Rosie and the Operator had a lunch date at a winery in Kuratau with Sparky and Stitch who were in the area enjoying abit of R&R and jet skiing over the holiday season. We had a leisurely breakfast and, having consulted the map we set off on the road to Turangi to rendezvous on the banks of Lake Taupo.
It was a climb out of Taumarunui and we encountered fog on the road for a couple of kms and then we plunged back into native bush thickly lining the roadsides. Descending down into the lake basin the world opened up again and The Operator casually remarked, ‘That looked like Sparky and Stitch passing us going the other way’. Rosie laughed, and thought ‘Whatever’…Nek Minit Rosie gets a txt from Stitch to say ‘I think we just passed you guys…’ Good ole NZ, you cannot miss anyone in this country with two lanes for a main Highway!
We waited for Sparky and Stitch on the top of the hill overlooking the road into Kuratau, it was our first glimpse of Lake Taupo and a great way to present the village to first time visitors. Kuratau is only an hours drive from the city of Taupo and you will always find a holiday let to rent here, there are plenty on the net. There does seem to be a mixture of permanent dwellers versus the holiday crowd and, with it being overcast there were only a few others sharing the beautiful vista and the white sandy beach.
It was a warm, still day but ominous dark clouds were clustered over the hills and there was a little chop on the lake. We parked our camper facing the beautiful view on the lakes edge and gave Sparky and Stitch the grand tour of our new home on wheels, three mins later….Sparky was scanning the horizon waiting for a hopeful sign the weather was going to get better and not pack in so he could unhitch the ski and get out on the lake.
Kuratau is a beautiful wide open lovely spot, Stitch said it was normally thronged with people so it was nice to sit in relative solitude and observe the brave few on the swimming platform out in the cold lake. There is a lovely boat ramp and jetty and the beach stretches either side of the parking and toilet area so you can set up a private picnic possie, it would be a very beautiful spot on a gorgeous day! While we were waiting for the weather to clear, the decision was unanimous, lets have an early lunch at the Winery!
Floating Rock Winery http://www.kuratauriverwines.co.nz/cafe is just on the outskirts of the village and was very busy for 11.30 in the morning. It is set on the upper floor in a two story ‘house’ type set up with the cafe inside and lovely shaded decking accessible through wrap around bi fold doors You looked down over the grape vines and it would have been a pretty pleasant way to while away a couple of hours if you were on holiday in this shop less sleepy hollow….
…..until you came to be served….or not, as the case was. Rosie and the Operator have got to learn to chill and accept that in general, service is bad in NZ. It took about 12 mins of standing clustered around the small counter looking at a small handwritten blackboard to see what was on the menu for lunch…then join another que at the counter to order yourself and pay…the cafe was staffed with young teenagers who wouldn’t say boo to a goose or explain how the set up worked…it was pretty chaotic and ‘she’ll be right, work it out yourself..’ Rosie and the Operator wanted to taste some wine, but Rosie was still in the lunch que while The Operator was having a tasting….All said and done the four of us had a nice
relaxed lunch on the deck after the formalities of ordering were over. The speciality was gourmet pizzas wood fired in their earthenware oven positioned on the deck. Stitch and Sparky had a beautifully cooked crunchy plate of wedges and a pizza to share while Rosie and the Operator shared a pizza as well. A tasty morsel it was with a lovely thin crust. The Floating Rock Winery specialises in Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir and a Late Harvest Sticky, plus a Blanc du Noir, intriguing, yes, this Rose style wine is made from Pinot Noir grapes very much in a Californian style and left with the skins on to give the subtle colour, this wine was very drinkable served chilled and Rosie and the Operator went home with a spare bottle for the evening. All in all we had a nice lunch and, it was an added bonus to catch up with Sparky and Stitch in their stomping ground. Yes, it did clear for the afternoon and Sparky and Stitch enjoyed themselves out on the lake!
On the road heading to Ohakune we were approaching the Central Plateau, the bush gave way to scrubby alpine plants that thrive in the cooler climate. Flax bushes covered the lower lying areas with their summer flower shoots reaching towards the sky with red flowers in full bloom, waving in the breeze were white brushy toi toi heads mixed in with the flax, what a great looking ground cover they made!
Rosie and The Operator approached Ohakune and flashed past the self proclaiming sign ‘Where the Adventure Begins…..having never stopped here before, it was different to what I had expected….and, The Operator did have a real life adventure there!
