Gummy Bear sails out of busy Auckland Harbor. Betsa Marsh photo
Gummy Bear zoomed half-way around the world this fall to discover New Zealand during the annual conference of the Society of American Travel Writers. Gummy travels for the third-grade class of Meredith Schroeder at St. Joseph Consolidated School in Hamilton, Ohio.
Gummy learns about coffee roasting from Master Roaster Joseph Stoddart at Havanna Coffee Works, Wellington. Betsa Marsh photo
Gummy found herself in–or at least near– some hot water at Havana Coffee Works in Wellington, which roasts 14 types of coffee. Master roaster Joseph Stoddart took the time to show Gummy the giant coffee roaster, which heats up to 204 degrees Celsius/400 degrees Fahrenheit. Wow! Gummy sipped a flat white coffee to recover.
And what goes better with coffee than chocolate? Gummy went to the little town of Greytown to jump right into Schoc Chocolates, the Global Home of Chocolate Therapy, Ltd. Gummy is a firm believer in “the spiritual benefits of chocolate,” as Schoc puts it.
She was ready to try lemon-and-black pepper chocolate, sea salt bittersweet, lemon white and tropical heat with curry powder, coconut and pineapple in white chocolate.
Gummy even tried a blind taste test, and realized she needs to work on her chocolate palate. She didn’t pick out many of the flavors, such as apricot and rosemary, dried basil, lavender, or lime and chili, which is Schoc’s bestseller.
Gummy Bear with truffles at Schoc Chocolates. Betsa Marsh photo
Gummy dives into chocolate nibs during her visit to Schoc Chocolates in Greytown. Betsa Marsh photo
After eating her way through Wellington, Gummy hopped onto a catamaran out of Auckland Harbor and set sail for the Hauraki Gulf. It’s pretty smooth sailing through these protected waters, and she loved her berth on the luxurious Island Passage.
Gummy Bear whispers nautical advice to Capt. Vincent Maurice of the Island Passage. Betsa Marsh photo
Soon, the Island Passage sailed over to Waiheke Island, where many Aucklanders live and commute by ferry into the city each work day. Gummy met Paora, a sculptor who began as a jewelry designer, then moved to jade carving and is now sculpting. He showed Gummy a pukaea, a trumpet he carved of granite. Among the native Maori people of New Zealand, it was used to tell a tribe that a battle was about to begin.
Gummy Bear meets sculptor Paora on Waiheke Island. Betsa Marsh photo
Sculptor Paora demonstrates the native Maori pukaea trumpet. Betsa Marsh photo
Gummy also learned to fish, with the help of the Island Passage fishing guide James Brown.
Fishing guide James Brown takes Gummy out on a fishing excursion. Betsa Marsh photo
One shore trip was especially exciting, as Gummy met 4-year-old Pippa at Glenfern Sanctuary on Great Barrier Island. Her parents, Dr. Emma Cronin and Scott Sambell, are busy trying to save some of New Zealand’s rarest birds from predators such as ship rats, cats and pigs.
Gummy meets Pippa at the Glenfern Sanctuary on Great Barrier Island. Betsa Marsh photo
Gummy climbs up to enjoy a view of Port Fitzroy on Great Barrier Island, above Glenfern Sanctuary. Betsa Marsh photo
Also on Great Barrier Island, Gummy takes the tender over to Sven and Trish Stellin’s place, where they make Barrier Gold lotions from the manuka and kanuka plants. And Gummy couldn’t resist one more flavor of New Zealand–sampling the strong flavor of manuka honey.
Gummy gets ready to dip into strong manuka honey, distinctive to New Zealand. Betsa Marsh photo
