Cate Foster and daughter circle the north in a weekend road trip that takes in food, history, craft and culture.
A circular road trip around Northland seemed like the perfect way to show my daughter the region that gave rise to her family tree. So we picked a sunny weekend, turned up the car stereo and hit the tarmac.
First stop was two hours' north for brunch at the rightfully famous Whangarei Growers Market, visited by more than 6000 people every Saturday. We join the queue at the French Crepe stand, find a coffee and wish we could stock up on the cornucopia of fresh fruit and veges we can see in all directions.
Another hour and a half north we check into our eco-chalet hidden in the glorious grounds of Wharepuke, just up the hill from the Kerikeri Inlet. Created over the past 17 years by renowned plantsman Robin Booth, this lush subtropical paradise has been named a "garden of significance" by the NZ Garden Trust — it's not to be missed.
Today Robin's daughter Tania gives us a tour. En route we stop to visit her husband, artist and print maker Mark Graver, in what we learn is one of the only non-toxic printmaking studios in the southern hemisphere. The onsite restaurant, Food at Wharepuke, is gearing up for a busy night and once again we wish we could linger, but have to move on to where Deborah from the Historic Places Trust is waiting to show us through one of the most historically important sites in the country.
