Have you made a Martini before? Never. (LAUGHS) Put your tongue back in your... (LAUGHS) Is there a horn on this, honey? Yeah, there is. HORN BEEPS I don't know where it is. (LAUGHS) Do you reckon you can go another 50m? Up we go. (COUGHS) RASPS: It'll kill me, but I'll do it. UPBEAT MUSIC Captions by Desney Shaw and Imogen Staines. www.able.co.nz Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2016. Let's have a look, honey. See where we're going. Auckland to Wellington. Whoo-hoo! Oh, that's great. Cool, huh? Fantastic. We haven't been there for ages. What a great city to visit. Cool restaurants, cafes, coffees. Bars. Absolutely. Bars, ooh. Let's go. So, Bee and I, how did we meet? I was the head chef of a restaurant, and Bee came for a job, and she came in, and she didn't even give me her CV. I said, 'You're hired.' She's like, 'You haven't seen my CV.' I'm like, 'I don't care. You're hired.' It wasn't instant love. It nurtured over a number of years. I didn't really like Mike to begin with, which was (LAUGHS) quite funny. All the other girls in the kitchen absolutely adored him. Yeah, I didn't really take to him, but when we actually started going out, never looked back. Wellington is a place I've always had a lot of good memories in. Almost 15 years ago, we came to Wellington to research. Wellington was at the forefront of food, so in my mind, whenever I think of Wellington, I always think of food, I think of good experiences, I think of going out and just having fun. So, thanks for renting with Avis, and have a wonderful trip. Should we find out where we're going? Let's do it. Let's have a look. Let's do it. I'm driving. Bye-bye, airport. Hello, Wellington. READS: Head straight to Martinborough to sample some of the local produce, 'and then check in for a night of luxury at... Wharekauhu Lodge.' Ooh. Ooh, beautiful. Nothing wrong with a bit of luxury. Absolutely. Martinborough, you know, it's amazing because you serve these wines in your restaurant. It's another thing to actually go to the place where they're being produced and talk to the man himself who's been there making those wines for 16 years. Very special experience. Yeah, so, this is all off the original vineyards ` so some of the very first plantings going back to 1980. So 36 years old now, so great to have these old, mature vines. We had a restaurant for so many years. We had Molten, and we had your wine on the list there. And then you actually come to the place itself, you can touch the grapes, and, you know, it just makes it very... very connected. Yep. It's pretty cool. Absolutely. Once we walked out of that cellar, you walk upstairs, go through another door, and you're in a gin distillery. Where did that come from? We make a London dry style gin. Here we've got all the botanicals that we use to make the gin ` sweet almond, liquorice root, cinnamon, orris root. So, what I do is I load the still. This is a condenser, and it has cold water running through it to condense the, um, alcohol vapours into the gin that runs down into the bottom. Wow. > Oh, look at that. > Look at that. > So, I've got here some Martini ingredients, if you'd like to... So we're gonna make this ourselves? Yes. Oh yes! WOMEN LAUGH Have you made a Martini before? Could be strong. Never. OK. So, put some ice in the shaker. Ice in shaker. So that's good. Some Noilly Prat. Put a couple of those in` into the shaker. One, two. Give it a stir round. This is what you see all the bartenders do. WOMEN LAUGH Gin ` most important. Yeah. Put the glass over the top. Give it a good shake. (LAUGHS) Put your tongue back in your... (LAUGHS) (LAUGHS) I love it! Twist, bang. Oh my goodness. Halfway? < Yeah. That's good. Olives are important. Whoops. Just one? (LAUGHS) Just one. And put it in. So that's it? So that's a classic Martini. So that's shaken,... Yep. ...not stirred. OK, here we go. Mmm. Oh, that's good. Ooh, yeah, that is nice. Is that good? Yeah, that's good. I've never had one. Oh. In 43 years. (CHUCKLES) Well done. Cheers, Rachel. So, after a hard day of working in here, do you go home and have a G and T? WOMEN LAUGH Sometimes. ALL LAUGH So after a short drive, we drove into another vineyard, Te Kairanga, into another cellar, and this one isn't filled with old bottles. This one is filled with fresh barrels of delicious Pinot Noir. What a great way to have wine ` straight from the... Straight from the barrel. Yeah. It's quite a challenge to people, though, sometimes, because the wine doesn't taste like it does in the bottle. You'll see that it's about the potential. It's about what will happen, where it will go. I have never experienced that before. Tasting the wine straight from the barrel. That's been amazing. I think driving to Wharekauhau, it's pretty special knowing that you're going to go to this luxury lodge. You walk in, and the lighting is soft, and it's` and it's warm. It is splendidly appointed, and the attention to detail is extraordinary. I'm extremely impressed. Right, here's your first course for this evening. Delicious. This is a roast chicken and manuka honey soup with some stinging nettles. This soup is extraordinary. Now, I have to ask you ` who's the most famous person that's sat on this table, apart from myself and my lovely wife, Belinda? (LAUGHS) Um, the top celebrities was Prince William and Kate. It's quite a procedure just to get them here. Really? Is that right? Yeah. You needed a month's extensive training before you even met them, and there's a way to greet them. Really? Isn't that great that that still exists? It's weird being on that side, because normally I'm the chef. Tonight I'm the guest. The fire's going behind us. It's romantic. It's beautiful. Very special. To be able to come to one place and know that all of this food has come from, say, a 10km radius is a beautiful thing. Um, honey, I've really enjoyed my day. I think it's been amazing. Mm. Meeting some great people and just learning something, really, and being in a beautiful part of NZ. When we wake up in the morning, there shall be an entirely new world around us, because it's the mystery of turning up at a place at night-time. Everything around us... Like, we look out the windows, it's black. Get up in the morning, open up the curtains, where are we? Yeah. Cheers, honey. Cheers. Here's to our little escape. And to look forward to tomorrow. Whatever it may bring. Come on, sheepies. That way! Here we go, sheepies. I don't know where it is. HORN BEEPS (LAUGHS) I'm going up the side, honey. Heel, sheepie, heel. No, no, no, no, no. (LAUGHS) CHEERFUL MUSIC Wasn't it incredible to actually open up the curtains and see where we were? Just overlooking the bay, sun shining and the ocean. It's raining in Auckland today. Is it? Hosing down. Look at it here. Look at it! OK, should we get into this, find out what we're doing? OK. OK. (READS) 'Rip up the tranquillity of the local countryside...' Ooh. Ooh. Ooh, rip up. What does that mean? Four-wheel driving? Maybe. Yeah. I'm happy about that. '...before taking the fastest route to the capital,...' Helicopter maybe? Ooh. Helicopter? '...where you will continue your luxurious escape at an InterContinental hotel. Wow. Awesome. Top o' the morning. Good morning. You're gonna be going on some quad bikes today. Look at that. Yes! Do you have any medical conditions that may prevent your movement on a bike? No. I'm a little bit crazy... (LAUGHS) It's OK. ...when it comes to motor vehicles and engines. If you get a little bit crazy, I'll just make you walk. OK. Yeah. I am a Westie. It's built into me. (LAUGHS) The power steering's amazing. I know, isn't it? I think going quad biking is awesome, because it's my world. I love motorbikes, quad bikes and adventure and getting dirty. And I know that Bee's not as confident, but as soon as, you know, she knew that a) it was automatic, it was easy to ride, it was safe, we were away. We're riding along this stretch, and there's some sheep there kinda looking a little bit bewildered. (LAUGHS) Look at them all! You don't mind putting them back in the paddock for me, do you? What, us? Yeah, you can do it. (LAUGHS) (LAUGHS) Come on, sheepies! That way! Here we go, sheepies. Is there a horn on this, honey? Yeah, there is. HORN BEEPS I don't know where it is. (LAUGHS) (LAUGHS) Come on, sheepies. Do we walk, do we? Yeah, we'll walk. Go, sheepies. Go. I'm going up the side, honey. OK. OK. OK. I'm in front. Good job. OK, you keep 'em coming, honey. Yep. Heel, sheepie, heel. No, no, no, no, no. OK. (LAUGHS) Bring them down! Very very funny. I had a great time doing it. They sort of went one way; I was going the other. It was hilarious. They're a good-looking pile of sheep, I must say. What an experience. Extraordinary. We drive back to the lodge, we get back, and there on the front lawn is parked a very special helicopter. I love helicopters, but this, I've never been in one like this. You know, it's pretty special. That is a fine piece of machinery sitting on that front lawn. Whoo-hoo. And we're off. How quickly you get up in the air. Just brilliant, the buzz. It's a real adrenaline rush, I think, because it's so quick. Yeah, you just feel like a bird just being lifted up into the sky. And just beautiful. Just really really cool. Unique experience definitely. There's, uh` That must be the owner's cottage there. I think it is, and I think that` with the swimming pool, that's the one Wills and Kate stayed in. Is it really? The one further up? Yes. Far, that's huge as well, isn't it? Isn't it? I couldn't think of a better way to arrive into Wellington ` in your own chopper, landing on Queens Wharf. There was all these people all looking at us, all staring at us. 'Who's coming in? Is it royalty? Is it a movie star? Is it Peter Jackson?' 'No, it's a cook.' Behind us was a Bentley limousine waiting to pick us up. So it's just getting better. Wellington is a fun, happy, vibrant, a little bit quirky, a little bit grungy, a little bit edgy, but just cool. I think it's gonna be very hard going home. I really do. And, uh, the suite is beautiful. Huge big bathroom. Great space and, um, plenty of room just to, sort of, nestle in and, yeah, relax and enjoy it. Ooh, here we go. Oh, another clue card. Your turn to read. Your turn. OK. 'Can you tell a steampunk from a nitro? 'Take a tour around Wellington to find out why it is regarded as the culinary capital of NZ.' Cool. Culinary tour. Intriguing. Cool. We're both chefs. It's up our alley. Absolutely. What's steampunk? No idea. Isn't that`? Isn't that, like, a style of clothing or...? Well, we're about to find out. Absolutely. Get changed into some steampunk clothes. Ha. (LAUGHS) Hi. How are you? Good afternoon. I'm good, thanks. Lovely to meet you. Lovely to meet you as well. I'm Stephanie from Zest Food Tours. I'll be your guide today. I'm going to show you around in Wellington from a foodie perspective. And our first one will be an artisan award-winning gelato maker with a difference. Fantastic. Oh, that sounds very exciting. I guess, being a chef, a food tour is not something that I would always go on, just because I think, 'Oh, yeah, we've been there, we've done that. 'We know everything there is to know about food.' I don't think I've ever been on a food tour in my life. Welcome to Gelissimo. Look at these. Don't they look fantastic? Don't they? It's a little bit like wine tasting. You should always start with the lighter flavours then finish with the really... Move through to the gruntier. We end up down there. Yeah, you will end up down there eventually. Winter's a good time to come, because we always have something unusual. This one's peas and mint. Peas and mint? Peas and mint gelato? Yep. You can smell the peas. Mm. This one's carrot and ginger. Lovely. Beautiful colour. Juiced up with a bit of fresh root ginger. Mmm. This one is cold-pressed olive oil gelato. Thank you, Graham. Wow. Olive oil gelato. Wow. Lovely. That is delicious. So, next up from the gelato, I found out we are gonna go into Mojo Coffee. It made me a little bit happy. But not for any old coffee. Nitro? < Correct. That's Steampunk. < Correct. Cold. Cold? Cold. 10 degrees cold, yeah. What is the process of Nitro? So, Nitro, it's cold-brew coffee, so it's coffee steeped in water for 16 hours overnight. And then we infuse it with nitrogen food grade, and that creates that sort of Guinness-like mouthfeel and that sort of head at the top. Versus Steampunk, on the other hand, it's a filtered coffee comprised of the filtration of AeroPress, um, and that sort of agitation that you would get in a pour-over. And it's completely done through an automatic machine called the Steampunk from Alpha Dominiche. So this is Steampunk? Steampunk. I love the name. Nutty flavours. Very nutty flavours, absolutely. Which one will keep me up for about the next 48 hours? Probably that one there. (LAUGHS) Bring that one towards me. That's one serving? Correct, yeah. 2.2 shots. That literally hits the maximum you can actually serve in one sitting. Right. It's quite bizarre having cold coffee. That's completely different. That's blown my mind of coffee. CHEERFUL MUSIC So, here's a little surprise for you. This is Fix and Fogg's peanut buttery. Meet Tom. Hi, Tom. How are you? Hello. How are you? Hi, Tom. Hi, Tom. How are you? I'm very well, thank you. Can we taste some of your delicious peanut butter, please? Certainly. Coffee and peanut butter ` it's a good combo. It is, yeah. I get quite excited when you find the little nooks and crannies of food that are not out in prime locations, they're tucked in behind all the streets, and they survive because they do the best product. They don't survive because of their location. They survive because they are good at what they do. Everything here is fair trade or direct trade. So the Papua New Guinea one from Bougainville is actually a zero-emissions bar. So they sailed there on the boat. Took them about four months,... Wow. And brought it back. ...and brought it back here, and then everyone here took their bikes to the harbour and brought the beans back on the bike. Fantastic. Done a lot of` Oh, it's really up front. Yes. Full-on personality. It's been a great experience today. I have enjoyed meeting each person. For a country that's built on small business, it's really nice to actually meet the people behind those businesses that are doing so well. So, all these places that were just incredible ` artisan producers in Wellington ` we would've never have found them without her. No. You gotta go on a food tour. Yep. Ooh la la. Waikanae crab? Lovely. Ooh. Mmm. Oh my goodness. Thank you very much. Thank you. Waikanae crab, honey. I'm jealous. Oh yeah. Smells good. Ooh yeah. It's lovely. Mmm. Shall I propose a toast, honey? Yes. Here's to Wellington. Absolutely. Enjoying. Definitely. Enjoying. So, do you reckon you can go another 50m? RASPS: It'll kill me, but I'll do it. You can do it. You can do it. You can make it. I'll push you. Whoa-ho-ho! 1 I think this trip has just been extraordinary. To get through all the places and see and meet and touch and taste all the things that we've done in such luxury, it makes me really appreciate the country we live in. OK, we've got another clue waiting here. What's it say this time? READS: Seal the end of your escape with a trip to Wellington's rugged coastline. Ah. I think we're going to see... Seeing some seals. ...seal colony. Better get warm. Absolutely. How you doing? Good morning. Good morning. Mike. Michael. Welcome. Welcome. Hi. Nice to meet you. And Belinda? Yes. Or Bee. Yes, Bee. That's perfect. Thank you. Sounds good. Ready for a bit of fun? Absolutely. Yes, definitely. Let's go. Have you been down this way before on your travels at all, Bee? No, no, I haven't, no. Never. Well, this is the south coast,... Yes. ...and what we call the wild south coast. Now, today you can see it's really living up to that wild and rough weather. CHUCKLING And you're prepared for some rough off-road four-wheel driving? Absolutely, bring it on. Abso` Oh yeah. Sounds like fun. Bring it on? OK. Boy, how rugged is that coastline? So windy, so rugged. Uh, you can see where the rocks are falling down. Up over this little rocky gorge, I was like, 'No way. No way are we gonna get over that. And yet up and over we went, easy as Larry, not even a wheelspin, down the other side and along. Awesome. I get the feeling that it's quite windy around here. LAUGHTER It's just an ordinary day. This an ordinary day? (LAUGHS) You wait till the howler comes through. (LAUGHS) Wow! I'd hate to see it when you call it windy. LAUGHTER We get used to it. We try and drop the name Windy Wellington, but round the coastline it's wild, it's a` It's incredible. It's good, eh? Yeah. Yeah. On a day like this, that wind's up. Wow! (LAUGHS) This is a good old Wellington wind. She's pretty windy! LAUGHTER And you can see the spray going up as well ` the sea spray. Yeah. Look at that. So, uh, we're going along and there's an enormous sand dune. I love sand dunes. Sand dunes are pretty cool. So, uh, up we went. Oh yeah, that wind helps a lot. Look at that wind coming through. Yeah. The view is beautiful. So, do you reckon you can go another 50m? Yeah, let's do it. Yeah, let's do it. Let's do it. OK. Up we go. (COUGHS) RASPS: It'll kill me, but I'll do it. Ooh. Up to that rock, honey. You can do it. (LAUGHS) You can do it. You can make it. You can do it. We will make it! (CHUCKLES) I'll push you. Ah! You made it, honey. Whoo-hoo! Oh. Oh no, we're sliding. Well, part way. Whoa-ho-ho! And we're gonna go back down the hill. We're gonna try and run down. OK, let's go. OK. Go, honey! Whoa! Just run. Doesn't matter if you're gonna fall over. Doesn't matter. It's reasonably soft. And off you go down the dunes, running like little kids. Pretty cool. That was fun, wasn't it? Oh, that was fun! (LAUGHS) BRIGHT MUSIC Aw, look. Big boys, aren't they? They are. Now, they can get a lot bigger than this as well. This was a big area of whale hunting, seal hunting in Cook Strait. There was a lack of seals. People thought that we had wiped them out completely. We hadn't. And in the last nearly 60 years, they've come back in huge record numbers all around our coastlines. Oh, look at them, eh. They come usually about 10m, 15m out the water. So, these guys can eat a phenomenal amount of fish, and then they just come in and think, 'Right, blob out.' That's it. Yeah. Seeing the seals up close is, yeah, quite a unique experience. Just lots and lots of fun. UPBEAT MUSIC The escape to Wellington has been brilliant. Feel very lucky to actually have some time out with my husband, because we don't often get it. There's just` It's always about work, so having a few days just together to, sort of, enjoy each other's company has been a lot of fun. I can really see why tourists love our country. We really have so much to see and do. Feel very very lucky to have enjoyed this experience. Quite often when we're at home, we're just trying to survive, just trying to keep up ` 'What are we doing tomorrow? What are we doing the next day?' But to actually stop and reflect on 'what are we doing this year' and 'what are we doing next year', you need to get away and do these sort of things now and then. And I can tell you, when you go away and you leave a place going, 'I could live here,' that must mean that there's something very special about that place. Book now at Air NZ. BRIGHT MUSIC Captions by Desney Shaw and Imogen Staines. www.able.co.nz Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2016.