Tropical treatery

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Oh my! What else is there to say? I spent an hour of my morning enjoying a raw food chocolate treat at the Quail Cafe, washed down with a latte, and riveting conversation with a like-minded friend. Set in the lush subtropical shade of the Quarry Gardens in Whangarei, this is honestly set to become my new happy place!

Just quietly it’s a secret I’d rather keep, but for readers of my Just Series of books, who are heading out to Whale Bay, it must be shared as it’s only a couple of minutes drive off of State Highway 1. You can Google it for directions.

So now the secret’s out I guess I’ll see you there... I’ll be the one tucked up in a corner of the terrace reading, or writing, looking smugly content with a belly filled with... you guessed it... chocolate.

The Great New Zealand Chocolate Trail→

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The Great New Zealand Chocolate Trail

I have to confess, I’m a raving chocolate fiend – especially when it is handcrafted. Boutique-style chocolate is just too good to resist! Whenever I travel the next fix is never far away, and believe me, there’s many a wicked stop to be found nationwide. In the past I’ve been known to go 100 kays or more out of my way, just to swing by my all-time favourite chocolatiers. Here's a list of my all-time favourite treats, guaranteed to induce a cocoa-induced stupor:

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Corrugated Kiwi→

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Corrugated Kiwi

There’s something incredibly Kiwi about corrugated iron. Take a good look  ‘round next time you’re out and about and you will spot many a roof, fence, bach and barn clad in its distinctive rippled waves. The more you look the more you see.

But nowhere embraces its versatility like the small South Waikato township of Tirau where it has become something of a fashion statement, adorning almost every high street building in some way, shape or form. And we’re not talking  ‘slim line’  baby iron either, but good old fashioned bog standard corrugated, painted every colour of the rainbow.

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Building rules to nail cowboys→

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Building rules to nail cowboys

As of March 2012 any structural work or work that affects the weathertightness of a residential building such as load bearing walls, foundations, roofing and cladding, is now classified as Restricted Building Work and must be completed or supervised by a Licensed Building Practitioner. That is, a person registered with the government’s Building and Housing Department.

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