Winter Weather Wildness

We were wending our way down country again, in the winter.  It wasn’t until we were on the Desert Road, (altitude 792 metres), that I began to contemplate how limited the paint palate was in that desolate expanse.   Tussock grasses, ‘de rigeur’ in the early 2000’s landscaped gardens grow naturally here and not a lot else.  Snow clouds were racing towards us and snow ploughs in convey were heading toward the Northern end of the road.  Without any surprise at all, an army tank on exercise just popped up from a hidden valley in front of us. On the return trip home, the magnificent mountains showed their faces.

Having travelled the route from Tauranga to Wellington all my life, always to visit family I am surprised how little the towns have changed and how the rugged Rangitkei ranges and Mangawekas still fill me with foreboding.  It is big country, huge ravines, and massive grey hill faces that slip all too easily and sheep country.  Hunterville pays homage to the humble sheep with touristy sculptures in the town centre. The town is one of the more attractive on the haul down south.  Many of the sheep farms sport English sounding names like Glen Hills and the weatherboard homesteads are protected by wind blocking stands of hardy trees. The town hall boasts it was built in 1929 and the old Post Office is now a B &B. We encountered one of our more memorable weather adventures after Hunterville; driving into a wall of bruised clouds, it began to hail of Biblical proportions and the road became treacherous.  We passed a casualty car half in a ditch.

Enterprising Kiwis have built extreme sport adventure parks in the region and you are able to scare yourself silly on a number of activities. But not for us; ours was a sedate trip with a roadside stop at a ‘rest area’ where we enjoyed the simple pleasure of drinking a thermos  full of tomato soup and a homemade sandwich.

Tomato Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion finely diced

2 cloves of garlic crushed

2 sticks of celery finely diced

Pinch of cayenne powder

750 mls of spicy tomato juice

2 cans chopped tomatoes

1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce

Salt, pepper to season

½ cup chopped herbs like parsley, chives or 1 tablespoon of basil pesto

Heat oil in a pot add garlic and onion stirring until softened.  Add all other ingredients and season before  serving up to 6 portions.