata, tomato paste and water, bring to the boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 1/2 hour. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5 Pour oil into a frying pan approximately 1cm deep, place over a high heat and shallow fry potatoes for 3-4 minutes on each side or until tender. Drain on paper towel.

6 Pat dry eggplant and pan fry on each side until golden yet still firm. Drain on paper towel.

7 For béchamel, melt butter in a heavy based saucepan. Add flour, stir over a low heat for 2 minutes.

8 Slowly add warm milk, stirring continuously until thick. Add extra milk if sauce is to thick.

9 Whisk in keflagraviera cheese and an egg yolk, season to taste.

10 To assemble, oil casserole dish and layer as follows. Meat sauce, potato, sauce, potato, sauce, eggplant, sauce, potato, eggplant and remaining sauce. Cover with béchamel and grate extra cheese over.

11 Bake for 45 minutes until browned and béchamel has set. Serve.

The journey to Greece - 2 hours. The taste - wonderful! 

*Note: With some local substitution of just local beef mince, keflagraviera for tasty cheese and parmesan, and foregoing tomato passata!

The Mirrorman

I ventured to the newly reopened Cashel Street Mall recently for an independent post quake review. i.e. to have a nosy, and maybe to assist the local economy with some retail therapy :D 

The liveliest surprise was my encounter with a man covered in glass from head to toe for mirror effect  - The Mirror Man amusing the locals and visitors in a recovering quake damaged zone, commixed with Christmas festivity.

He must have spotted me, as he seem to pop up in my view everywhere I went! Alright, so what if I was stalking him first? It was another pure artistic opportunity with the camera!

Container shops and Cafes

Ongoing demolition and rebuilding in the inner city

Newly reopened Ballantynes

I learned later that this human mirror mosaic probably originated from an Austrian artist living in Los Angeles, Gustav Roger. His idea is a search to answer the questions "What is reality?", "What is appearance?", "Where does the truth begin and where does it end?". He himself does not have the answer but his suit reflects his audience. Who are they? What do they see? Why are they here? What is life? What is void? Does he reflect who they truly are?

 You know I'll change

If change is what you require

Your every wish

Your every dream, hope, desire

Here comes the mirror man

Says he's a people fan

Here comes the mirror man

~Philip Oakey

Profound. Nevertheless, how very true.

Oli and the Oly... in Windy Welly!

Meet my new toy - The Olympus EP-3 (Oly)! Very clever of Bryn as it definitely distracted me from thinking about entering the 4th decade! Thanks, Babe, for such a cool and fun camera! I do not miss my old Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8, sadly to say. I do know of a good home it can go to!

It is a retro looking micro four thirds camera which allows for interchanging of lenses. Some articles about it has the title "Honey, I shrunk the DSLR"! This little number produces sharp images with depth, has amazing autofocus and fits nicely into a handbag. Definitely allows for one to be discrete. The reviews that helped me decide are those by Steve Huff and dpreview. Of course, there is always the Facebook poll :D

We were in Wellington recently for both work and leisure. A perfect opportunity to test out the Oly. Of course, the user manual can always wait! It may not be perfect, but may I present you some retro arty shots of one of my favourite cities in the world- Wellington:

(a slideshow pops up when you click on an image)

Retro Suburbia

Romance

Cute interior designs

Banjos

Solace in the Wind - by Max Patte

When one decides not to walk...

Tee hee!

Wellington Cable Car to the Botanical Gardens

Cuba Street

The infamous Bucket Fountain

City Market

I managed to convert Bryn for the weekend too. To have Char Kuey Teows, Satay, Dosai, Murtabak, Roti and Dhal, Nasi Lemak with Ayam Masak Merah, Siew Pau and Curry Puffs! Yummo! I recommend the following places to eat if keen to pursue a similar cuisine theme:

• Satay Kajang, Dixon Street
• Little Penang, Dixon Street
• Roti Chenai, Victoria Street
• Istana Malaysia, Allen Street
• KC Cafe and Takeaway, Courtney Place
• Satay Kampong, Allen Street

For those with more European tastebuds, we had some really good meals here:

• Elements, Lyall Bay
• Matterhorn, Cuba Street
• Scopa, Cuba Street
• Boulcott Street Bistro, Boulcott Street
• Leuven Belgian Beer Cafe, Featherston Street

Ah... Wellington 

The Harbourcity capital, full of life and buzz

A city ever so windy! So your hair always a fuzz

Always a cafe, a restaurant and a bar

in every corner, near and far

Lots of different yummies for a Foodie

Just as long as you walk, gotta watch the tushy!

Well, that's my attempt but let me present you the Mutton Birds who does a much better job! It's the song Bryn and I used to sing to each other when we were doing the long distance business :) Yes, lots of fond memories from Wellington. 

The Hitchhiker

Image copied from Comedy Estonia

The marks of a good hitchhiker:

Super friendly 

Super chatty 

Super spontaneous 

Super trusting 

Super grateful

I decided to do the most random thing the other day. Maybe it's to check off something to do before hitting the big three-O. Maybe it's all the warm and fuzzy feeling from finishing my rural placement with a big appreciating send off. Maybe I get to go home!

Yes, I picked up a hitchhiker.

A 22 year old Austrian from small town Schwarzenberg, who is travelling before starting college to complete his training as an electrician. With other trades of a ski instructor and demi-pair! The usual dull drive back to Christchurch was adorned by conversations of travel, food, interesting people (hm...like the blog's theme!), religion and life's philosophy!

My husband was found to be chuckling at my action as this particular hitchhiker also scored a night's accommodation, hot shower, and a nice meal after returning from Arthur's Pass the day after he'd hitched a ride from me! PLUS, he gets a free ride to the airport the following day!

I would like to think this to be a kind deed to a fellow traveller from another, I trust he'd rested and recuperated well. Nevertheless, given his personality, he has done very well indeed!

Viel Erfolg, my friend!

Meal of Crayfish

The 'Meal of Crayfish' - a literal translation of one's meal at the local hospital in this little destination!

My 5 month placement in this little rural town of 5000 has been most interesting as well as restful. It is also my first at being a real rural PRIME doctor!

On arrival, I rolled my sleeves up and is all ready for the motor vehicle accidents, dive injuries, seal bites and dirty wounds that will come through. So, being a good and green young General Practitioner, I waited...and waited... and waited.....

No such cases at all!

Instead, I attended to multiple medical emergencies, osteoporotic fractures, sprains and strains, alcohol related injuries and a big list of patients with psychological problems. I quickly learned that this holiday destination is also a place where people come to retire! It is most agreeable with the town surrounded by the beautiful Kaikoura Ranges, just off shore to the South Pacific Ocean. Hard to imagine the existence of emotional turmoil with such serene and peaceful surroundings.

I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:1-2

My most interesting CME session has to be the one on "Seal Bites". It entails one of the local GP's broad knowledge on seal behaviours and it's sign of aggression. Quite similar to a BBC documentary. Of course, we have to include the management of its bite. This once cute animal has become a wild beast to my mind. Who am I kidding... It is still very cute indeed! Look at this one sleeping. If not careful, he may just roll back into the sea!

"We always look out for each other here" one patient said to me. And they do. The staffs at the medical centre and the hospital are very dedicated and helpful. They know not only the medical history but also the social history of the patient as well as the patient's families! Yes, I have indeed tested the local "manual telegraph". Brilliant speed - It takes only 2 hours before every staff knows about an incident... or a gossip! They do not do things half-heartedly here at all! Also shown by the dedication of the town to the All Blacks winning the Rugby World Cup 2011:

It is a shame that I did not have many opportunities  to head out fishing and hunting whilst here.... yeah right. I can, however, boast of the fresh seafood that one can get here! It is a shame that I have not taken photographs of some dishes I made with seafood from Kaikoura, and some of the meals I had here. Anyway, the recommendation is not to have anything else but seafood when in Kaikoura! For places to eat, I would highly recommend the following:

1. Tuti's Restaurant and Bar: Fusion Indonesian Cuisine with real cray in the chowder!
2. The local KFC (Kaikoura Food Company): Delicious breakfasts and lunches. OK Fudges though
3. Encounter Cafe: Delicious breakfasts and lunches. Great view on the Esplanade

Kia Ora, Kaikoura. Until we meet again!