Moore's Cottage, Kaihoka

Kaihoka is like a place from an alternate universe. Its too perfect, too huge and green and pastoral. The farm pours down a valley to the sea, with the romantic Lunar cliffs on one side and sand dunes on the other. The beach is massive, especially at low tide when you can walk and walk and feel like you're never getting anywhere. There's patches of native bush full of birds and hardy, wind tolerant trees.

Kaihoka is unlike any place I've been, although its almost like the perfect combination of all the things rural New Zealand is supposed to be. Its magical.

In its present state Kaihoka was formed from the amalgamation of multiple small farms that failed during the Depression. Currently owned and run by the Wyllie family, its a working farm with delightfully sparse accommodation that includes access to most areas on the farm. Of the two houses available we chose Moore's Cottage, a wooden building with sparse insulation or sunlight but plenty of backwoods charm. We stayed there years ago, and it was the memory of that visit that inspired Kim to ask that we return this year, with phenomenal results. We always had the beach to ourselves. We spent the days wandering, swimming, relaxing. Kim and I fought our way through bush to a hidden beach, then walked along the cliffs scaring sheep along the way. We splashed in the surf, saw four fighter planes (the entire NZ airforce?) jet by, played in the dunes.

At night we lit fires, making s'mores with dark chocolate to accompany tea as we warmed up the cottage and filled it with the delightful smell of wood smoke. It was, overall, delightful.

In line with our family interest in food, I think its only fair to share what was an amazingly satisfying meal at Kaihoka. Its adapted from this recipe, but pared down to make transportation to a remote location easy.

Kaihoka Shakshuka

1 large jar Mom's Tomato Sauce (or own equivalent) with Basil

olive oil (about 2 Tbs)

eggs (we had two each, so 8)

salt and pepper to taste

bread to have on the side

You could add: goat cheese, onions, garlic, chillies, other spices

Heat a medium sized heavy bottomed pot. Add oil. When hot, add tomato sauce. Fill jar about half full with water, and swirl around to get out any remains of tomato sauce. Add to pot. Bring to a simmer, season with salt and pepper and simmer for 5 minutes. Carefully break eggs into tomato sauce and cook until poached, about 8 minutes (I think); it sometimes helps to ladle sauce over the eggs and put a cover on the pot. Serve with bread! Consider drinking some red wine, too.