Nude
possums are not the norm; in fact I openly admit to never having seen one so
the realization that, whilst on holiday in Golden Bay
Of
course, I was not really expecting to be greeted at the café by a fully shaved
possum or, indeed, a person dressed as a naked possum but, as they say, you
never quite know…
The
NP’s website tells us “The Naked Possum is situated beside the Kaituna river at the
base of the Kaituna walking track in Golden
Bay
Driving
anywhere in Golden Bay is a glorious
pleasure, the roads uncluttered & the weather in summer faultless, but I can tell you that turning off the main
road at Collingwood and heading for the mountains where, pretty much at the end
of the road, wild foods aplenty await, brings with it a certain ramping up of
tinglingly good feelings. Thankfully the
road isn’t tar-sealed all the way in and the shingle & talcum powder fine dust
set the scene nicely.
Even
on a warm and sunny afternoon the fire in the covered outdoor dining area was
burning, the smoke from the huge fireplace wafting across the tables, a
curative for all our city ailments, if you know what I mean…
Music
piped through the strategically placed speakers seemed somehow inappropriate in
such a lovely, serene location especially as we just wanted to loll about
soaking up the natural vibe of the surrounding hills rather than the artificial
vibe of commercial music.
Nevertheless,
we were there to enjoy the food, as much has been written about the wild game
pies on the menu. I couldn’t resist the Tahr open sandwich with its hearty
slabs of meat, lashings of salad, slices of tomato, cucumber and a giant dollop
of chutney. Wild Tahr have been roaming the Southern Alps
for over 100 years and these Tibetans are now relatively freely hunted.
Nonetheless, this ‘goat’ meat with its rich,
almost venison-like flavours and
intensity isn’t commonly found on
supermarket shelves. This particular meal was a little overcooked for my
liking(the meat) and overshadowed by the powerful chutney. In spite of this I
did enjoy the experience and have resolved to try tahr cooked in different ways
when the opportunity next presents itself.
I
purchased a couple of frozen pies to enjoy on subsequent days – a venison and a
goat curry – both provided me with tasty, filling lunches on my return to the
golden sands of Tata Beach. The hearty venison pie I chose to eat with mashed
potatoes and green beans and a glass of Gimblett Gravels Cab/Merlot, the goat
curry pie with cucumber and yoghurt and a cold glass of Macs Ale. I only wish I
had bought more as these were true expressions of Kiwi pie-making excellence.
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