Travel for Green-lipped
I love traveling places as it is always interesting to see other countries' supermarkets, what they eat and how their food is packaged, cooked and displayed. It was a such a surprise to see these green lipped mussels at the Woolworth's supermarket on Waiheke Island in New Zealand. They were emitting such a bright green color I just had to take a few pics and we had to buy some for dinner as they looked so fresh.

I wasn't sure if we had them in Canada so Googled them and read on Wikipedia that they are only native to New Zealand. I was loving the vivid green color of them, it reminded me of the colors that we saw each day snorkeling in the South Pacific Ocean.

We bought a few kilograms and made them back at the bach - this is what New Zealanders call their cottages. Not sure where the origin of the word bach (referring to a holiday home) comes from is but it would be good to find out.

I usually sautée mussels in a broth of butter, lots of onions, white wine and garlic from a recipe that Ms. Dunnigan my Quebecois friend taught me. That night the chef made the Perna canaliculus steamed with garlic and a little white wine and they were delicious and extremely fresh. We had been enjoying fresh fish for a whole month and it was delightful! Back home I am not eating as much fish and seem to be eating a lot of pasta, no surprise there, non?Am going to have to get back onto more fish and fresh fruit.

For those who are into the health benefits of eating certain foods, eating the green lipped mussel or taking tablets that they sell containing an extract from the shellfish is known to help with the treatment of arthritis; they have a high level of glycosaminoglycan which can assist in the repair of joint tissue damage.
You may be able to get these at the fish market (will check at the St. Lawrence Market) otherwise Air New Zealand now has daily, direct flights from Vancouver to Auckland so you'll have to just go there - remember you will get free tea or coffee at the airport ;)

Would you like tea with your baggage?After Fiji there was a wonderful week spent in Auckland, New Zealand. Upon arrival at Auckland International Airport I had quite a pleasant shock which at first I thought was a joke. A big sign was popping out from the custom's line which read 'free tea and coffee.'

I thought this was an offer if you buy something from duty free or if you signed up to some credit card or some tourism gimmick but it was none of the above. It was simply a warm welcome and free tea and coffee to passengers arriving from their worldly destinations.

It was served by the two friendliest ladies I met on my month-aventure. The tea counter is near the baggage claim area so while waiting for your bags to roll off the belt you can chat with the ladies and get a steaming cup of java or tea. After a few minutes I got the latest gossip on weather in NZ and who they were and all about how the free tea stand is the only one in any airport in the world (which I beleive to be true- I thought Canadians were hospitable).

We gossiped more on where I was from (they thought I was Brazilian from my now faded tan) and we chatted about Sicily and more about the coffe which was arabica. I didn't actually want coffee or tea at that moment but it was the whole interaction that made having the coffee so pleasant.

The free tea and the airport itself were all very civilized, not like the chaotic third world feel of the Los Angeles Airport (LAX) where you want to scream at how crowded and dark, disorganized and dirty it is.

I wrote down the ladies' names on a napkin and exchanged email addresses with them but I have since disposed of the napkin accidentally. Will try and get their address from J who will be traveling through the airpot on a ski weekend this coming weekend (for some people the holiday never ends!)

New Zealand is a beautiful country with some great food and people. More posts to come on Fijian and NZ adventures...

Bula!