Dining - Hikari Izakaya in Queenstown

It was at Hikari Izakaya on Beach Street in Queenstown that we first discovered that Junior Grendel Number Two loves Japanese food. He has always been more interested in trying new things than his older brother but astounded us with the range of new foods he was willing to try.

He ate an entire bell pepper salad along with sushi, sashimi and soba noodles. Actually looking at the 'S' theme of that sentence he missed out on only one thing - the Saki! (mine, all mine!).

Hikari Izakaya is a small neat restaurant what serves a small by delicious assortment of Japanese dishes. The quality of the food is very good and the staff polite and seemed to appear exactly when needed without interrupting the dining experience.

It was also one of the quieter places that we visited in Queenstown - although on our second visit there was a rowdy crew of drunk Canadian skiers who were having trouble finding the menu, pronouncing the items and ordering anything coherently. Dinner AND a show that night!









In a more general comment - Japanese food was almost unheard of in New Zealand when I visited in 1989 but on this trip we were amazed not so much at its presence in nearly every town but by the truly great quality compared to many places here. Sushi in particular seems to be a point of pride in New Zealand and one food hall in a mall in Auckland had the most amazing array of sushi that I have ever seen in my life - it was a display that would put lesser sushi bars in Perth to shame and make the better ones sick with envy.

I asked the chef if I might take photographs - but he declined, understandably, because these were works of art that others might copy. This one not a one off and we repeatedly saw amazing edible art at many sushi bars across Auckland.


Who: Hikari Izakaya
What: Superb Japanese cuisine
Where: 5 Beach Street, Queenstown
Contact: 64 3 442 9030
When: 20 & 21 September 2009
Accessibility: Adequate

Highlights - Winnies Gourmet Pizza Bar

While walking through the Queenstown Mall on our first day there we were accosted by a charming young lady bearing pizza. I have always found pizza to be an attractive accessory for a girl so we stopped and sampled what seemed to be a capsicum laden piece of pizza. I've never been a great fan of bell peppers but this one was actually very sweet and not as overpowering as many I have tried here.

In one quick stop we had simplified our dinner plans.

Winnies is mid way up the mall in a large upstairs area with a great balcony, big fireplace and a remarkable roof (more on that later).

It was a bit dark on entry but our eyes soon adjusted and it was in fact quite a comfortable level of light to dine by. Looking around it appeared to be a pub trying to be a pizza place and not knowing the history if the place we had fun speculating whether in fact it might be a pub where the bar snacks just got a little out of control.

Whatever it was, it is fun and the pizza was great. It was also quite child friendly and early in the evening the vast majority of patrons are families. As we were getting ready to depart we could see the skiiers starting to arrive to fuel up for a night of partying.

Junior Grendel Number One brought his headphones and his Nintendo and thus was able to dodge the noise of the place successfully. He loved the fireplace though and was suitably impressed after delcaring that he was getting too hot so suddenly feel a blast of icy night air as the roof above us split in two.

This was quite a sight and where we were sitting we could see all the way to the top of the peak on which the gondola station rests. It was a unique way of changing the air in a bar!

The pizzas are great and I highly recommend them - the kids menu is good and Junior Grendel Number Two was pleased two nights in a row with the Spag bol they had on offer.

Being a bar they also had a good range of on-tap beers. Mrs Grendel discovered the Monteith's Raddler and I tried the cider, both came in a tankard and remained favourites as we travelled around the country.

A very enjoyable Queenstown dining experience.











Who: Winnies Gourmet Pizza Bar
What: Really yummy pizza, unusual temperature control feature
Where: 7-9 The Mall, Queenstown
Contact: 64 3 442 8635
When: 18-19 September 2009
Accessibility: Impossible if you use a wheelchair, hard if you have vision impairment and challenging if you have autism (take headphones/ear protection!), however if you just want to try the pizza they do deliver.
Web: Winnies Gourmet Pizza Bar

Highlights - Rivers Cafe, Murchison

After the stunning drive up the West Coast of the South Island we turned inland just South of Westport to follow the Buller River to the East. Murchison is in a lush valley once you come through the gorge and we were exhausted already by the drive which was during an intense storm that was bringing down trees and causing rock slides all along our route.

Rivers Cafe, on Fairfax Street just off the main highway, was a welcome relief. We ordered some lunch and coffee with hot chocolate for the Junior Grendels.

I ordered a Shepherd's pie, but was delivered a piece of the Venison pie - I didn't complain as I had been tossing up between the two and I figured I'd count it a fortuitous error. I was correct, the venison pie was stunning and I have not enjoyed such a rich mean as much as that in a long time.

The coffee was very well prepared and to top it off they had a good internet cafe that allowed us to catch up with a few emails and make a quick post.

It was a very enjoyable stopping point - especially for the Junior Grendels who had a play area and a warm fire. As a bonus we got to sit inside and watch the snow fall on peak across the valley.



















Who: Rivers Cafe
What: Amazing Food, cozy fire and great coffee (Havana Coffee Works)
Where: 51 Fairfax St, Murchison
Contact: 64 3 523 9009
When: 24 September 2009
Accessibility: Very Good
Web: Rivers Cafe

Accommodation - Holiday Inn on Avon, Christchurch

The Holiday Inn on Avon in Christchurch is an oddly pleasant place to stay. Odd because the layout of the hallways and rooms is rather like a cubist-inspired rabbit warren, but comfortable and right on a picturesque bend of the Avon River just 15 minutes walk from the CBD.

It is not likely to be the kind of hotel to attract the high end of business travel but as a restful stopping point who accommodate families it is warm and pleasant and well fitted with amenities.

It is also well located if you like a stroll and the massive willow immediately opposite just begs to be sat under while reading - or playing your Nintendo DS.

I couldn't fault the service, or the room and would recommend it.









Who: Holiday Inn-on-Avon, Christchurch
What: Good accommodation with a heated pool and gym
Where: 356 Oxford Terrace Christchurch 8011, Canterbury, New Zealand
Contact: 64 3 379 1180
When: 15-17 September 2009
Accessibility: Good
Web: Holiday Inn on Avon

Accommodation - Best Western Braeside, Rotorua

We stayed in a fairly broad range of accommodation types, and our experience was good - with various levels of 'good'. There was one 'Great' however and that was in Rotorua where we stated at the Best Western Braeside. I chose this place as it was supposed to be away from the general sulphur odour which was something we though might worry Junior Grendel Number One - however the smell didn't seem to worry him at all.

This hotel/motel however is a family dream. They have a small heated pool, a trout stream (feeding only, no fishing!) a small mini golf course and some units have their own four person spa.

Bliss.

The only bath we had in New Zealand (as opposed to the showers we used everywhere else) was here as it was the only one that seemed comfortable enough to bother filling. It was outside in its own screened courtyard and the icy night air was a wonderful counterpoint to the really deep hot water that came gushing from the tap in a seemingly endless flow of muscle-pleasing heat.

Of all the stays in New Zealand this is the one that I will recommend to families. We had our own room and TV and the boys slept in the lounge on one of the best sofa beds I have ever seen - they loved the novelty and we loved being able to watch something other than kids shows!

It is also just across the road from the Gondola and luge tracks, the Rainbow Springs Animal Sanctuary (with Kiwis) and a Maori tourist village.

We took our host Karen's advice and went out to Whakarewarewa Thermal Village. It was a great experience and the Junior Grendels found it much less daunting than some of the more touristy places we had been to. It was a very genuine welcome to a place where a Maori community live daily.

The Braeside Best Western was the first place we stayed in that had reliable free wireless and we made good use of it to catch up on a few emails. We were tired by this stage of the trip and it was great to have a place that allowed us to relax in comfort with a little more space and welcoming, helpful hosts.

I'd have to give it top marks for the trip!

Who: Best Western Braeside Resort
What: Great accommodation and good advice on where to visit
Where: 4 Barnard Road Rotorua
Contact: 64 7 347 9497
When: 28-30 September 2009
Accessibility: Good - some rooms fully accessible
Web: Best Western Braeside

Highlights - Patagonia

One of the places we discovered in Queenstown (and returned to often) was Patagonia. Patagonia is a chocolate and gelatteria with a simple menu, lots of handmade goodies and the best hot chocolate that I've ever had.

The Junior Grendels knew from the contents of the freezer bays of gelati that they were in for a treat:


Mrs Grendel had her birthday breakfast there and while not impressed with having her photo taken was very impressed by the hot chocolate.






Who: Patagonia Chocolates
What: Amazing gelati and chocolates, hot chocolate, coffee and internet access
Where: Lakefront, 50 Beach Street, Queenstown NZ
Contact: 64 3 4429066
When: 19, 20 & 21 September 2009
Accessibility: Good
Web: Patagonia

Highlights - C1 Espresso Christchurch (Updated post)

We went to C1 yesterday morning - a quirky little caff that out-grunges Seattle and that also has (to the Junior Grendel's delight) a working Dr Who pinball machine and a shopping centre style pony ride (circa 1960-something).

We went to four cafes in our brief stay in Christchurch - only two of these were on my list, the other two were walk-ins and I have to say that I am impressed with everything I have seen here so far.

C1 had great coffee - roasted by C4, good service (which is particularly handy when you have small ones in tow) and the food was exceptional. I had eggs benedict on the best bagel I have ever had in my life!

The ristretto was served in a heavy-bottomed glass, ideal for the purpose and was a good balance between acidity and savoury.

The flat white was well balanced with the espresso sitting nicely above the milk on the palate. Mrs Grendel had a cappuccino - also superb. This turned out to be her favourite cafe of the trip so they must have got everything right!

C1 - great cafe, great style and great coffee.









Who: C1
What: Great coffee and choice nosh
Where: 150 High Street, Christchurch 8142, New Zealand
Contact: 64 3 379 1917
When: 16 September 2009
Accessibility: Tricky
Web: C1 Espresso