Gourmet road trips: Kerikeri

By CLAIRE TREVETT


Tell Bob Rosevear you do not like the cheese with holes in it and he gets a determined look in his eye.

The farmer-turned-cheesemaker carefully unwraps a thick wedge and presents a slice.

"You don't have to eat the holes. Just eat around them."

In Oromahoe, about 2km south along State Highway 10 from the Puketona turnoff to Paihia, Mahoe Cheese sells from a tiny room at the back of its cheese factory.

Set in farmland, the factory is down a driveway past fields of the cows that make the milk that makes the cheese, and tucked behind a kauri timber mill.

Mahoe sprang to notoriety four years ago when its Very Old Edam won the Supreme Award at the New Zealand Cheese Awards.

While its flagship cheeses are the edam and gouda, the locals seem especially fond of the various herbed cheeses.

Mahoe is one of several niche food producers along the roads that surround Kerikeri.

Traditionally the home of citrus fruit and kiwifruit, the region has turned into a delicatessen over the last decade, albeit with well-spread-out shelves.

Macadamia nuts, cheeses and wines can all be found at factory prices.

At Ludbrook House, on SH1 in Ohaeawai, Chris Ludbrook makes conserves, panforte, jellies and preserved lemons and limes in a commercial kitchen at the back of the family's old farmhouse.

Despairing at watching fruit rot on the ground, Chris Ludbrook set to turn quinces, figs and lemons into goodies that are now served to Air New Zealand's first-class passengers and at the exclusive Kauri Cliffs lodge at Matauri Bay.

Her quince paste or capsicum and chilli pepper jelly make a perfect accompaniment to Mahoe's cheeses.

Some products can be found on Mahoe's shelves, next to other regional delicacies, including organic coffee roasted in Kaeo, chilli sauces from Kawakawa and Kaitaia, honey from Hokianga and olive oil from Kerikeri.

Back past Mahoe on State Highway 10, just before the turnoff to Kerikeri, two wineries offer lunches and tastings.

Cottle Hill offers ploughman's lunches, salads and antipasto platters to go with their wines - largely reds and chardonnay.

Owners Mike and Barbara Webb started the winery in 1996, four years after they sailed to New Zealand from San Diego and never left.

Opposite the Kerikeri Rd turnoff, Wiroa Rd leads to the airport and also Marsden Estate. Cindy and Rod McIvor offer brunch, lunch and dinner either indoors or on the patio, kept cool by grapevines overhead and looking out over the lake and vineyards.

For those who want something a little stronger, Bishops Wood Estate on SH10 makes its own spirits and liqueurs.

The chilli schnapps will make a head-high tackle on your gullet, but the Macadamia Cream Liqueur will cool it down. The estate also has a new Italian chef, from San Francisco, for its revamped restaurant.

Roadside stalls and signs pointing to orchards are speckled along SH10 and Waipapa Rd, with fresh fruit, macadamia nuts and vegetables on offer.

Keripark, on the corner of SH10 and Kerikeri Rd, is a good one-stop shop, as is the Redwoods centre, on SH10 just south of Waipapa Rd. Redwoods also makes pickles, preserves, jams and jellies.

On Saturday mornings from 8am, local growers peddle their wares at the Green Market, at the Waipapa Hall.

About 2km past Waipapa, the avocado oil that snared Jamie Oliver's tastebuds is made and sold at the Olivado factory, down Sandys Rd off SH10.

If you have a yearning for fish'n'chips, Waipapa's Highway 10 Seafood Takeaways has won awards five times for Northland's best.

For those who would rather catch their own fish, former chef Peter Chaney will smoke it for you at his PC Meats butchery on Waipapa Rd.

He also sells everything from homemade brawn to quail.

In Kerikeri itself, the Bay of Islands Icecream Company does a nice line.

Directly across the road is Churchill's butchery, where Rhys Taylor set up shop three years ago after moving from Auckland, where he owned The Meat Keeper in Remuera.

Mr Taylor makes his own salami, sausages, black puddings, bacon and ham. His mother, Shirley, supplies handmade plum sauce and Shirl the Pearl's World Famous Meatballs.

Those too lazy to turn their ingredients into a meal can visit the Rocket Cafe, up Kerikeri Rd.

Finally, for the cherry on the top of the day, Kerikeri Rd will also take you to boutique chocolate factory Makana Confections.

Hawaiian owners Debi and Jim Makaweo have turned some of the region's fruit and nuts into sneaky treats, carefully handmade by staff who can be seen, behind windows, rolling truffles and pouring macadamia butter toffee crunch.

Tastings are offered so go before the New Year's resolutions kick in.

More information

* Bay of Islands Information centre at The Wharf, Marsden Rd, Paihia. Phone (09) 402-7345 or 0800 363-463.

* Kerikeri Business Association's website at www.kerikeri.co.nz.

* Tourism site Northland Naturally at www.northland.org.nz.

* Visitor Information Centre at Keripark, on the corner of SH10 and Kerikeri Rd.