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| Lookout Point - Pohangina Valley |
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| Poplar Trees Planted By Grand Jack |
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| Mum's Tiny School in 1946 |
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| Crystal Clear Waters - The Pohangina River |
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| Up Stream |
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| Down Stream |
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| Observing Bush Bird Life |
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| Setting Up Base Camp |
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| The Ngaputahi River Bank Fry Up |
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| Tall Totara Trees |
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| Sunshine Egg |
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| Farm Sausage Sunbathing On Bread Lino |
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| Andrea's Kiwiana Snacks |
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| Matilde the Lamb |
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| Garage Ping Pong - Invitation Cup 2012 |
#39 Those Famous Steps
To conclude this mini-series of posts on NZ Coffee Culture lets venture off-piste for another slice of essential kiwiana kit. The NZ River Bank Fry Up.
This fry up travels downstream along the river banks of the beautiful Pohangina valley at a farm station called Ngaputahi, its maori name meaning 'where the two rivers meet'.
This soulful place holds special resonance to me as the much loved childhood home of my mother and my grandparents working farm. It is also poignant as the setting that provides my earliest childhood memory when first visiting this beautiful land at the age of four, having travelled 11,564 miles from our home in Ty Gwyn, Wales.
Right on the doorstep of Ngaputahi is the idyllic Totara Reserve Regional Park a 340ha bush and camp grounds, with magnificently tall native Totara trees along with Matai, Rimu, Kahikatea and Black Beech, claiming their rites of passage as an ancient forest. Following a whirlwind romance, it was here in the Totara Reserve Community Hall, where my parents held their wedding reception mid swing during the 60's.
The Pohangina river flows southwards along the lower central stretch of the North Island and is crystal clear in parts, collecting fresh mountain water from the Ruahine Forest Ranges and flowing all the way down to Ashurst where it joins the Manawatu river. I recall Mum's fond stories of swimming with her younger brothers and sisters in this river during the long warm summers. It offers the sort of idyllic tranquility and immersion with nature that inspires British artists like Jean Mintoft to circumnavigate the world and start painting.
The Pohangina Valley is also the home to the wonderful Kereru Company who produce the most Natural of Products for body care and essential oils. Our personal favourite is the Calendula and Manuka Honey Skin Cream.
We were lucky to have amongst our ranks an expert tour guide: Mum's youngest brother Nigel who spotted the sign he had hand crafted 50 years ago, still in situ and directing the local sheep traffic. After setting up base camp Nigel set about preparing the Ngaputahi River Bank Fry Up, which is renowned in these remote parts. Not surprisingly this fry up ceremony attracted some intrepid Japanese tourists who pretended they were observing the natural wildlife around the river. There is plenty here with Tui, Native Pigeon, Fantail and Kingfisher all hanging out their tail feathers.
Our tour guide passed on great river-bank-fry-up wisdom. "These are the simple things we all need to find time to do. Enjoying life's good stuff." And while we paused for reflection, Nigel prepared a shearers feast with farm fresh bacon and eggs, sausage, bread with knob of NZ butter and artfully seasoned with a generous splodge of tomato ketchup.
We washed it down with a fine cup of diaspora tea, complete with bag in cup, hot water from a whistler kettle and a new world teaspoon, a super functional tool.
With a plan to see the amazing Te Apiti Wind Farm on top of Manawatu hills, followed by Nigel's philanthropic ritual to shout visitors a hokey pokey tip-top ice cream from the Ashurst diary, it was time to leave this river bank bliss. All good New Zealanders know the rules of nature are to Leave Without A Trace and only take away the memories.
We rounded off our river-bank jaunt with Andrea's kiwiana snacks, french lamb bonding and garage ping-pong. Only available in NZ.
Tika Hoki Aotearoa !
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