It's enough to make one cry.
That's just part of the emotion lodge proprietor and chef Gary Grootelaar sees each time he and wife Dietske treat guests to the truffle experience they have put on for the FAWC festival each winter for the last four years.
Proprietors of The Manse, an exclusive lodge developed in a century-old former Anglican minister's home on what was part of Maraekakaho Station, they run four separate Truffle Heaven days weekends during Hawke's Bay food and wine festival FAWC each June in a unique partnership with growers Kees van Munckhof and Wendy Hutchins, of Sacre Monte Truffles, Puketapu.
Guests start the day with a truffle hunt at Sacre Monte, warmed-up with hot chocolate and rum at the truffiere, a rundown on the history, varieties and harvesting of truffles, followed by hunting and foraging, topped-off with lunch back at The Manse for a four-course truffle lunch – black truffles in each course, truffle creme brûlée for dessert - limited to eight people on each day, because that's the most that can be seated at the table at the two-room lodge.
On Saturday among the guests was Robin Daynes, who's from Cairns in Far North Queensland, and on Sunday another from Bannockburn in Central Otago, up especially for the day, back for more after being so taken by the experience first time around in 2019.