Mince Meat Pie? Yes Please!

It’s been awhile since my last blog so this may be long. I’ll try to split it up and publish the second half tomorrow, okay? Okay!!

Christchurch continued to bring surprises. Our accommodations were awesome; we got a small apartment with a solid kitchen and living room, so we cooked many of our meals, and Alan created a fabulous cheese plate using cheese from a New Zealand creamery.

One of the main attractions in Christchurch is a gondola ride to the top of Mt. Cavendish for spectacular views of the two harbors that surround the city. The water is a pristine blue and though it was very windy, we really enjoyed our time there.

The next day, we took a long walk intending to arrive on the beach. Hah. After about half an hour, we stopped into a cafe to find out how much farther it was, then discovered it was actually a lonnnnnng way off still. So we hoofed it back into town and caught another buskers show. The most impressive was “Betty Brawn.” She claims to be the strongest woman alive. She lifted two guys up in the air with her shoulders, tore a paperback novel in half, and bent a copper pipe with her bare hands.

Our trip wrapped up with a guided tour of the Botanical Gardens, where we spotted rare native and exotic plants, most notably the New Zealand Silver Fern. Also, we checked out the Cathedral and walked up to the top of the tower for some great views of the urban center. On that last evening we had a phenomenal dinner at Liquidity, which was highlighted by a duck spring roll with cardamom and ginger in it, with a “ginger slaw.” And, of course, we had wines to go with each course, some fine examples of New Zealand vino.

A few other interesting things we noticed in Christchurch:  The people around the city are super friendly and very laid back. Several locals were happy to give us detailed directions when we were lost, and to tell us which buses to take when we weren’t sure. There are many old buildings that look as if they were transported whole from Britain. There’s the joy of the mince meat pie – New Zealand’s answer to fast food. It’s like a tiny little shepherd’s pie with minced meat in it. Sounds kind of gross but really it’s like a beef stew that’s been chopped up a bit in a food processor. Finally, there are as many coffee shops as there are in Seattle, though the population is only 344,000. What’s weird though is that only 3 in the inner city had free internet service.

Tags: Betty Brawn, Christchurch, food, Mincemeat Pie, New Zealand