Good-Bye New Zealand

Day 199 – Matamata, New Zealand

Today was a quiet day. I went with my host on the dogs’ walk, with a very fine weather. It was muddy though, from the previous day’s rain, so they had to jump in a trough on the way back to get clean-ish.

I packed my bags.

I baked a savoury cake, bacon and red pepper, for diner.

And what a diner it was! We started by opening crackers, not the thin wafers you eat, but the paper kind that you pull apart to get a paper hat, a toy, and a joke.

So, what is a horse in his pyjamas? A zebra.

The savoury cake was surprising, I gather, but was well-received. The main dish was a delicious magret de canard à l’orange (duck breast in orange sauce), and we topped it off with a lemon cake and fresh strawberries.

Aaaah, real food… after weeks of sandwiches, pasta with canned sauce, and the occasional splurge on fish and chips, cooking and eating real food is a respite and a haven both.