Over the Hill

Wandering around a damp cold carpark on a Saturday morning may not sound like fun, but when it is crammed full of locally produced creations, it is a fruitful start to the day.

First stop on my drive westwards is Hop Federation. I popped in for a few tastings and takeaways from this teeny-weeny, but terrific craft brewery.

Before heading over Takaka Hill to the Abel Tasman National Park, I picked up my first hitchhiker of the trip. "Norman" is a multi-lingual Kiwi who works as a sheep shearer for three months of the year. The remaining nine months of the year are spent travelling and tending to his vegetable patch.

The stomach churning meander over Takaka Hill passes dramatic lookouts over the Tasman Bay and the Abel Tasman National Park before swooping down towards the homely Annie's Nirvana Lodge in Takaka.

Saturday night in Takaka is something to behold. Tonight was the season closing party for one of New Zealand's most beloved brewery-taverns. The Mussel Inn is rustic New Zealand at its most genuine and friendly, complete with creaking timbers, a rambling beer garden with a brazier, live music and hearty, homemade grub. The star attraction was a handle or two of "Captain Cooker", a brown beer brewed naturally with Manuka Honey.