Glenduan, NZ: Raw Milk, Fresh Greens, and Expansive Views

As I write, the thrashing wind and rain sheeting off the tin roof remind me that the whiptail of Australia's Cyclone Debbie has not yet finished with NZ. Severe flooding in Auckland and elsewhere on the North Island has triggered evacuations, breaching rivers, and houses precipitously angling off cliffs.

We're secure at the top of the South Island in Glenduan (aka, The Glen), a tiny burg of fewer than 500 people just 20 minutes from downtown Nelson (pop. 50,000), with its galleries, restaurants, and museums. But a world away. (Trouble viewing map click here.)

It was a windy, rainy drive here through the Rai Valley from Anakiwa, short but with many hairpin turns and lots of elevation.

Approaching Glenduan.

Our host advised us that there were no local shops, but that raw milk and greens were available at the roadside on the way in. Did someone say raw milk?

The Brunimat (made in Switzerland) at your service.

Put in your payment and out comes the milk. At NZ $2 per liter, an insane bargain (about $1.40 US ).

There's a fridge too, with fresh cream and double cream, and this stop has already made my day (we bought the glass bottle for the milk, hence the price).

 

This is our fifth NZ airbnb stay, and it's turned out to be extremely affordable lodging while we wait to pick up our rental camper after Easter. This time we arrive at a functional, beautiful home with a generous deck situated with a view toward the Tasman Bay.

 

Somehow we'd missed the stand with fresh greens on the drive in, so we asked our host about it as she showed us the house. Walking distance down the hill, she said, and off we went. No flag or stall as expected and we were flummoxed, but Art saw a woman with her daughter in the playground across the street, so we asked her. "That's my place!" she said happily, "just up there."

How we missed this dear little stand I'll never know. After dropping coins into her honor box, we walked away with spray-free chard, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, and parsley.

 

And a sweet bundle of lavender

So to work in the happy kitchen here, assembling a salad and prepping a blue cheese dressing with the raw milk and cream.

A couple of hard-boiled eggs and some leftover steak bits and late lunch is served.

 I've admired this twig fencing in several locations. I thought people made it themselves.

But a quick glance at a package under the porch tells me it's sold like this. I wonder if we have it in the US.

This region of NZ, a favorite, is arty, filled with small farms, and hip, with a moderate climate and a lot of sunny days. Just not today.