When we first began planning our trip well over a year ago, there was one thing Dave was desperate to do in Rarotonga – go on a fishing charter, so we made this happen. The one thing I wanted to do was to go to …
Ohhh bras. And boobs. I’ve mentioned before how I’m just not that into boobs. I’d take a smashing set of pins over voluptuous cleavage any day of the week. Boobs are just located way too close to my mid-section (especially after two rounds of 12mth+ …
I’m not going to pretend to be any kind of coffee aficionado. I drank my very first coffee about 3 months ago but have taken to this marvelous hobby like a duck to water. I’ve finally managed to shake my morning requirement of a V energy drink because coffee is just so so fab.
I must admit, I’ve been fortunate enough to be initiated into the world of coffee in the best possible way. Via my most precious appliance, the beautiful Nespresso Inissia machine.
My lush Nespresso coffee is an expensive drop however. Dave and I both adore our new ritual but we can burn through $50 worth of capsules way too quickly.
There is an alternative though.
www.mycoffeecapsules.co.nz sent me some Grande Gusto Medley Packs of Caffesso pods to try out and I’ve been sampling the varieties over the past week.
So, first impressions:
There’s extra packaging! After checking with the lovely peeps at My Coffee Capsules they were happy to report that all pods will soon be hermetically sealed in the same way Nespresso is packaged, eliminating the need for the extra vacuum sealed foil packaging and making Caffesso pods 100% recyclable, yay!
I have previously experimented with Nespresso alternatives available at the supermarket and have been less than impressed, plus, after suffering through muddy plunger coffee at our rented accommodation in Raro I was actually quite scared of discovering more coffee I didn’t like.
Not a problem thank goodness.
To be honest, I haven’t even bothered with the Decaffeinato, because, COFFEE. But I’m sure it tastes great. As for the other varieties, soooo far removed from those available on the supermarket shelves – Caffesso has successfully sourced straight up, great coffee. What’s kinda nice about opening the foil pouch is that you get an instant, fragrant hit of fresh coffee, I love that. Thankfully the aroma doesn’t stop there but continues after the brewing process is complete and your beautiful cup of barista-ish coffee is ready to enjoy.
And enjoy I do! I’m pretty partial to high intensity varieties so my two favourite blends are Indiano (11) and Intenso (12). I can taste the difference between the single origin Nespresso varieties which Dave and I usually buy and blends such as Caffesso, but I think that’s just me being a coffee snob?
Caffesso provides a comparable, delicious, smooth alternative to Nespresso at a more budget friendly price, $7.50 for 10 capsules. This is really good coffee, definitely worth purchasing to help dilute the cost of this single portion coffee phenomena that so many of us are now in love with!
Oh lord, that picture doesn’t look real does it? I can’t believe it feels so long ago already :::sobs::: I was determined to pack light for our trip to Rarotonga and that included my toiletry bag. I did pack way more skincare products than makeup but couldn’t …
Dave and I both LOVE to cook, but if I’m honest, there are very few cookbooks I pick up that garner an immediate, enthusiastic response from me. Often they incorporate ingredients which are simply out of the realm of my standard grocery list – which …
I was so excited to make contact with Dave and Natavia from Storytellers Eco Cycle Tours. So much of Rarotonga’s tourism is focused on ocean activities (justifiably so) but there is also a huge cultural story to be told on the land.
Dave picked us up on the morning of our tour and we rode island style – in the back of the ute! – to our starting point. Because we had Nixon in tow, the three hour Discovery for Families Tour was perfect for our group.
After a comprehensive safety briefing and a prayer for the road, we set off with local guide Jimmy in the lead. Prior to setting off, Natavia asked all of us if there was anything we were interested in focusing on during the tour ie farming, plants as medicine, history, birds, wildlife etc. Our Avanti bikes were amazing, super comfortable and with great suspension for navigating the Rarotongan roads and heading into the bush. Nix was riding behind Dave in a sweet trailer, complete with a perfectly sized toddler helmet….. that he wouldn’t wear lol.
Jimmy was a fountain of local knowledge, at our first stop he introduced us to a small pineapple plot, the two variations of farming taro, manioto, banana, cinnamon, edible flowers, we sampled coconut of various ages, fed piglets and learnt about basic bush medicine.
Natavia took the lead soon after as we pedaled on to a Noni plantation. We ate fresh noni and smelt the revolting pungent, fermented noni that is eventually processed into the super popular noni juice.
Storytellers has permission to take visitors onto the eerie site of the derelict Sheraton Hotel. Hearing the tale of this historical icon from a local perspective, amidst the ruins was very cool, but also provided lots of food for thought about the actions and accountability of big business in tiny island nations such as Rarotonga.
We concluded our tour at a beautiful clearing on a private beach, ready to enjoy a traditional lunch of fish, rice, maniota fries (aka the BEST food ever!), salsa fresca, coleslaw and fruit prepared by a local mama.
I loved this excursion so much. Owners Dave and Natavia were such a joy to talk with, as was our guide Jimmy. I was a little surprised at how much Ethan (aged 10.5) enjoyed the tour. He loved being off the beaten track, in the bush and learning about the native flora and fauna – plus there was always something yummy to eat, Jimmy kept the boys supplied with fresh oranges, bananas and coconut found along the way.
Storytellers is definitely a point of difference in the Rarotongan tourism industry and a wonderful one at that. Suitable for most ages and levels of fitness, getting off the beach and onto a bike is worth every penny.
** We were generously hosted by Storytellers Eco Cycle Tours, however, all opinions expressed are my own.
* Perfect Christmas gift, very much a ‘Dad/husband’ book. This is a big book. A very, very engrossing book. The Father by Anton Svensson is a chilling novel that goes into excruciating detail when describing a family history so violent that there is no escape …
We visited some amazing spots in Rarotonga on our family vacation and I’m going to share my favourite Kid Friendly activities right here. Follow along for the entire series and hopefully you’ll get inspired to start planning your own Cook Islands adventure. As soon as I mentioned that our …
I AM IN AWE OF THE MANY INCREDIBLE MUMS OUT THERE, DOING A FAB JOB OF RUNNING THEIR OWN SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSES WHILST SIMULTANEOUSLY HOLDING DOWN THE FORT AT HOME. I’M FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO HAVE ‘MET’ MANY OF THESE LADIES ONLINE AND CAN’T WAIT TO INTRODUCE YOU TO SOME NEW FACES AND THEIR AWESOME ENTREPRENEURIAL ENDEAVOURS. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO GET INVOLVED AND HAVE YOUR BUSINESS FEATURED, PLEASE SAY HELLO! MELISSA@THEBESTNEST.CO.NZ
Whether you’re a homeschooler, a mum of mainstream schooled kids, a kindy mum, caregiver or a grandparent enjoying a sleepover on weekends, you will undoubtedly be packing a lunchbox at some point or other. The standard kiwi lunch box is fast becoming an endangered species as more and more parents discover the internationally trending Bento-style lunchboxes. (Not sure what I’m talking about? Take a look here for some bento inspo).
Justyne, Mum of three, is a veritable Bento expert. She is the owner of the one-stop lunchbox shop, The Creative Lunchbox and has carefully curated a covetable range of kid friendly lunch products that will leave that Glad® ClingWrap in the drawer for good!
Let’s meet Justyn in her own words;
Tell us a little about what led you to launch The Creative Lunchbox
I launched The Creative Lunchbox after shopping for a lunchbox for my nephew and noticing a distinct lack of quality litterfree lunch options available in the NZ market. After a huge amount of research on what is available, The Creative Lunchbox was born. We offer a range of products that support wastefree lunches, many of which are exclusive to us in NZ.
Mum’s (and kids!) LOVE the bento/litterless lunchbox phenomenon, what’s the attraction and what are the benefits?
The Bento phenomenon; you are right it is starting to explode. Schools are becoming more environmentally savvy and many are embracing “litterfree” policies. Bento has been a way of life in Japan for many years. Mums there have found that being creative with food presentation in their kids lunchboxes makes healthy food much more attractive for kids to eat. The distinct lack of waste such as plastic wrap and foil is an added bonus because not only are we saving money by not using these products, we are also helping the environment. No fumbling for fingers either having to unwrap food. It’s an easy solution, the same wrapped healthy food presented in a creative manner with no packaging makes kids want to eat what is in front of them. My own kids lunchboxes rarely come home with food waste anymore.
What are your favorite products in stock right now?
My favourite products in stock right now are our Bentology Lunchboxes and our awesome Juice In The Box – A revolutionary patented designed reusable drink box. It’s safe, completely chemical free, easy to clean and comes in four awesome colours kids will love.
How do you manage the work/life balance now that you’re your own boss?
Being your own boss is fun. I have three daughters and we live in a rural location so working from home makes sense for us. My kids are busy with activities and we also have an electrical business and a farm (life is busy). Managing the work / life balance can be tricky at times and very hectic trying to fit everything in but generally most of my working time is when my youngest (11 month old) has her day sleep and in the evenings when the house is quiet. Working from home is a balance just like any other job. Family first then work, things like housework often have to take a backseat….one day I dream of having a cleaner … lol 😉
What’s ahead for The Creative Lunchbox?
What’s next, well 2015 is going to be a big year for us. We are researching plenty of amazing products, hopefully some of which we will be able to bring to NZ. We are a new business so it’s about getting the word out there about how awesome and top quality our products are. Our aim is to not only have them available on our website but also in stores throughout the country.
The Creative Lunchbox has an amazing prize for one lucky reader! Head over to The Best Nest on Facebook and comment on the competition image to be in to win. Closes Sunday 6th September.
Kia orana! I’m sitting on a plane, heading off to our family holiday in Rarotonga right now, approx 3 hrs into our flight and my second glass of bubbly is finally starting to take the edge off. In typical Jack fashion, I feel like all …