Dateline January 29, 2015, Millhills Lodge, Hawke's Bay
After the wonderful round at Kinloch, it was off to Hawke's Bay for a two-night stay at Millhills Lodge. The plan was a round of golf at Cape Kidnappers the next day. The drive from Kinloch to the lodge was several hours, and we pulled into the area around 6:30 in the evening.
That is when TomTom told us we were at our destination. A little plot of land with several cows on it, looking at us.
A phone call to Sam Jackman, the co-owner of the lodge, told us we were less than two hundred yards from the actual turn-in. Five minutes later we drove in past three small buildings and pulled up to the main house, where we were greeted by Penny and Sam and their mixed-breed herding-and-Labrador, Kip.
We covered the important business first: where the local liquor store was. The vodka and rum supplies on this trip were depleted. How can that happen?
The property.
Millhills Lodge sits on several acres of its own, surrounded on every side by Penny's various family farms. To one side are sheep. To the other are cattle. Sam then showed us to our rooms, which turned out to be the three small cabins we had passed coming in.
The cabins were stunning. Beautiful interiors, with WiFi and Apple TV connected to the movie library on Sam's computer up at the main house.
The first night.
We drove into the local town, about seven miles away, picked up some groceries (necessary for cocktail hour) and our liquor. We had dinner at a restaurant called Diva. The food was outstanding, and it was our first proper introduction to Hawke's Bay regional wines, which would be the theme of the next day.
After a great night's sleep we came up to the main house for a wonderful breakfast and conversation with Penny and Sam. They asked if we would like dinner cooked by them the following night. It sounded great. We discussed the menu over breakfast and asked where we could find some good local wine to pair with it. Sam pointed us at a wine shop in town for the afternoon.
Cape Kidnappers and an ace.
Then off we went for a day of golf at Cape Kidnappers, where our "ace" Bunny made her first hole-in-one. (More on that day in the next post.)
Wine shopping.
After Kidnappers we drove back to town and to the wine store Sam had recommended. They specialize in local Hawke's Bay varietals as well as wines from around the world. They steered us to a French-oaked Chardonnay from Quarter Acre, made by the leading winemaker in New Zealand, Rod McDonald.
We also picked up a Syrah from Elephant Hill and a very good Hawke's Bay Cabernet from Brookfields, one of the oldest boutique wineries in the region.
Dinner at the main house.
Back at Millhills, we cleaned up and walked over to the main house. We started with the Chardonnay and the Syrah, with some cheese and a small New Zealand savory bake of Penny's that was wonderful. We drank quite a bit of wine, enjoying the company of Penny and Sam and, of course, Kip.
Then Penny showed us into their lovely dining room for dinner.
The table was beautifully set. Penny served a three-course meal that started with a sushi appetizer, raw salmon and avocado with a small dab of caviar on top of sushi rice. It was sensational. Pete and Bunny had fresh snapper for the main course. Janice and John had a lamb dish.
For dessert, Penny made a classic New Zealand Pavlova, the meringue-based dish believed to be named after the Russian prima ballerina Anna Pavlova (1881-1931). (Australia also claims it as their national dessert; we are going to stay neutral and just say it was wonderful.)
Penny and Sam joined us after dinner for more wine and conversation. Eventually we said goodnight and headed back to the cabins.
One more breakfast.
In the morning, our last at Millhills, Penny served us Eggs Benedict that capped off two days with these wonderful hosts.
If you are planning a wine trip or a golf trip to Hawke's Bay, this is the place to stay.
