Police and civilian receive bravery awards for their - New Zealand ...

New Zealand Police Associationby Ricky CollinsGourmet Hawke’s BayA recent call from some Christchurch-basedfriends suggesting a short trip to Hawke’s Bayto visit vineyards and support the Crusaders attheir Napier ‘home game’ was just too temptingto resist. It had been at least seven years sinceI’d visited the Bay, so I was keen to find outwhat had changed in that time.Over the course of three days we visited some of the premier vineyardsin the region including Craggy Range, C J Pask and Te Awa Road. I’dalso pre-arranged a visit to one of my favourite New Zealand vineyards,Te Mata Estate. Director of Sales and Marketing, Nicholas Buck kindlygave our group the VIP treatment, culminating in a tasting of the fullrange of their current release wines. I’ve always been a big fan of TeMata Awatea, a blend of traditional Bordeaux varieties and little brotherto the company’s flagship wine, Te Mata Coleraine. This visit confirmedfor me that the Awatea is probably one of the best value red winesproduced in New Zealand.The trip wasn’t all about wine. We did manage to work in a couple offantastic long lunches; at wineries of course. Black Barn, just alongthe road from Te Mata Estate, is a fantastic food and wine venue withluxurious accommodation options on site as well. It was great to spenda late autumn afternoon there soaking up the sun and enjoying greatfood and wine with good friends. We repeated the recipe the next dayat Mission Estate, New Zealand’s original winery established way backin 1851. One of the highlights of the trip for me was to re-visit theMission range of wines. They had fallen off my radar in recent yearsafter failing to impress last time I visited. Seven years later things haddefinitely changed for the better. The 2009 Mission Estate CabernetSauvignon (RRP $20) and the 2009 Mission Estate VineyardSelection Middle Road Chardonnay (RRP $26) that we enjoyedover lunch were fantastic and represent great value for money.Back in Napier, we were recommended a local boutique restaurantcalled Pacifica. I have one word for this place; stunning. Host RebeccaRameka and husband/chef Jeremy deliver a unique dining experiencewith a focus on fresh local seafood and wild game. The menu, thatchanges daily, offers small to medium-sized dishes all individuallydesigned to accentuate flavour and texture. The wine list is extensiveand interesting, the service impeccable, and Rebecca even drove ushome. I will be back.Hawke’s Bay is definitely a wine and food lover’s paradise. My onlydisappointment was running out of time to get out to Te Awanga andcheck out Elephant Hill and Clearview Estate wineries, but hey thatgives me a good reason to head back there sometime soon. Oh, bythe way, I think the Crusaders won.1 2 3 4 5 6 78 9Clues:Across:2. Pea igloos break apart and saysorry (9)8. Cowboy show? (5)9. Potties formed to sneak around (7)10. Entered by CRL (10)12. Leaves insecure (5)14. Hot place? (5)15. Central ace causes arson (10)18. Shortened version (2,5)19. Footwear also worn? (5)20. Short forms of sonnets (9)Down:1. Reiterating same as witness saw (13)2. Took a person against their will (8)3. Smell (5)4. Obvious; apparent (2,3,4,2,2)5. Collides (7)6. Self importances (4)7. Unfortunate occurrences (13)11. Looks after religious places (8)13. Group of workmates or just part of charge (7)16. Consumed (5)17. Tidal flows (4)1012 13 1415 161718 191120Answers: Across: 2. Apologise. 8. Rodeo. 9. Tiptoes. 10. Occurrence. 12. Opens. 14. Sauna.15. Accelerant. 18. In brief. 19. Thong. 20. Sonatinas. Down: 1. Corroborating. 2. Abducted.3. Odour. 4. On the face of it. 5. Impacts. 6. Egos. 7. Disadvantages. 11. Curators.12. Section. 16. Eaaten. 17. Ebbs.August 2011209