# Left my home town of Huntly, # headin' out in the cold. From the sunny north to the wild south, New Zealand is overflowing with breathtaking backdrops, heavenly harvests and a whole lot of fabulous foodies. So jump on board with us as we hang out with the locals, wrangle some wildlife and feast our way around this magnificent country. Come on, Toppy. We got people to meet and food to eat. Yee-hah! # Nga iwi e. # This week we're hanging out in a superfood avocado orchard in Whangarei. And then we play on the wild East Cape with a bookbinder and his wife, whose families have lived here for centuries. But first up we're with Fay and Joe Gock, who've spent the last 65 years getting up with the sun to tend their market garden in South Auckland. The Gocks were the first to grow rhubarb for market in New Zealand, and rhubarb's hit the superfood list. No wonder these two are still going like the clappers in their eighties. Hello. Hello, Lynda. Hello, Jools. Hello. Are you gonna give me a hand with the hoeing? Am I? Straight away, I'm into it. Yeah, yeah, put her to work. You could get to work. Are we in the rhubarb patch? Yes, this is what we` the Kiwis call the rhubarb. And then Chinese, it's called dai huang hou. BOTH: Dai huang hou. Yep. Interpretation in English would be 'big head, yellow root'. You're looking like a bit of a rhubarb yourself today. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. (ALL LAUGH) That's what it looks like. Yeah. We've got a bit of a story about rhubarb ourselves too, because there's a rhubarb seed that you can buy in New Zealand called Topps Winter. And it was a relative of ours, many years ago, smuggled rhubarb back in a cane after World War II or something. Well, aren't we lucky? Because we wouldn't have got this particular type if your relative hadn't put it in. BOTH: Yeah. There's rhubarb and rhubarb, but this is a very special one. BOTH: Yeah. Oh, hi. Hi. Pleased to meet you. Who's this? That's my granddaughter. She knows how to cook the rhubarb the Kiwi way. You're gonna do the cooking today for us? I am. I'm gonna show you how to do rhubarb a little bit different today. I'm looking forward to that. Righty-oh, are we gonna go cooking? See you later, Toppy. Good luck with the hoeing. Yeah, righty-oh. We'll be hungry by the time you've finished cooking. How many acres you got here to hoe? About 4 acres or 5 acres` 4 acres or 5 acres?! I don't like hoeing on a hot day, but it's a job that has to be done, isn't it? (LAUGHS) Do you know what variety these are, Fay? Uh, unfortunately, no. I had a few rhubarb that I grew, and then I just picked two that I really liked. And from two plants, then they multiply after all these years. How long ago was that, Joe? About 50 years` Over 50 years ago. Yeah? Look at that. 50-year-old rhubarb. It might even be Topps Winter. Wouldn't that be great? What else you got here, Fay? Oh, well, our specialist crop is kumara. In 1952, we were the biggest kumara grower at the time. Just a little place down in Pukaki Rd seemed to produce the best kumara. Even Pukekohe has tried it. They couldn't` They grew potatoes beautiful, but kumara? No. Whoo-hoo! What a beautiful thing! (LIGHT-HEARTED MUSIC) The grapes are just` they're just right there underneath me. I'm walking in a sea of grapes ` it's so exciting. Pretty special. (BOTH LAUGH) And are these a particular type of grape? This variety's muscat-Italia. And they're a really sweet eating grape. Do you think I could steal one? Oh, definitely. Pick the slightly higher ones that are a little bit yellow. How's that? Mmm, really good. Yeah? Little bit of Italy right here in Mangere. (BOTH CHUCKLE) In fact, do you want to grab that bunch to get for us? I'll get it. It's not often I'm taller than someone else. There you go. Fantastic. (BOTH CHUCKLE) Do you like being a market gardener? Yes, I do. I got married at 22, and I've been a market gardener ever since. Was Joe pretty handsome when he was young? Well, I think so. (BOTH CHUCKLE) I like him because he's kind, and he's very gentle. And he thought you were pretty good-looking, did he? Well, I hope so. (BOTH LAUGH) He hasn't told me in so many words. But it's like I said, action is more than the words, eh? (LAUGHS) This is going to be served on top of the duck that we're going to be searing in the pan. OK. So it's not no dessert that Mum would make. It's not a dessert that Mum's going to make with the pav. (BOTH LAUGH) So if you want to tip the vinegar into the pan and add the sugar in? The rhubarb is gonna just make everything brilliant, cos that's a superfood, ain't it? Oh, it definitely is. It was used as old Chinese remedies. It's really good for your bowel and for the liver. Maybe that's why your grandparents look so good, cos they've been eating rhubarb all their life. I'd say so. Their life has been full of superfoods like rhubarb. I'm gonna crush these juniper berries, and you can put the onions in. OK. Righty-oh, that's our lovely rhubarb going in. Wonderful. And are you a second-generation Chinese? I am. I'm actually second-generation New Zealand Chinese, which means I was born here, my parents were born here, and it was my grandparents that came over. Uh, well, during the Japanese War, we had to flee from the bombs that's been landing on where we are. I didn't know nothing about it. All I know was Mother just took us by the hand and say, 'We've got to go.' I said, 'Where? Where?' 'We've got to get away from here.' The New Zealand Chinese community rallied together and appealed to the New Zealand Government asking, 'Look, we've got friends and family over in China. 'We don't know if they're OK, because Japan has just invaded. 'Can we get them over here, even if it's just temporary?' After we'd escaped, the bombs came down, the Japanese were in there occupying, so, in a way, we were very glad we got out of there and at the right time. Up until the 1940s, there were only about 3000 Chinese in all of New Zealand, and only nine or 10 of them were women. So New Zealanders were not used to being around Chinese people. Oh, OK. Yeah. Do you like New Zealand? Well, yes, I grew up here. I don't know any other place but New Zealand ` that's my home now. It's a good thing they did stay, because they've been growing tucker for Kiwis ever since, haven't they? They have. They've been breaking new ground for the last 50 years. Fay is taking me kumara planting. And this machine here ` it's gonna automatically do it for us. Yeah, that's right. She'll take it down and plant for us. Oh yeah. And that tractor that's pulling this looks about a hundred years old. How long have you had this? Since 1956. Yeah, I've been wanting to get a new one, but Fay don't want to part with it. (BOTH LAUGH) Righty-oh, crank her up. Let's plant some kumaras. Lift 'em up, so we can get ready. (ENGINE TURNS OVER) Whoo! (LAUGHS) And how long have you been riding this tractor? Oh, for as long as I can remember. Yep. I've forgotten the years. I can talk to it, and it talk back to me. What does it say? I say, 'slow', 'don't go so fast' or 'drive in a straight line'. (BOTH LAUGH) (PAN SIZZLES) Whoo! She's cooking. You're pretty good with the chopsticks there, girl. I can eat jelly with chopsticks. You can eat jelly with it? (LAUGHS) I'm gonna stick with the Kiwi chopsticks. (LAUGHS) Oh, looking good. Let's add some juice ` orange juice ` just to give it a little bit more flavour. Nice. Are we putting grapes in there as well? We're gonna also put a couple of grapes in for` These are our beautiful muscatel. Wow, this looks so amazing. I know, right? And so is there a secret to knowing when the duck is ready? Uh, basically, it's treated very similar to a steak, so you sear it on both sides. Duck is always very nice still a little bit rare in the middle. And how are we gonna to serve it? OK, so we're gonna be serving our duck breast on some slow-cooked red cabbage. Oh, wow. And then drizzle our rhubarb sauce on top. That sounds good. Joe, how long are you gonna keep driving tractors out here? As long as I'm able to. I'm 87. (CHUCKLES) And what does that make you? 82. 82. We worked it out that you've been together for 65 years, and what's the secret to that? When she growl, I stay silent. (ALL LAUGH) (CHUCKLES) As sweet as my cup of tea, I think. Mmm, marvellous tasting. Oh my God, that is so incredible. It is superfood. That rhubarb is just melting in my mouth. The duck is gorgeous ` perfectly cooked. The sauce from the rhubarb ` I've never tasted rhubarb done like this. Everybody'll be buying red cabbage, rhubarb, and we'll go and shoot our duck. (ALL LAUGH) Every five years, we all do the census, but don't expect a knock on your door, because... Look out for your access code in your letterbox this week, then use it to... I Hello, darlings. Welcome back to Topp Country. This week we're raising money for the Clevedon Polo Club of Auckland. We'll be serving a rolled zucchini, with spring vegetables and a kale cream. I call it 'Straight from the Horse's Mouth'. And to go with that 51 shades of green, 'Porn on the Lawn'. One for me, one for the pony. You know, Dicky's playing well this year, isn't he, darling? Very well. Tuckers, darling. (UPBEAT GUITAR MUSIC) This land just outside of Whangarei has been in Stephen Wade's family for nearly a century. And 30 years ago, when most Kiwis hadn't even tasted an avocado, Sam and Stephen's Lynwood farm became one of the first nurseries in the country. The avocado is a magic superfood, and these two are magic and super too. Hi, folks. Oh, hi. How are you doing? Hi, ladies. BOTH: Whoo-hoo! I've picked one just for you. Whoo-hoo! What a beautiful avocado. Look at that. Yeah. Are you sick of avocados yet? Never. I've eaten thousands of avocados over the last 30 years; I love 'em. What's the best way to eat an avocado? I don't dress them up now. I just eat 'em naked. We're gonna eat ours with our clothes on today, eh? (ALL LAUGH) I reckon. You can jump in here. I'm gonna get out. We're all good` Can I hop? You jump in here. It's your turn. I'm not going in there. We're going somewhere else. Goodbye. I'm not getting in that bloody thing. (LAUGHS) Righty-oh. Is there a special way to get in? You hold my hat, and I'll see if I can climb in there. I'll give you a hand. Yeah, give me a push, Steve. (GROANS) Keep going in. Hands` Hands underneath, I feel. Push up. (GROANS) (LAUGHS) You've got lovely big warm hands, Steve. There you go. I'll fire this up for you. Righty-oh. Ooh. Whoo-hoo! Just pick the nice big ones. Nice big ones. Beautiful. (CHUCKLES) We are making avocado cheesecake. Yes, we are. It's delicious and so easy. You don't actually have to cook anything. Oh, I like that. First, we need pecans, cocoa nibs, dates. Next, we put in the toasted coconut. Last of all, we put 3 tablespoons of coconut oil. Is that it? That's it, yeah. And what's this part we're making here? This is the base. Usually, you'd be crushing up biscuits and doing all that sort of stuff, wouldn't you? Yeah, well, here's a healthy alternative. (FOOD PROCESSOR WHIRRS) Well, this afternoon, Lynda, I'm gonna teach you how to graft. Righty-oh, that sounds exciting. Yeah, well, the place we start... is we grab a piece of budwood. Now, all Hass in the world ` and there's tens of millions of trees around the world ` they all originated from the mother Hass tree, which was discovered in California` Southern California in the 1920s by Rudolph Hass. Unbelievable. All these trees here came from one tree in California. Genetically identical. Hey, are you a full-time avocado farmer? Actually, no. I have another little business ` China restoration. China restoration? That's rather a big country to restore. It is rather a big country. (CHUCKLES) Is it only antiques? Um, not always. I get anything. I even get garden gnomes. What did you have to do with this one here? Well, this one ` he'd lost an ear. Oh, the old cow. Yep. And this one had lost an arm. So there's a bit of sculpture, remoulding` Oh, you had to make that ear and make that arm? Yeah, yep. So I did it` Quite specialised. It is very specialised. I think I'm the only person north of Auckland doing it. There's nothing worse than something like that that's got a hand missing or something chipped off it or something. If it's a family heirloom, and, you know, it's been in the family for years, and people are heartbroken. And it's just neat to see their faces. We are now going to graft an avocado tree. Make a cut just where my finger is. And that's one of those beautiful pieces of budwood. That piece there looks like a good piece. Cos it's the same` the stems are about the same size. The stems are about the same size. The next part is the hard part ` to cut the 'v' is the hard part. OK, now, can you mop my brow? (BOTH LAUGH) Be bold. Yes. How does it look? It could do with a little bit more work. I thought it was really good. (BOTH LAUGH) Righty-oh, Sam, what's next? You need at least five avocados. OK, this is our topping, right? This is the actual filling. And you put the flesh into the blender. No problems. And I'm going to grate this lime. That is perfectly ripe ` look at that. Sam, I'm gonna have to go in and have one of these naked. We'll get another one off the tree now. (LAUGHS) It's absolutely amazing. Are you gonna leave some for the recipe? (CHUCKLES) Cut a little wedge down there. Now, you leave that scalpel in there and that leaves a bit of a wedge, does it? Yeah, you can use that to open it up. And then the next thing we do is get a bit of grafting tape, and then we'll strap it up tight. And you do this every day? I don't. Someone else does. (BOTH LAUGH) So the teaspoon of lime zest, honey. Last thing to go in is the coconut oil ` it makes it beautiful, velvety smooth, and it's gorgeous. Whoo-hoo! Give it a whizz. (FOOD PROCESSOR WHIRRS) Now, the next thing we've gotta do is we've got an open wound there that would just dry out if we didn't seal it. And the last little thing we want to do ` a little bag, which will make it a little bit warmer and a little bit more humid. It's a beautiful graft. We're going to put a tag in that, and we're gonna call that our Topp tree. That is my first baby tree. (PLEASANT, FLOWING MUSIC) Steve would be proud of that. He's very enthusiastic when it comes to avocados. Is he a good bloke? Absolutely, he is. He's got a fantastic sense of humour. Where did you meet him? I actually met him at an antique fair, where I had a little display demonstrating my china restoration. And I saw her down there and thought, well, she's not bad. He took one of my cards,... I went home and broke a piece of china. (BOTH LAUGH) ...and, yeah, the rest is history. What's the best thing about Sam? She's a very caring person. She'll always go and bat for the underdog. Yeah. Have you got kids? We've got two kids; we've got Lucy and Ruve. Lucy's 13 today. Today? We better have a birthday party. I think we'd better. (CHUCKLES) Whoo! Party time. (THE TOPP TWINS' 'TOMBOY') # Way back then, girls... OK, Lucy, I'm gonna have some of your birthday cake. (ALL LAUGH) Yeah, good on ya. That is the best cheesecake I've ever had. Happy birthday, Lucy! (ALL CHEER, CLAP) # But she bucked the system, got out of the kitchen... # (LIGHT-HEARTED MUSIC) Joshua and Sarah Kauta are local legends here on Torere beach on the wild East Cape. Joshua's whanau have been living off and loving this stretch of coastline for centuries, and these two have raised their six kids on the same tucker their ancestors enjoyed,... ...superfoods gathered and hunted from this lovely land and sparkling sea. What a life. Hello, folks. How are you doing? Good. How are you? Good to meet you. What a gorgeous spot you've got here. Welcome to paradise. Now, I hear you've got some superfood here? Yeah, did you want some? We'll go and get some puha. Righty-oh, sounds good to me. How about you and me ride a horse? Awesome. That's what I'd like to do. OK. You think you can handle one of these horses? I reckon I can handle it. All right. This is Nicodemus. Have we taken your horse that you usually ride? No, no, I don't ride the horses. Oh, you don't ride at all? No, only once I've ridden a horse. Once? In a place called el-Giza ` the pyramids of Egypt. (LAUGHS) So, were you a local here? Here? Yeah. No, no, no, I was born in London ` in cockney land, West Ham, England. She's a long way from home. (CHUCKLES) (COUNTRY MUSIC) Were you born here, Joshua? Yep, yeah, this is where I was born and raised. I bet you got a few stories to tell about this place. Oh, most of the stories I've got is about my childhood, growing up and how life was at that time. Oh, well, I try and maintain as much of those values as I can, pass them on to my children. You know, we only take from the sea what we need; we take from the bush only what we need. We were taught to respect it ` to respect the food up there. Wow! What a beautiful puha patch. Yeah. Why is this stuff superfood? Well, I know it for a fact, because I've had four children, and when I had a feed of puha, just, your energy boosted up. Right. Oh, I felt` Became superwoman. Yeah. (LAUGHS) Yeah. It's got the vitamin A,... Yeah. ...C and folate. Oh, yeah, OK, so it's got everything in it. Yeah, all the goodness you need. So after we've eaten this, we're gonna be really ready to rock 'n' roll. Yeah, yeah, superwomen. (BOTH LAUGH) And was it fun growing up here as a little boy? It was good fun. Yeah. Yep. (CHUCKLES) The elders were quite strict on us. There were times when we couldn't fish; there were times when we weren't allowed to take from the bush. They were there for a good reason though, weren't they? They were there for good reason. So you can hunt next year. We could. (LAUGHS) We always had food for next time. And you wouldn't be able to do the pig hunting without these beautiful horses behind us, would ya? No, well, the horses are a very important part of our set-up. And their job is just to carry the pigs out of the bush. How many brothers and sisters do you have? I've got 12. Now, my family of 12 was a relatively small family, I would've thought. Wow. (LAUGHS) Compared to the other families around the place. Yeah. Because I was actually told by my older sisters that had the pill been invented, I probably wouldn't have been here. Oh, OK. (BOTH LAUGH) I bet there wasn't much puha in London. Oh, well, my mother was a Maori. She came and brought us home to Opotiki. Yeah. And, um, she used to leave it in the garden. So you had puha in London? Yeah, but I didn't even know what it was. I thought it was a weed. I thought, she'd done all the weeding, but she'd left the puha there. (CHUCKLES) Look at that. Ooh, that's good, eh? Look at that. That is the perfect bunch of puha right here. I'm gonna learn how to restore an old book. What's the first thing I'm gonna do? Well, the first thing we do here is that you're going to resew the book. Resew it? (CHUCKLES) Resew all those sections. Have a` just a needle and thread. It's all gotta be done by hand. OK. Very, very simple. Oh, he's a telegraph pole, that one. (CHUCKLES) So, we're making toroi. The Maori would preserve this particular dish, because they didn't have the deep freezers and fridges in the old days, and it'll last the four seasons. OK. So puha is so good that you want to eat it all year round. Oh yes, yeah, yeah. (LAUGHS) OK. And we've got our mussels here. Where did you get these from? Oh, right there. Out there? Yeah. (LAUGHS) There's the rocks. So it was a life of hunting and gathering. Yes. And that's what the surname is. Kauta is food house, storehouse. That's pretty cool, isn't it? Yeah. Well, that's all I knew Joshua to do, is provide for the family, and it's been a real blessing having that. (HAMMER THUMPS) Where did you learn to do this? Um, I actually took an apprenticeship up with the Government Printing Office back in 1967. I went down to Wellington to become an electrician. Yeah. But I met up with this guy, and his name was Bill Tito, and he said, 'Don't do the electrician job.' I said, 'Why is that?' 'There's heaps of them. Come into bookbinding. 'In years to come, you and I will be the only ones doing it.' Oh, and he was right. It sounded pretty good to me. (LAUGHS) Now, I do tell the people that I restore books for that every book that comes to me comes with a 200-year guarantee. Oh, OK. (CHUCKLES) So if I` If anything goes wrong, you're not gonna be here. (CHUCKLES) Well, if after 150 years, it falls to pieces, just come on back, and I'll see what I can do. (LAUGHS) Righty-oh, there's the last of our mussels. How are we getting on with the puha? They're ready now. And we've just got to add 2 teaspoons of salt. Yeah. And then the mussels` All the mussels. ...go in there. So we're just gonna bring those to the boil. Do we do that because, you know, when you're preserving things, you always want to get rid of any bugs? Yeah, well, definitely for safety, eh? Yeah. (LIGHT-HEARTED MUSIC) (CHUCKLES EXCITEDLY) There it is. It's come back to life again ` an old book that would've been lost. Last instructions from Sarah ` let it cool down, put it in the fridge and eat it within two weeks. It'll probably be all gone by tonight though, I'd say. So, tell me, when did you get spellbound by the bookbinder? Well, what it was, when I met Joshua, uh,... the thing that` cos you go for the tall, dark and handsome ones, eh? (LAUGHS) That's the old way, eh? But what it was ` we talked about the Lord. Oh, OK. And that was the attraction. Righty-oh. So there was another man involved. Yeah, oh yeah, there's got to be another man involved to make it juicy. She's a pretty good girl, isn't she? She's actually done well to put up with me for the last 30 years. Do you think so? I think so. What was the thing that she did the most that made you think, 'I'm gonna marry her'? I think her faith. What she believed in was similar to what I believed in. And I could see down the corridors of time ` you know, I thought I could see down ` that if we have children, you know, we're gonna have a good time. Yeah. Even though we've got this good place here, I think the important thing is to have one another and to have trust and faith in one another. Yeah. And, um, she's been very good. Yeah. Uh, I don't know about myself, but I think she's` No, you're good, buddy. You're good. Oh, I hope so. I hope so. (LAUGHS) (COUNTRY MUSIC) Super-duper food. (ALL EXCLAIM) That's our hero for the day ` puha. I can feel my cape rising! Next week, you won't have grey hair. (ALL CHUCKLE) I tell you what, you are super people. We're eating superfood ` wild pork from the bush, puha from the garden. You grew the kumaras as well. You know what's so great about this? Everything here is superfood and nothing from the supermarket. (ALL LAUGH) That is true! Mm! (COUNTRY MUSIC) If it's green, it's probably good for ya. And homegrown? Better still. Cut down on your sugar, mate. Like tobacco, it can kill. Good on ya, mate. Learn about the superfoods, antioxidants and such. Try a wheatgrass smoothie for your next big business lunch. Everything in moderation, Ken. By this rule, we must abide. But just remember, ladies, you can always have a little bit...