New Zealand Travel Adventure Days 19 & 20 - Going out with a BANG!!!

Yesterday morning, Megan and I got to have a date day. We started off taking the 11am tour of the McCashin Brewery. But, don't worry, we didn't start drinking until after noon (and it was 6pm in the States) so it's all above board.


Shouldn't more places combine BEER and NURSERY? I think that would make child care much more palatable.Here are the barley and hops we got to try. Well, we tried the barley, but the woman advised against actually tasting the hops. No need for a green tongue at 11am.
After our brewery tour, where we got to sample about 18 different things brewed onsite, including 3 vodkas, 3 frutes and about a dozen beers, we walked back to town to watch my beloved Michigan Wolverines defeat the VA Tech Hokies in the Sugar Bowl. Because the game started at 2:30pm local time, the bar was fairly empty. That made it easier to convince the bartender to let us watch the game. As a side note, the name of the establishment was The Star and Garter. And, no, people do NOT get paid to take their clothes off there, but the food was about as good as I would imagine it being at a place like that.
Today, Cameron and I went to the local mall to grab breakfast. I've been dying to try a Mega McMuffin for two weeks. You'd think that two patties of sausage, bacon, egg and cheese on a mcmuffin would be a can't miss breakfast sandwich, but it's really nothing to celebrate. I was very let down.

After breakfast, Cam and I went to the grocery store to get some things for him to take back and share with his class. He got loads and loads of New Zealand candies that I'm sure the kids will love.

For lunch, we headed over to Mapua. The boys met a dog named Oscar that they took turns throwing a stick in the water for. I think the boys would still be there if the owner hadn't taken the dog away after about 20 minutes.

For lunch, we enjoyed fish and chips on the beach one last time before we leave tomorrow.

Here's an idea of the views from the beach where we enjoyed lunch.
After lunch, Megan and I stopped by the Golden Bear Brewery and Tavern to pick up a rigger for dinner while the boys got ice cream with Auntie Pam.
On the way home, there's no way we were driving past a place called The Naked Bun without stopping for some dinner dessert.
On our last full day in NZ, we decided that one meal on the beach wasn't enough. So, we bought meat pies and took those to Tahuna Beach where we swam in the ocean one last time before heading home tomorrow.
It's been a great trip for me and Cameron. Megan and Noah still get to enjoy a couple more weeks, but I'm sure it won't be the same. I mean, seriously, nothing is as much fun if I'm not there.