Located at the intersection of highways 2 and 25, just past the round about, is the Corner Stone Cafe - our second Wwoof stop.
We picked up a rental car in Auckland on Monday and made the drive through rolling green hills, dotted with cattle and sheep - classic New Zealand. We arrived in a flat valley that seems out of place. It’s just beyond the rolling hills and a few kilometres before the mountainous Coromandel peninsula. It’s been 8 years since we’ve driven on the left, so there were a few tense moments (and only 1 u-turn) as we headed south.
Upon arrival at the Cafe, we found our generous host, Phillippa, the cafe owner and - for Monday - the head cook. Corner Stone, like most other places, is short staffed and the cook didn’t make it to work. Clearly frustrated, Phillippa offered to sell us the Cafe. We quickly got to learn that Phillippa plays many roles both inside and out of the Cafe.
The Cafe sits on a 13 acre, park-like, property that has indoor and outdoor seating, a walking track, at least two ponds and innumerable trees and gardens. There are are 3 chickens and of course, Bruce, the Cafe Cat. (Update - we just go 4 new “chooks” today, so we’re up to 7).
Our work here has been centered around the gardens. On Monday and Tuesday we cleaned out and tilled the over-grown vegetable garden. We planted some new lettuce, beets, silver beets, and leeks on Wednesday. The most fun, however has been the wood chipper! It was far too small for what we needed, but we managed to make some noise and pile of chips.
Our accommodation is a small bachelor pad which is above a clothing shop on the same property. It’s a functional suite with a microwave and fridge. This is different for us because Phillippa does not live on the property, so we have the whole place to ourselves after 4 pm.
We are really enjoying our time here. The best part of this Wwoof, by a long shot, is the food. The Cafe has a full breakfast and lunch menu that features higher end fare that is excellent. On Monday, we had a steak and blue cheese sandwich (that sells for $25) for lunch. Our dinners are prepared in the Cafe and we heat it up later. Each meal has been amazing and way better than we’d be preparing for ourselves.
We’ve worked extra time so far this week, so we’re taking Thursday off to travel to Rotorua. This is a popular destination in New Zealand that has hot springs, geysers, waterfalls and hiking. Friday, we get to go to Phillippa and her husband’s for dinner and hopefully see their cow milking operation.