The Flying Tortoise Is Now Freedom Camping At Mahia Peninsula's Oraka On The Famous East Cape...

How time flies when you're having fun and all of a sudden I realised I'd been in the beautiful Hawkes Bay for nearly four months.
It was time to get some flying time and air miles completed before returning to Haumoana and Te Awanga in a few weeks.
And now I'm at a little place called Oraka on the Mahia Peninsula at one end of New Zealand's famous East Cape.
I was up really early yesterday morning to catch the many stages of this stunning sunrise.
The estuary is beckoning me to come kayaking, there's flounder waiting patiently for me to catch them and hopefully there'll be some kite fishing and surfcasting too.
It's a beautiful place, a few baches around for the few local inhabitants, the council keeps the area mown and the freedom campers look after the area too. We know that there will never be any high rises, multimillion dollar mansions or shopping malls within a squillion miles from here and that's better than good.
Wish you were here...

Dinner At The Hotel Splendid...

The Hotel Splendid is not your usual five star resort hotel with an international chef and a pool to soak up the sun by.
No, the Hotel Splendid is much superior to that.
It started life as a double decker bus plying its trade on the streets of  England's Nottingham until. Until Entrepreneur Les and the Very Gorgeous Dee purchased it sight unseen and had it shipped to New Zealand.
And now almost hidden from view in the little bohemian village of Haumoana in the Hawkes Bay it awaits a complete restoration but enjoys hosting the few guests that grace its unique and eclectic style.
Wonderful and amusing dinner guests included a man who's made a career out of making sure the correct number of lengths of spaghetti get put in a can, a woman who while wearing a red rose in her hair, sings Verdi's Requiem and drives a train through the Swiss Alps and another, a woman with a feverish fetish for wearing kitch footwear.
And the food? I'm glad you asked.
All five courses were just splendid...

Klaus And Susan's Go Anywhere Tiny House On Wheels Is Taking Them Around The World...

I met up with Susan and Klaus recently at Haumoana, freedom camping in the Hawkes Bay. They're a month into their first year and a half voyage around the world in their specially built Uni-Mog.
Klaus is a locksmith by trade but he's much more than that. He's built their tiny home on wheels which is a masterpiece of engineering and creative innovation.
Hydraulic rams lift the roof allowing ample access to the massive bed with its base surrounded by flush storage compartments. There's storage everywhere here and some very clever ideas have been thought of to use every available inch of space. Susan, a doctors assistant in real life and Klaus have worked very well together to come up with a very unique home on wheels.
The 1984 Mercedes once destined for active duty in Kosovo but ending up never seeing a war zone has only done about 15,000 kilometres.
It carries 300 litres of fresh water, 300 litres of diesel, its black tank holds 180 litres. Having run out of time at home in Germany, they're adding the solar components here in New Zealand which will augment the large capacity alternator and the 3 kva generator.
There's two 180 amphour AGM batteries.
A massive rear storage locker contains all their toys, outdoor furniture and portable bbq.
Keep a look out for these two intrepid travellers.
They're lovely people...

From The Flying Tortoise Galley. Frankie's Vegetarian Salad...

As well as being the start of the silly season,
its the season of the salad and they're being concocted in abundance aboard The Flying Tortoise these days.
So I thought I'd start sharing some delectable delights that come forth and sometimes even fifth from TFT's galley.
This salad is named for Frankie, a wonderful woman who as she walks her dog in the mornings has been delivering me produce from her family's bountiful garden here at Haumoana in the beautiful Hawkes Bay.
The first necessary ingredient in any food recipe is a glass of wine. This should consumed prior and during the preparation process. This salad is relatively simple but it will still require a generous glass and probably a top up to get you through what could be a stressful ordeal. 
There's broad beans, brocolli and there's beetroot and red capsicum, garlic and red onion, there's kumera chips and there's asparagus. The greens are just blanched to retain their beautiful green colour, the broad beans shelled and brought to the boil for a minute or two.
The beetroot was cooked prior to the event and the kumera chips, the red onion and garlic are cooked in a smidgen of oil and a few favourite spices.
A favourite dressing using a good extra virgin, some balsamic vinegar, some mustard and a little chilli was mixed and then splashed liberally over the salad. Bon appetit Frankie...