Our Story
We always have thought that there was a bit of magic involved in our chance meeting in 1999. A mutual friend had almost introduced us 8 months before, but fate left us to find each other in our own time. We knew from the day we met that we had each found our adventurous soul mate. Our mutual interests in cruising aboard our respective boats, our love of the sea and our love of travel gave us a bond from the onset of our relationship. Our first year together was spent getting our boat ready to cruise to Mexico and cruising with friends aboard their boats in the Sea of Cortez, the Mexican Caribbean and Belize. We also traveled to Europe to lead Kay's Food tours in Italy and France and knew the fun was just beginning. We spent three winters aboard our boat 'Joyfull' in Latin America and relished swimming with dolphins, seals and whales, enjoyed the cruising life style in the winter and continued our Food and Wine Tours in the summer. In late September 2001 we came to New Zealand to research a new venue for our Food and Wine Tours. Another bit of magic occurred when we started researching "A Taste of New Zealand", our food and wine tour of the North and South Islands. We found we had stepped into a magical land. Imagine our surprise when we learned that there were over 480 boutique wineries, all competing and challenging each other to new heights. Completing the picture, these magnificent wines were driving the culinary craft to discover new ways of presenting and using the local ingredients. We discovered "foodie" heaven: New Zealand was becoming the culinary crown of the Southern Hemisphere. Chefs were taking the extraordinary meat and produce of New Zealand's farmers, adding a touch of Oriental flair and European cooking methods, thus creating an original style of cooking that we recognize as New Zealand cuisine. We fell in love with the land, the lifestyle, the people, their attitude and the possibility of living in New Zealand. During our 5-week holiday, we purchased our home, found tenants, established all the necessary business contacts, chose an immigration consultant and were suddenly committed to moving to the other side of the planet. We discovered that Nelson was the perfect place for us to live. Nelson was not a large city with big city crime problems, but was large enough to have a lot of cultural events. The School of Music, the World of Wearable Arts, The Theatre Royale, The Sutter Art Gallery, and the numerous sculptors, painters and potters made for a lively and interesting cultural scene. The Nelson Saturday Market with local produce, crafts and art reminded us of the Provencal markets of Southern France. Local supplies of goat cheese, olive oil, and artisan style breads were abundant and made it easy for Kay to cook her favorite European dishes. Lovely local wines and great restaurants were abundant in the area and attracted both international and Kiwi visitors. Nelson boasts the greatest hours of sunshine in New Zealand, which made both hiking and beach going a year-round possibility and our love of gardening, could flourish.
Joe is a member of the Rotary Club of Nelson, a continuation of his quarter century of Rotary involvement in Southern California. You could join him on Thursdays (6pm) at the Boat House for Nelson style comraderie, or he can direct you to any one of the 7 rotary clubs in the Nelson Region. Kay started the first Red Hat Society group on the South Island when she moved here. As Queen Mum of the "Nelson's Saucy Sisters", she invites any visiting Red Hatter to join in the local fun, events, or meetings.
We love sharing the magic of New Zealand and especially Nelson with our
B and B guests. For more of our stories, or to tell us your story: Book something here! :- ) Contact UsKay Pastorius Waller & Joe Waller |
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15 Seawatch Way, Atawhai, Nelson, 7010
Phone: 03 545 1886 • Freephone: 0800 89 1886
Fax: 03 545 1869
Email: stay@a-culinary-experience.com
