Highlights from Huia: Week 4

Elsie Asleep on the Sand

This week we finally headed out to Whatipu. What an amazing place! Wild and expansive. It was incredible weather too - very still and lots of sun. Joel put out the surfcaster while I read a book with the sun on my back and Elsie asleep on the sand. Bliss.

I've posted loads of photos here because it was just so beautiful....

Tasman Sea in front of us

Whatipu

Manukau Harbour behind us...

Jo and Elsie

The Fisherman

Lighthouse at Whatipu

Waiting patiently for the fisherman

Stunning Whatipu

The moon over Little Huia on our way home

Over the weekend we headed down to Hamilton to celebrate Hinehoa's 13th Birthday. I really felt my age when trying to think of a birthday present for a 13 year old (Glassons Vouchers...). It was great to catch up with John, Carroll, Olly and Whets and to meet all the nieces and nephews. Joel and I just headed down for the day - we returned to Auckland at around 5pm when the others all headed off to a Rugby game in Hamilton. We drove through the biggest thunderstorm we have both ever seen on the way back (motorway at a stand still). Elsie doesn't like torrential rain (cue screaming!).

In the Kitchen

Leftovers for lunch

This week I tried to make Chocolate Chippy Cookies. I borrowed the recipe from Charlotte (a seasoned pro) and it was one of those one from an American website with around 5,000 positive reviews from people. If 5,000 people can make this recipe then surely I can too? Well I did actually - kind of. Being an American recipe it made a massive batch - 48 cookies. As I only had one baking tray I baked these in four batches of 12 each. Therefore, I got to have four different attempts at getting the temperature and timing right. By the fourth tray I got a decent biscuit - crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside. What I didnt like about the biscuits was that you could feel the sugar crystals in them. I noticed later in the week that Marcus Wareing has a recipe in his cookbook called 'How to Make the Perfect...' that uses castor sugar instead of granulated sugar. Perhaps I'll try this one next time.  Can I call this recipe a success if it took me four attempts to get it right? Hmm. Not convinced that the baking curse has lifted yet...