New Zealand Weekly Update #96

Last updated on September 5, 2024

Lets get it started

Evening folks, again another late update from the other side of the world. It seems like those blog updates float into each other from time to time. I usually try to finish certain things in time. To be on time. To follow the rules. To have a certain structure. Since structure is kind of a safety net. Something you can rely on. Something you can focus on. But from time to time it is quite nice to break those rules. To not follow this structure and to be not structured and unorganised. To float. To go with the flow. To be in this uncomfortable area of not knowing whats going on next, what might happen next. And just to sit down, watching out of the window into the sky while writing a blog update.
My week could have been full of adventures, activities and new explorations. I was off due to certain curcumstances. So there was plenty of time to go crazy. But I did not. I tried to have some good sleep, I catched up with friends almost every day. Having a drink, a coffee, a walk and talk und just some relaxing times. And one day, I jsut stayed at home the whole day, watching movies while the sun was shining outside, begging me to go out.
Learning how to relax and not to be out and about on certain missions, adventures and activities is something I still try to embrace from time to time. I try to allow it to come into my life. As especially in an area like Wanaka you have a high amount of outdoor people. Active people. Crazy people. If you think you are a crazy person because you are doing triathlon, marathon, multi day hikes and what not, you are indeed just bloody average in Wanaka 🙂

Boocha and quality times

As I arrived in New Zealand almost two years ago, I never heard about the word Kombucha before. I am not even sure if this is a thing in Germany at all. Maybe in the bigger cities? German folks, what is your opinion about this one here and what is your experience?
While I had my first Kombucha in Wanaka at Kai Whaka Pai, I was not very convinced. Not very sure. It was kind of a lemonade, looking like a light lager. Coming with a low amount of alcohol. And the more zips I had, the more delicious it would become. The more yummy. The more woooow! The more „gimme gimme more, gimme more, gimme gimme more“! And from time to time, I would order Kombucha instead of beer. Just because of yummm yumm yumm. And a couple of months ago, and I still do not know how and why, I came across this idea of making Kombucha on my own. As it sounded very easy. All you need is love! Da Da Da Daaaa. And a SCOBY, some sugar, black tea and time. A SCOBY, which looks like an alien baby, feels like raw chicken and smells like nothing, is a Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast. So it is a living being. It is fucking alive! And folks it is! You can order it online or get it from friends who make their own kombucha, as a new SCOBY would develop with every new batch. And all you need to to is to brew some black tea, add some sugar and some water and let the SCOBY swim there in a dark space for a couple of days. The SCOBY eats the sugar and the caffeine. And it grows. And it changes the water tea mixture to a yummy tasting liquid. The longer you leave it, the more vinegry it would taste. And afterwards, you can go crazy with flavours! Go fucking crazy! I think I have never been more passionate about something food related. I started with a 7 litre glass jar a couple of weeks ago, now I am in possesion of 3 jars, a fourth to come soon. Which makes it almost 30 litres of Kombucha every fortnight! Way to go! Yummy as! Sweet az! Delicious as! Easy as! Whenever you folks are around, pop in and I will share some yummy kombucha with you, with some great flavour options!

Talking about good and healthy stuff, Sammy and me went out for a great dinner sunday evening after a relaxed day by the lake with a nice long walk in the rain. So we dressed up like going for a gala, drove all the way to Rippon vinyard and got ready for some yumm yumm experiences. We decided to go for the Chefs Table, kind of a pop up restaurant booked into the vinyard venue. Offering chefs choice, like a suprise menu. Combined with beverages of choice. And folks it was yummy and we have not been able to finish it. Bread with a cheese fondue, a starter platter with pate, halloumi, salmon cream, pork and whatnot. The main was a mixture of pumpkin creme, salmon in soy sauce, pork and crunchy potatoes. And the finale, a chocolate tarte with icecream sitting in caramel sauce! Folks, I am usually not that kind of person who is happy to pay a lot of money for a dinner. But this was an experience! And it was worth it all the money. Combined with a great glass of red and great company, this was fantastic and worth it. I might not be able to afford this every week, but having a nice dinner is something I will have again from time to time. As it is not just about the food, but also about the company and the overall experience. The view, the talks, the yum, the music, the energy.

What else to say?

Well, looking backwards, this year is full of challenges, tests and obstacles. It is full of reasons to give up, to throw in the towel and to just leave. It is testing. It comes with punches, with kicks and with force. And it also comes with many, many, many moments full of laugh, joy and happy days. Those moments, talks, people – they balance it out. They make it worth to keep fighting. They make it worth to keep smiling, to keep being faithful and hopeful.
And again, all of those things come with a silver lining. As I would not sit here, writing about my passion for kombucha, writing about an amazing dinner and writing about all those things to come if I would have given up on my dreams.

I wil lsee you next week folks – keep up that big smile!

Your DingyInternational
Felix