Article & photos by Lenora A.Hayman.

Did you know that our Pacific Salmon are super heroes of the sea? Yes, I am listening to Miki Eslake, the BC Naturalist hired for the summer on the BC Ferries Spirit of Vancouver Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay route. While enjoying the sunshine on deck 6, we learned that the skin of the salmon only becomes red on entering the streams to swim 50 kilometres per day and up to 3000 kilometres in total to their final destination to spawn. Our magnificent black & white Killer Whales or Orcas, as well as bears, wolves & eagles depend on salmon for their primary dietary needs. The half-eaten salmon left by the animals in the forest, decay & provide nitrogen in the soil to fertilize our forests.

The #70 Express & #72 Victoria Regional Transit buses meet passengers at Swartz Bay for the $2.50, one-to-one & a half hour drive in to Victoria. The pleasant bus driver let me off at The Bay Centre to catch the #6 Esquimalt bus at Yates & Douglas to travel over the Johnson St. Bridge & around the harbour to Spinnakers Gastro Brew Pub & Guest Houses at 308 Catherine St.tel:1-877-838-2739 toll free.

My bed for the night is in their 1884 two-storied Heritage House, restored in 1998, complete with steamer shower, private balcony, Wi-Fi, local Silk Road Brew Tea, Fernwood Blend Coffee, & their own O de Vie Aquifer sparkling water.

Thirty years ago, Paul Hadfield’s Spinnakers was the first Gastro Brew Pub of the modern era in Canada, & it not only brews wonderful craft beers but also produces gourmet cuisine from their open kitchen sourcing the fresh foods from local farmers & lavender & herbs from their own garden.

Lisa Wilkie, the Front Desk Manager located also in their Provisions Store at the entrance of Spinnakers Gastro Brew Pub, showed me their beer & cider based vinegars, beer jelly, orange & cranberry scones, house-made granola, local cheeses from Natural Pastures, Nostrala Organic Cheese & orange & lime sea salt from Vancouver Island Salt Co. Displayed also were their in-house artisan truffles & chocolate barks.

House guests are given a complimentary beer & truffle tasting, so I went upstairs through the taproom to sip in the sunshine on their outdoor balcony, while watching a cruise ship in the distance & a tug boat in Victoria’s Inner Harbour.

The Pilsner-like fruity Kolsch Style Ale 4.8% alcohol paired well with the white lemon & basil lemon drop truffle. The medium dark Grand Cru 8% alcohol, brewed in celebration of the 30th anniversary was matched with the Naughty Fairy dark chocolate, absinth & basil truffle and the Tequila Shot dark chocolate, tequila, lime & salt truffle was great with the copper-coloured  5.5% alcohol Northwest Ale (NWA).

It was busy on the warm Tuesday evening I was there, so I was pleased that I had made a dinner reservation for 6:00pm. Since I was alone, my server Ryan Price wisely suggested I try a couple of appetizer plates to experience the variety of local fare. The Brewhouse Tasting Plate had a choice of locally produced salami, Amber Ale cheese, Comox brie, beer jelly & ale poached pear, while the West Coast Fish Plate offered the house smoked salmon, tuna tartar, bacon wrapped oysters & Spinnakers kelp crackers. My main entrée of crispy skinned sablefish in a hot & sour kelp broth, clams shiitake mushrooms, fingerling potatoes & sesame braised kale was nice & moist.

A hot steamer shower & a sound sleep in their queen-size bed concluded my evening.

Having a complimentary breakfast included next morning is very welcome & I wish more establishments would do the same. The Spinnakers granola parfait with apple compote, natural yogurt & rosemary infused honey followed by their house-smoked salmon, spinach & scone bennie started my day well. Their London Fog made with Silk Road’s Imperial Earl Grey Tea with vanilla & steamed milk was the best chai latte I’ve ever had! So naturally I had two!

After checking out of Spinnakers, I had a pleasant walk along West Song Walkway by the harbour back to the city and even witnessed the Johnson Street Bridge opening to let a tugboat and barge through. Butchart Gardens had a car decorated in flowers in front of the Fairmont Empress Hotel, a string trio was playing on the lower causeway & tourists were photographing our Victoria Parliament Buildings. I arrived at 1:00pm at Government & Superior Streets in time for my return bus back to Swartz Bay & the 3:00pm BC Ferry.

I certainly felt refreshed, rejuvenated & well fed after my one night vacation. I shall be back!

Article & photos by Lenora A.Hayman.

Sailing time  was only 45 min on the 9:20am BC Ferries’ Queen of Coquitlam from Horseshoe Bay to Langdale on the BC Sunshine Coast  where you board the public bus for the 15 min trip into Gibsons.

George Gibson (1829-1913) whose statue overlooks the town joined the Royal Navy at age 12. He became a Lieutenant & with money earned from capturing a Spanish ship was able to immigrate to North America. He worked on the Mississippi River boats prior to marrying Charlotte Purdee in1859 & moving to BC with his family in1886. After building a boat he sailed to the Sunshine Coast where he laid claim to Gibson’s Landing, later known in 1947 as Gibsons.

I stopped in at the Visitor Information Centre to get a map & learn what I could see within walking distance in Lower Gibsons, in my 4 hours, before my return sailing at 2:30pm. The Sunnycrest Mall & the High School are in Upper Gibsons.

At the Gibsons & District Public Library, where there is a great view of the town through their large windows, folk were checking e-mails on the computers and reading newspapers while children were quietly playing in another room.

The Sunshine Coast Museum & Archives has a display from The Beachcombers Canadian TV Comedy-Drama Series that was filmed in Gibsons for over 18 yrs from Oct 1, 1972-Dec 12, 1990. Photos of Nick Adonidas(Bruno Gerussi), the Greek-Canadian log salvager & his business partner Jesse Jim(Pat John),Relic(Robert Clothier), their business competitor & Molly(Ray Brown) who ruled Molly’s Reach Café beamed from the walls.

There also was the exhibit Chatwilh:The Craft & Culture of the Squamish Canoe. Displayed was the Stelkaya or “Striking Wolf” 28 foot cedar canoe. Sessiyam(Ray Natraoro) is the Chatwilh(canoe carver) & member of the Wolf clan.

Don’t miss the butterfly & beetle collection displayed in numerous drawers. The world’s largest Queen Alexandra’s birdwing butterfly, whose wingspan can reach 30cm (1ft) is endangered in New Guinea. The larger female has black & cream patches & a yellow abdomen, & the male, a third smaller is quite differently coloured in gold, green, turquoise & black. Birdwings are farmed by New Guinea laborers to supplement their incomes, although it is illegal to smuggle them out of New Guinea.

The African Goliath beetle which feeds on tree sap & fruit is the largest insect in the world. Males can measure 60-110millimetres(2.4-4.3 in) & females 50-80 millimetres (2.0-3.1 in).

The Egyptian scarab beetle symbolizing regeneration & rebirth often appears in designs on amulets, rings & cartouche pendants.

Narwhals are related to  bottlenose dolphins, belugas & orcas. A Narwhal front tusk or tooth, several feet long, was displayed in a glass cabinet. It’s the male that sprouts this continually growing tooth. The 2nd tooth is about 30cm(1ft) long & remains embedded in the skull. These “Unicorns of the Sea” with black & white mottled skin, who live in the Arctic Circle in Northern Canada & Greenland unfortunately are decreasing in numbers.

I popped into the Gibsons Public Art Gallery, along Marine Drive, to see the Art Exhibit of Children 3-16.

Nearby was the Zócalo dress store that has high-end fashions & interesting hand-painted plasticized  handbags.

The Landing Gallery owned & operated by the Sunshine Coast Artists Co. provides a venue for the vibrant arts community to display & market art.

Adrienne Fox the bubbly owner & “Chief Cook & Bottle Washer” presides over her Home Style Truffles Café at 264 Gower Point Rd. At the counter I chatted with several of her regular soup-loving & Caesar salad clients while Adrienne was baking a maple, walnut cheesecake in her solo oven. I wish I could have gone there next day to have a slice! However I did make a good choice with my chai latté & large, warm, traditional cheese scone. .I always check restaurant bathrooms & this bathroom is an exquisite boudoir with flowers painted on the walls, a glass cabinet & a quaint toilet roll stand.

Gibsons, you deserve being named in 2009, “the most livable community under 20,000” in a world-wide competition by the UN International Awards for Livable Communities!

Article & photos by Lenora A.Hayman.

The Van.Int’l Wine Fest. celebrated her 36th birthday from Feb.24-Mar. 2, 2014 with 177 wineries from14 countries, showcasing 1,750+ wines & 54 events. The theme country was France & the global focus, bubbly. Not only were you assured finding something friendly both for your taste buds & wallet but you also had the privilege of tasting wine not yet available in the liquor store.

The Coast Restaurant, part of the Glowbal group, at 1054 Alberni St. hosted the Heart of Burgundy Dinner.  Mark Allen, the Export Director of France’s Burgundy Maison Louis Latour provided 7 wines & Coast Restaurant’s Chef de Cuisine Pedro Gonzalez, beautifully paired them during the reception, the 5 course meal and the dessert.

The Louis Fabrice Latour Company has been a family-run company in Burgundy since 1797 & is currently run by the 7th Louis Latour.

An appellation is a legally defined & protected geographical indication used to identify where grapes for a wine are grown. Crémant de Bourgogne is the appellation for the white & rosé sparkling wines of Burgundy, made mainly from Pinot Noir & Chardonnay in the methode traditionelle. The best examples of Burgundy sparkling wines are produced from vineyard sites classified as Grand Cru.

At the reception, the Simmonet Febre Crémant de Bourgogne with its fine bubbles & aromas of ripe yellow fruits paired well with the Atlantic lobster Beignet or fritter.

The grilled sable with morel & Yukon potato risotto & crispy artichokes was complemented with the citrus fruits & toasty aromas of the pale gold, superb Château Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru 2010, the best vintage in 20 years.

The light ruby red Corton Grancey Grand Cru 2005 with cassis & saffron aromas, balanced the flavor & complexity of the rack of lamb with piquillo pepper & sun choke gratin.

The dessert of Madagascar 64% Manjari chocolate & pomegranate cake with a vanilla-rum semifreddo(semi-frozen sweet), crispy praline & pomegranate-ginger gelée was complemented with the scents of violets, plums & cherries in the Henry Fessy Julieneas wine as yet unavailable in BC.

An addition this year to the usual 3-3hr evenings at the Vancouver Convention Centre West of the International Festival Tastings was the 2hr tasting on Saturday afternoon. At the Puddifoot Tasting Station, I borrowed one of their champagne Riedel flutes before going to the France Bon Appétit section with 52 of France’s participating wineries.

Champagne is a legally restricted name for the world’s most famous sparkling wine from the French wine region of Champagne, I learned there are no red champagnes but I did try a couple of pink champagnes. The elegant $100 Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé NV champagne has intensely fruity flavours of Morello cherries, black currents & raspberries. This pink bubbly is the world’s #1 selling rosé champagne.  Red wine from Pinot Noir & Pinot Meunier combined with the Chardonnay, gave the elegant $70 Nicolas Feuillatté Brut Rosé, a salmon pink colour with silvery glints & a fine thread of bubbles. It had blueberry, black current & raspberry aromas.

I liked  the light fruity aromas of the citrus fruit & wild peach in the Champagne Charles de Cazanove Brut Millésimé 2006. Millésimé means a vintage year or a vintage wine. I was told champagne must be declared a vintage wine at harvest to have Millésimé on the label. Although Millésimé means the wine comes from a single vintage, it has nothing to do with the quality.

The Passionate Pairings of 14 New Zealand wines with 7 New Zealand foods at the Boathouse on Kits Beach was a fun grazing event on the Saturday afternoon.

The NZ Tio Point oysters have a higher meat to shell ratio than ours and their plumpness looked lovely on the silver platter, sprinkled with ginger vinaigrette & vodka cocktail sauce. They went well with the balanced acidity of the citrus & ripe fruit flavours of the Wither Hills Sophora Sparkling Cuvée Marlborough NV.

The grilled NZ lamb lollipops with the garlic & parsley Chimicurri sauce were complemented with the savoury spicy & earthy aromas & plum & herbal notes of the Seresin Leah Pinot Noir Marlborough 2011.

It was a pleasure to meet Bill Spence whose Matua winery was the first to produce Sauvignon Blanc in N.Z. A glass of Matua Sauvignon Blanc 2002 with its zesty, grassy overtones & crisp tropical & citrus fruits always goes down well  sitting on the patio or with food. The Nautilus Estate Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2013 has herbaceous notes too, and both these Sauvignon Blancs offered a nice contrast with the white Trevally fish with coconut lime sauce, mango salsa & micro Thai basil.

The deep red Villa Maria Private Bin Merlot Hawke’s Bay 2011 with aromatics of violets & plums & vanilla like oak overtones balanced the complexity of the coffee crusted venison loin with sweet potato & pear purée served with red wine jus & crispy brussel sprout leaves.

The plain, soft & creamy goat cheese was nice with the pear, melon & apple floral notes of the Kim Crawford Pinot Gris Marlborough 2013.

Finally a slice of La Pleine Lune cheese covered in plant ashes with mushroom aromas & peppery flavours hit the spot with the spicy oak, peach & floral  aromas of the Stoneleigh Chardonnay Marlborough 2013.

What a happy week we all had!

Article & photos by Rick Millikan
Leaving our riverboat moored along the German shore, a bus whisks us across the Rhine into France. All look forward to visiting Strasbourg and its historic Grand Ile.

Passing glassy new high-rises of the European Parliament, Council of Europe, Eurocorps, European Ombudsman and several International Banks, our guide Giselle remarks, “As you’ll discover, Strasbourg was a natural choice for one of our European Union’s three capitals offering a rich Franco-German heritage!”

Encountering light traffic, Giselle continues, “See those numerous cyclists riding on bicycle lanes?  Strasbourg encourages green solutions to gridlock offering 500-kilometers of bikeways and excellent tram service!”

Pointing out the well-disciplined lines of German architecture along a wide, straight boulevard, she notes, “Bismarck’s armies invaded and claimed Strasbourg in 1870. Among their construction, this neo-classic National Library replaced the historic city library erroneously bombarded… My grandmother lived in this city under Germans; the French after World War I, Nazi Germany during World War II and again the French.”

Passing beside a large park, we see storks perching atop a tall tree. Giselle grins, “Some believe our iconic birds deliver babies!  Many think differently about childbirth… as other folktales purport babies are found in local cabbage patches!”

Entering old Strasbourg, our bus skirts picturesque canals surrounding our island destination, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Our group soon saunters over a multi-arched stone bridge onto La Petite France. Our leisurely stroll winds over narrow cobbled streets through a medieval cluster of Rhineland-style black and white timber-framed buildings.

Entering sunny Place Gutenberg, we head to a statue dominating the square. Its plaque tells us Gutenberg created his moveable-type printing press and published the first modern newspaper in Strasbourg.  Giselle points out the Renaissance style town hall. “It was built when Strasbourg was a free city of the Holy Roman Empire. After the Thirty Years’ War in1681, Strasbourg and surrounding Alsace-Loraine was ceded to France. Still speaking German and Alsatian, our local dialect, we then officially spoke French!”

A few blocks away, we come to an even larger square. Magnificent six-story Kammerzell House stands on a corner of Place de la Cathédrale. While admiring friezes of medieval lore, stained glass windows and panels swirling with color, we hear the interior remains embellished with lavish frescoes.

Cathedral of Our Lady towers above the site of an ancient Roman temple. Inside this gothic marvel, Giselle explains the importance of stained glass windows. “These depictions helped early Christians understand the apocalypse.  The opposite wall’s kings appear with halos justifying divine birthrights… Imagine simple country folk embracing such lessons with awe! Thankfully these windows survived the French Revolution’s chaos and World War II bombings!”

A famed 1843 clock stands behind the altar. This astronomical clock registers day, month, year, zodiac sign, moon phases and planetary positions. Every quarter hour this huge clock presents a mechanical “Youth” striding past a skeleton with Christ watching above, reenacting mortals march through time. At half past noon, a life-size rooster crows thrice, heralding a procession of 18-inch high figures of Christ and the Apostles.

Exiting into the sunny square we saunter along a busy shopping street to the canal and discover Palais Rohan basking in baroque splendor. A sign recounts how Strasbourg’s Bishop commissioned this monumental palace and how illustrious guests included Louis XV, Marie Antoinette, Napoleon and wife, Josephine. It served next as the imperial German University’s main building and since housed three of the city’s most important museums.

Crossing another stone bridge, we look again at panoramic Grand Ile then find our waiting coach, which whisks us back to our Scenic Tours riverboat. Everyone agrees: Strasbourg is très extraordinaire!

 

May your Hanukkah and Christmas holidays be purr-fect, peaceful, and prosperous.

Photo Ursula Maxwell-Lewis

By Ursula Maxwell-Lewis

 Terry Hobbs’ eyes mist over. For a second he pauses, takes a deep breath, and says simply, “We are so grateful to have him back.”

Hobbs, his wife Jenny, and 22-year-old son Aaron are in Vancouver from Britain at the invitation of Rocky Mountaineer. Together with four other Middle East veterans – two Canadian, an American and an Australian – they are guests of honour onboard the first inaugural Life Changing Train for Heroes from Vancouver to Lake Louise.

Aaron, a Queen’s Royal Lancers gunner, was in a vehicle destroyed by an IED in Afghanistan. His two young fellow servicemen were killed.

Aaron sustained a fracture spine and pelvis, a dislocated hip and assorted lacerations. His lengthy road to recovery is still not over, but his dad credits Help for Heroes, a UK military charity, with providing critical support to Aaron and the family.

In appreciation of that support, and to help other servicemen, the family has raised over  £10,000 for the organization.

“They’ve been there for Aaron since day one,” Terry says.”We just wanted to give something back.”

Shere Lowe’s son, John, grew up in Cloverdale, BC. He joined the Canadian forces in 2007. In 2009 he arrived in Kandahar for a six-month tour of cut in the Sperwan Ghar region of Afghanistan

“Seeing ‘Canadian Forces’ show up on the call display at home was one of my worst fears,” recalls his mom.

For John, the horror of talking to fellow soldiers one minute, and hearing they’d been killed an hour later caused a different kind of injury. Depression and anxiety, known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, gripped his life. It was three years before he sought help, and then it was Wounded Warriors Canada that came to the rescue. Shere Lowe is full of praise for the organization, and the courage of her  27-year-old son.

I ask her about help from the Canadian government. Clearly she is disgusted. “They did nothing ,” she says simply.

John, who’s grandmother, Doris Fraser, was also a guest on the Train For Heroes, later said, “The ride for me was a reminder of how good life can be. It was just a moment of happiness.”

This month, as you pin on a poppy, take time to reflect on today’s young service men and women. Their injuries aren’t always visible, and they are – as troops always were – too young for what they have witnessed.

To find out more about Wounded Warriors Canada call  1-888-706-4808 or go to www.WoundedWarriors.ca

Article & photos by Lenora A.Hayman.

During Expo’86 the Pender Hotel at 31 W. Pender was a single occupancy rooming house. The owner Jim Duffy was one of the few hotel owners who didn’t “turf out” his tenants in order to force visitors to pay higher rates during the 6 months of Expo’86! Jim Duffy died in 2004 but he would be happy to see that his” Pender Palace” is now the Skwachays Healing Lodge( pronounced Squatch eyes) and also a 3 star boutique hotel, near Vancouver’s Gastown, the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Classical Garden, # 19 Stanley Park Bus, Rogers Arena and the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

Skwachays refers to the sacred spring waters that covered the marshes and were the door to the spirit world.

Architect Joe Y. Wai has preserved the historic brick façade, with a 3D video inserted at the entrance, honouring First Nations’ Art and Culture. On the roof is a longhouse, with a laser-etched stainless steel panel on the wall and Master Carver Francis Horne Sr’s 40-foot Dreamweaver story pole reaching towards the sky.

The reception area on the ground floor also has the Urban Aboriginal Fair Trade Gallery whose CEO is David Eddy.  Here the Vancouver Native Housing Society provides a community owned resource for First Nations’ artists, such as Jerry Whitehead from Saskatoon whose bold paintings of powwow dancers and the salmon and frog dancers of Richard Short from Whitehorse, grace the walls. Art work, bentwood boxes, masks, native jewelry and apparel are all for sale.

Six artists have decorated the 18 boutique hotel rooms, on the 5th and 6th floors with door lintels portraying the raven, eagle, bear, wolf and orca.

On the 2nd, 3rd and 4th floors are 24 affordable apartments for those at risk of homelessness.

A Sweat Lodge, Smudge Room, Library and Artists workshop are on the roof overlooking the Chinese Millennium Gate on Pender St. and the neon lights of the International Village.

After spending “big bucks” on a show or game at Rogers Arena or BC Place this budget hotel close by could stretch your dollar!

Article & photos by Lenora A.Hayman.

When visiting the UBC Museum of Anthropology (MOA) this summer, from July 24-Sept.29, 2013, I felt I had travelled around the Polynesian, Micronesian and Melanesian islands of the South Pacific, in one day. Not only was there the Paradise Lost exhibition of 13 contemporary works from the Pacific, but the X1 Pacific Arts Association International Symposium was also held there during the 2nd week of August, bringing vivacious, museum and gallery curators, cultural leaders and researchers, collectors and artists together.

Rather than carve in wood, George Nuku, the NZ Maori carver, created his Waharoa/Portal: Te Ao Marama-The World of Light in modern-day clear Plexiglas, abalone or paua shells and feathers, allowing the light from the Great Hall windows to glisten through. George Nuku, not only has Polynesian Kirituhi tattoos on his body but also the Ta Moko or traditional, sacred, facial Maori markings on his face, to reflect his whakapapa or genealogy.

New Zealander, Te Rongo Kirkwood,  created as  sculptured  art, 3 contemporary Maori cloaks  from kiln-formed cold-worked glass, representing” a journey of life through light” and named them, The Morning of Life, in fawn, The Midday of Life, in red, and The Evening of Life in black.

Michael Timbin, from Palembei village in Papua, New Guinea, carved a Melanesian figure in Kwila wood, shells, bush fibre and human hair, whose 2 children Pasinawi and Pasindawa, in order to run away from home, transformed themselves, one into a snake and the other into an eel.

Pax Jakupam, the artist from Bene village in the Eastern Highlands Province of Papua, New Guinea, painted in bright, acrylic colours “the Mumu-traditional way of preparing and cooking food”. The mumu (New Guinea), lovo (Fiji), bougna (New Caledonia) blong mekem laplap (Vanuatu), luau (Hawaii) and hangi (New Zealand) is the earth oven filled with heated stones. Banana leaves or wet sacking is placed on top of the stones and food, wrapped in banana leaves is placed on top, with more banana leaves covering the food, and then the pit is covered with earth.  After 4 hours, the earth is removed and delicious, smokey, flavoured food is the result.

Rosanna Raymond (Samoan), Katrina Talei Igglesden (Fijian) and Bethany Matai Edmunds (Maori) in the Fabricating Fashions, displayed creations in tapa or masi, Fijian bark cloth, including a tapa fascinator headpiece, the millinery style popular with Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge.

The Paradise Lost Exhibit, also extended until Aug.31st, 2013, to the Satellite Gallery at 560 Seymour St.

Three videos of Shigeyuki Kahara, dressed in Victorian Mourning Dress, showed her performing a solo Taualuga, the sacred siva samoa dance.  This is traditionally performed by a Taupou or daughter of a high chief, honouring Samoan or European ancestors and this dance also retold of the 2009 tsunami in Samoa.

Greg Semu, a Samoan living in NZ, has created a glorious photograph, showing the impact of Christianity on the indigenous Pacific Island culture. In “The Last Cannibal Supper”, Kanak people at the Tjibaou Centre in New Caledonia, were photographed re-interpreting Leonardo De Vinci’s “ The Last Supper”.

Back at the MOA, most informative sessions given in a fun style were presented.

Tarisi Vunidilo, the Secretary General for the Pacific Islands Museums Association(PIMA) spoke on Fijian Treasures in International Museums- A Study of Museums and Repatriation.

Hermione Waterfield showed us counterfeit Maori art promoted by notorious forger, Edward Little (1876-19July 1953). With dexterity, these fakes were carved by the Torquay furniture restorer in South Devon and not the South Pacific!

Noelle Maile Kahanu, the Cultural Inventory Specialist and Director of Community Affairs at the  Bishop Museum in Oahu, Hawaii, showed us their spectacular renovations in the Polynesian Hall. Ceiling arches, like ribs of a body, gracefully connect the Koa columns and on the floor, an inlaid wood map of the Pacific leads to the new grand staircase.

Dr. Patricia Te Arapo Wallace from Canterbury University, Christchurch, NZ,  moderated Toi Maori: the Eternal Thread seminar where Deana Dartt, Rebecca Dobkins and Christina Wirihana  honoured the impact of the Maori weaving exhibit that had visited 4 venues in the States.

Barbara Wavell spoke of Asian influences on craft and architecture of Micronesia.

We were all honoured at the conclusion of the week with a magnificent Fijian feast at UBC’S First Nations House of Learning, cooked of course in a lovo, earth oven. We  ate multi-courses of pork, corned beef, chicken, palusami (leaves of dalo or taro layered with coconut milk and onions), purple taro root, cassava from which tapioca is produced and ceviche, the raw fish marinated in lime, along with a mango fruit salad soup.

Vinaka  vaka levu–A big thank you to the Fijian Culinary Team.

Article & photos by Lenora A.Hayman.

Oamaru, in North Otago, New Zealand, on the East Coast of the South Island is an easy 3½ hr. Intercity Bus ride from Christchurch. It was in Oamaru,  that the world first learned, by way of cable, sent on 10 Feb.1913, of the death of Capt. Robt. Falcon Scott and his team, on their return from the expedition to the South Pole.

Many public buildings are built of white limestone called Oamaru stone, including the restored Opera House whose blue lights lit up the night sky. A sign announced outside that at a future date Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, the NZ opera star, who sang at Prince Charles and Lady Diana’s wedding, would be performing.

Both Waitaki Girls’ High School, where N.Z author Janet Frame was a former student, and Waitaki Boys’ High School where Denis Blundell, the first NZ-born and resident Governor General, was  a student, are in Oamaru.

I had the pleasure of staying with my friends Donald and Heather Harvey, whose home is surrounded with wonderful roses and bearded iris, which thrive in the calcium from the Oamaru stone. Heather’s moist, date scones are legendary.

The Little Blue Penguins are the world’s smallest penguins, and the Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony nest along the Historic Harbour Foreshore. During the day most of the penguins are out fishing with only a few remaining  in the burrows. We therefore, went in the evening and chose the premier viewing stand to be closer to the penguins, rather than the general entry. Do dress warmly with socks and windbreaker, regardless of the time of year. We saw 6 groups or rafts of about 200 penguins that night, emerge at 9:00pm from the water, clamber up the rocks and waddle to their wooden, burrow, nesting areas. Oil from glands under their tails is picked up by their beaks to preen their feathers as a water repellant. Unfortunately no photos are allowed, since too many flashes either intentionally or otherwise were going off and disturbing the penguins.

Just 40 kms south of Oamaru are the Moeraki Boulders on Koekohe beach. We got there early before the crowds, and walked down the hill to see at low tide, some of the 50 boulders, the biggest weighing 7 tons and 2-3 metres wide. It is thought that these grey, spherical boulders were dislodged from mudstone and some are streaked with septarian concretions or cracks, mysteriously filled with gold coloured calcite.

After watching a dolphin frolicking in the ocean, we drove to State Highway 1 Waitate and the Blueskin Nurseries and Café. This wonderful garden centre has ornamental trees, NZ native shrubs, edible flowers, fruit trees including stonefruit hybrids, such as plumcot, peacherine and peachcot and a unique range of giftware and garden art. I loved sitting outside in their garden enjoying a smoked salmon bagel with pesto and a chai latté.

Some say that folk living in Dunedin ( the Edinburgh of the South) are more Scottish than the Scots. Since Dunedin was only 19 kms from Waitati, we had time for a quick visit. The Octagon in Dunedin,  the  eight-sided plaza, is Dunedin’s City Centre and the major hub for public transport in the city.

In 1989 St.Paul’s Anglican Church in the Octagon consecrated and enthroned Dr. Penny Jamieson as Bishop Penny, who was the 2nd woman bishop in the Anglican Communion and the 1st woman diocesan bishop in the world.!

To the right is Dunedin’s Town Hall completed in 1880 with civic offices, council chambers and auditorium. The statue of the Scottish poet Robbie Burns is in front of the cathedral.

In ANZAC Square, Dunedin’s railway station with its Edwardian architecture has tiled arches and stained glass windows depicting locomotives.

Leaving Dunedin, we saw in University Plaza, the Forsyth Bar Stadium, NZ’s newest and largest, indoor events arena with real grass under the transparent roof.

Back in Oamaru, when  Heather and Donald heard of my interest in NZ’s blue cod that is exclusively found in NZ, mainly around the rocky coasts of the South Island, they took me to Fat Sally’s Pub, Restaurant and Beer Garden for an excellent lightly battered, blue cod fish and chip meal.

Our farewell lunch next day was at Chef Bevan and Monique Smith’s Riverstone Kitchen, 12 kms north of Oamaru. Following culinary training in Christchurch, Chef Bevan sharpened his skills in the United Kingdom and Brisbane, Australia prior to seven years ago, opening the restaurant on his parent’s farm. Now his mother Dot Smith, runs the nursery and gift shop with its quaint, metal garden animals and also the flower and vegetable gardens. With vegetables and herbs from the garden and meat and fish sourced locally, you are guaranteed a fresh and flavorful meal.

A mural of riverbed stones on the restaurant wall looked down on the open kitchen and the happy guests. In 2010 Riverstone Kitchen was named Supreme Winner in the Cuisine NZ Restaurant of the Year Awards.

The fresh  herb and citrus notes of the Marlborough Johanneshof Gewürztraminer 2011 paired well with the hot smoked Mt. Cook salmon with new potatoes, salad greens, plus crème fraîche followed by a blackcurrant soufflé with their homemade, fresh, lemon ice cream and almond bread.

When Jessica, our Seattle waitress, heard that I was from Vancouver, she  accompanied my  dessert with two styles of dessert spoons, the large, classic dessert spoon that most New Zealanders use and the teaspoon that many North Americans use for their final sweet course. Now that’s what I call service!

Article & photos by Lenora A.Hayman.

Belize, formerly British Honduras, is bordered by Mexico on the north, Guatemala on the west and south, and the Caribbean Sea on the east. It is the only country in the area where English is the official language.

My American Airlines flight via Dallas, took me to the Philip Goldson International Airport in Belize City, where welcoming Immigration and Customs Officers quickly checked me through to board Tropic Air for one of the frequent 15 min.  flights,  57 kms (36 miles) north to San Pedro in Ambergris Caye, Belize’s largest island.

Years ago, whalers came here searching for the sperm whale secretion, ambergris, used as a perfume fixative, giving rise to the island’s name.

Accommodation was at The Phoenix, offering 1, 2, and 3 bedroom condominiums, each with verandas overlooking 2 pools and the ocean.

Since I arrived in the late afternoon, my friends had already sailed 6.4kms(4miles) from the town of San Pedro, to have fun snorkeling and diving with docile  Nurse sharks and  Southern Sting Rays at Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Shark Ray Alley .They saw eels, turtles and Tangs with vibrant, electric blue bodies and black markings.

Elvi’s Kitchen with huge murals of the keel-billed toucan, the national bird, a jaguar and Mayan figures, was the ideal place in San Pedro, to experience Belizean cuisine, an amalgamation of Central American and Mexican cooking. Appetizers of marinated conch ceviche, Jalapeno peppers stuffed with chicken and cheese and plantain chips preceded the Monday special of BBQ ribs followed by a “spider flan” with toffee tendrils. Going home after dinner, it was fun flagging down a golf cart, the main mode of transportation along the sandy roads,

North of San Pedro, 17.7kms(11 miles) is  El Secreto, a secluded, barefoot, luxury resort, which we accessed, next morning, by their private shuttle boat. A wonderful breakfast awaited us, including chocolate muffins and both Fry Jacks, the crescent-shaped fried dough accompanying the bacon and eggs and Johnny cakes, the flattened dense biscuits. The 13 exotic thatched roof villas, overlook the 297.77kms(185miles) Belizean Barrier Reef, the 2nd longest in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is the largest. There are 3 sea villas, 4 tropical villas, 5 lake villas surrounding a man-made salt water lake, and a spa villa with its own private, double massage cabin, steam room, jacuzzi and sea and fresh water pools!

Back in town, we found the most time-efficient option for travel within Belize is by the small airplanes ,such as Tropic Air, providing frequent services to all parts of the country. We flew down the Caribbean Coast to Stann Creek District and Dangriga, the largest town in Belize, 88.5 kms (55 miles) from the capital of Belmopan and 172.2 kms(107 miles) from Belize City. The Garinagu( Garifuna,singular) of Arawak/Carib and African ancestry, live here in wooden houses, sensibly built on stilts, to catch the cooling breeze, surrounded by plantations of mahogany, their national tree, coconut and mango trees.  We witnessed humming birds pollinating the bright, red and yellow Heliconia flowers.

We stayed, in a fishing village, 19.3 kms (12miles) from Dangriga at The Hopkins Bay Resort with luxurious 2 storey beach houses, with 1,2 and 3 bedrooms, each with ensuite bathrooms.

After drinking a green coconut laced with Caribbean white rum, we were driven to Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, the world’s only Jaguar preserve. Since all the 5 species of cat here, Jaguar, Ocelot, Margay, Puma and Jaguarundi are nocturnal, I noticed night cameras strategically placed, to catch their movements. Lurking  in the forest was the largest, land mammal in Central America, the Tapir, their national animal, related to the horse and rhinoceros with a flexible proboscis that moves in all directions. While we were quietly tubing down the river, also hidden in the 3 types of forest, virgin, primary and rainforest, were Wild Boar, Armadillos, White lipped and Collared Peccary and Coati.

During dinner at The Hopkins Bay Resort, I tasted saltfish Darasa with creole sauce.  Darasa is salted, grated, green banana mixed with coconut milk. Cassava or manioc root, when dried to a starchy or pearly extract, is called tapioca. After my cassava pudding with vanilla ice cream, I tried to dance the calories off to the rhythms of the Lebeha Garifuna Drumming Group.

Next morning we drove to the ATM Cave( Actun Tunichil Muknal), the Cave of the Stone Sepulcher, ranked by the National Geographic Society in 2012 as the number one sacred cave site in the world! Discovered in 1989, we viewed large, ceramic jars and  14 human sacrifice victims including the “Crystal Maiden” whose whole, skeletal remains, glistened with calcification. It’s a wet and dry cave, 5 kms in length. The tour takes 3 hours and you have to swim through a flowing river and then climb up a treacherous wall to the dry cave. Before attempting, you must understand what activities are expected, and consider the risk and safety factor.

After our ATM  Cave  adventure,  we drove to Film Director Francis  Ford Coppola’s Blancaneaux Lodge, a series of 20 deluxe  riverfront and garden view thatched cabanas overlooking the Privassion Creek waterfall. Dining out, under the stars, made my grilled lamb chops and my lemon grass mojito  rum drink taste especially good. Of course wines from Frances Coppola’s own winery were offered as well.

Next morning, we were in Chiquibul National Park, within the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve, to visit the Caracol site, the largest Mayan temple in Belize, called”Caana” or “Sky Place”. The panoramic view from 42 metres( 140 ft) above the jungle floor was worth the climb.

On our return we had a refreshing swim in the Rio on Pools, a series of small waterfalls, cascading over large boulders, but be careful, the rocks are slippery!

Our final 2 nights were at The Lodge at Chaa Creek , along the Macal River, still in the huge Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve.  Owners Mick and Lucy Fleming, have 23 thatched, elegant cottages,  horseback riding, a butterfly farm that propagates the blue Morpho Butterfly and a huge salt water, infinity pool which merges seamlessly with the lush, tropical gardens and the sky. On our nocturnal walk we saw a Kinkajou, related to a raccoon,  with its 6 in. tongue collecting nectar, leaf-cutter ants and large, hairy tarantula spiders.  The whistling of the Cicada crickets and the roar of the Howler monkeys woke me up next morning, to see folk already bird watching.

However after breakfast, I took a tour to Calico Jack’s Jungle Canopy and Zip Lining to do their 2 hr. Ultimo Explorer with 9 runs, 15 platforms, a cable walk, rappelling and finally flying like superman, by zip lining upside down! I also experienced Belize’s only jungle swing El Columpio. Ascending a replica of a pyramid, I was launched  from its 15.2 metres(50 ft) apex on a rope “Tarzan Style”. Now that’s really seeing the jungle from a different aerial view!