Whitebait pattie stop on the West Coast

Once back on the road after welcoming the new year in the Fiordlands, we headed towards NZ's West Coast through Haast, the gateway village into NZ's Glacier Country. I had been reading that Haast was famous for whitebait fishing, a practice attracting a number of amateur fishermen eager to earn a few extra dollars since the yearly catches started to shrink and the fish to consequently gain in value a few years ago, and that the most common way to indulge the precious fish was in a "whitebait pattie".

Wild venison in the Fiordlands

After a decidedly disappointing venison sandwich on our first day in NZ (which we probably ordered a bit too quickly, as venison does not seem to fit that well in a sandwich thinking about it now…) we reconciled ourselves with the meat a few days later, by enjoying a superb rack of the wild game on New Year's Eve.

Merry Christmas from New Zealand

Although quite unusual, it's been a wonderful and definitely summery one for us in here! After enjoying a gourmet 5-course dinner by the vines at Amisfield Bistro, Central Otago, last night, we decided on an active Christmas Day today - with a hike through magnificent scenery towards fascinating Rob Roy Glacier, in front of which we cheered with a simple yet very merry picnic..