Corporate Christmas Gifts

Do you have an employee you’d love to thank for going the extra mile? Someone who has helped you make it through the recession & you’d love to do something really special and unexpected for them. We can do some fabulous gift vouchers for Christmas for these people who make your businesses profitable. Email sue@matuagardens.co.nz for options….and a great deal for yourself as well. And of course the vouchers are valid for 12 months so it can be an any time of the year gift not just during the silly season. Imagine how much your employee will thank you for a luxury accommodation experience at Matua Gardens Retreat.

The first signs of spring

The gardens are looking good after a lot of work over winter. The daffodils, of which we have planted thousands of named & mixed varieties, are just beginning to flower. So how about a spring treat to rejuvenate before we get into the silly season of November December? email Sue for some ideas and specials. Quote “spring treat” in the subject line.

Matua Retreat Stewart Island

The view from the section where we are planning to build a small retreat on Stewart Island. Overlooking Watercress Bay and out towards the sanctuary of Ulva Island this section has fabulous views. There are a few challenges involved with building down there. We have spent a lot of time investigating alternative electricity, water heating etc & have decided given the climate, available technology and potential occupancy that our investment is better being made into making an energy efficient unit.

Check out the new Matua Gardens Stewart Island views.

Model A car

Today Richard had a career change. He’s a movie extra. He’s quite often an extra in wedding videos with his lovely polished car. Today he took the 1928 Model A to Duvauchelle School to help out with the historical movie they are making. He was pretending to be father of three little boys being dropped off at school in the 1920′s. I don’t know who had more fun, Richard or the boys. One observed that the car doesn’t make the same sounds as his dad’s new truck. No it sure doesn’t. We wish Duvauchelle School every success with their movie & we are delighted to be able to help out with that. We are looking forward to seeing the end result.

Too much trouble

Yesterday at the Eco-Expo in Christchurch I was talking with a stall holder about energy savings & solar water heating. She was lamenting the fact that with gas hotwater heating she & her partner used one bottle per month for just the two of them. At present we use gas for hot water heating & cooking for the whole establishment. In the past couple of years we have made some changes to how we do things here & our gas usage has decreased from 1 bottle per month to 9 in 12 months. I also mentioned that our electricity usage had decreased by 18% because we turn everything off at the wall when it isn’t in use, among other things. An automatic washing machine apparently uses 25% of the energy just switched on at at the wall as it does actually working. So in the 20+ hours per day it isn’t washing it is using more electricity than it does actually washing.  The response to our turning everything off at the wall was “oh but that’s too much trouble”. I have some thoughts about the implications of that statement. I’d love to hear yours.

On a happier note, after looking around the expo Richard & I were left with a sense of doing very well when it comes to sustainable living. The only down side being the trip over the hill to attend. Of course we did some other jobs while we were there.

Geocaching

Matua Gardens Retreat in Robinsons Bay, Banks Peninsula is at the centre of spectacular places to drive and hike to. I’m just new to geocaching having been introduced to it by Franka & Stefan who were here as Helpex workers. 

“Geocaching (pronounced geo-cashing) is a worldwide game of hiding and seeking treasure. A geocacher can place a geocache in the world, pinpoint its location using GPS technology and then share the geocache’s existence and location online. Anyone with a GPS device can then try to locate the geocache.” from www.geocaching.com

We went out to Akaroa Heads & the lighthouse. Unfortunately that cache eluded us. We did find the caches at the Heritage Park, Otepotatu and Lighthouse Rd. I have since found the one on Onawe. I’m looking forward to getting out and about the Peninsula on foot and finding more caches in some of the more interesting & less visited places.

 http://nbbusinessjournal.canadaeast.com/journal/article/1131254 is an interesting article on Geo-cache tourism. If you are interested in finding your way off the beaten tourist tracks and checking out some of those little gems that are largely kept a secret, geo-caching could be for you. Check out www.geocaching.com Geo-caches are often in places that most tourists and many locals do’t get to visit. So with a level of fitness to match the terrain which can range from the rugged to urban, a sense of adventure and a small hand held GPS you can be uderway in no time. Just register with www.geocaching.com & play by the rules. Of course Matua Gardens Retreat is a great base for exploring the Banks Peninsula geocaches.

Retreats for couples

What are couples looking for in a retreat? According to Ian & Mary Grant in their book “Growing Great Marriages” the man is probably thinking sex and the woman thinking she has him alone & finally gets a chance to talk to him.

We think what that really says is couples need more time together to talk, to connect, to love, to fulfill their needs and to enjoy each other. Most people struggle to switch off from their day to day lives and say “no” to work, friends, neighbours, children, phone calls, texts, surveys, facebook, blogs and all the other technology and communication we have available. Time with our special someone is often short. Thats why we think for a fraction of the money most people spend on depreciating assests such as phones, tvs, computers etc, they can make a fantastic investment in their relationship and have a memorable experience both people will appreciate. It doesn’t have to be a special occasion such as an anniversary but if it is we’ll make it extra special.

Most people love to feel cherished and pampered. Try a two or three day Matua Gardens Retreat or even 24 hours away from the usual routine see what happens. Talk to Sue about what pampering you would like arranged for you and if you aren’t happy with the result let us know.

Happy Food

Ok so I stole that from Jonny Schwass in the Feb- Mar 10 Dish magazine. He says “it is rewarding for me as a chef to be involved in every stage of the meals I prepare each night. It seems such a natural way to cook that I am embarrassed it has taken me nearly 20 yrs to figure it out”.

I’ve been growing veges for over 40 years. From planting a wobbly row of lettuces to “help” when I was about 6 to a huge vegetable garden feeding ourselves, extended family & even managing to sell some before farmers markets were around in NZ,  to now where we grow what we cook for guests. I completely understand Jonny’s love of growing what he’s cooking and yes he’s right. Things do taste better after some time in the sun.

And in my opinion they taste better because they are fresher and still alive. Sometimes food here is on the plate less than 10 minutes after leaving the garden. Aside from the taste the thing we love the most is the look on peoples’ faces. Sometimes it is sheer disbelief that nothing much at all was done to a particular vegetable. It just tastes as it should. Real!

It’s great to see the professionals becoming as enthused about fantastically fresh food as we home gardeners have been for a very long time. It just means a bit of flexibility with the menu. Some of us love spontaneity & working with what we have on the day.

Energy Efficiency

Last year when Matua Gardens Retreat achieved an enviro-gold rating in recognition of our environmental efforts, we set some goals to continue to improve our use of electrcity and gas. We have  more than doubled what we set out to achieve and we are delighted to report no guest has suffered in the process. The guest experience has continued to be that of luxury accommodation & dining, romance, celebration & connecting with nature.  Being energy efficient involves some effort, planning & thought. We do the thinking while our guests relax and enjoy.

Mothers Day At Matua Gardens Retreat

Mothers Day and autumn go together brilliantly. What does the mother in your life love? Aside from you of course. Perhaps  after a walk in crisp autumn air she would love relaxing beside a lovely open fire fed with wood from a sustainable source, a glass of something fantastic from Hemingway Fine Wines,  fresh home made bread from our oven with local food -  Barrys Bay cheese, Akaroa salmon, Matua Gardens pickles, La Casa Toscana olives, The Olive Grove olive oil & dukkah from Matua walnuts & Hazelview hazelnuts? Give me a call or email about a voucher for the mother in your life. Have a happy Mothers Day.