Patrelli Estate

I've just finished 10 days with Patrick and Eleanor at their home in Amberley, Canterbury. They bought the property 17 years ago when they still lived in Christchurch, and have been gradually developing it. Before they moved a house onto the property they'd come up on the weekends and camp in the now-tool shed. Now they're technically retired and live in a wonderful house there full time growing lavender and olives along with keeping chickens and gardens. It's their retirement paradise, and it keeps them hard at work.

Nectarine tree. If only you could smell a picture.

On my first night there, Patrick took me for a tour of the property. They have more than twenty rows of olive trees. They are mostly Israeli and Italian varieties, but there are a few Spanish types mixed in to help with cross-pollenation. He showed me how the Israeli ones tended to be taller and greener, whereas the Italian ones tended to be shorter and fatter and grayer. I spent many hours over the next two days walking along the rows and pruning off the water shoots from low spots on the trunks. All the olives they grow there are pressed for a blend of olive oil, which will happen in June.

Rows of lavender harvested a few weeks ago

View to the west in the olive grove

Italian trees on the left, Israelis on the right

Tiny green olives

Life was pretty relaxed there. Work started after breakfast and stopped within two hours for a coffee and cookie break. Then came lunch, usually some relaxation time, and more work before tea time (with more, different cookies). Dinner was usually meat, potatoes and salad, and then there was better coffee with little squares of dark chocolate. It took me a few days to figure out how to watch the Olympics... they only air events between 10:30pm and 6am! So I usually stayed up a bit late to watch whatever event was playing first. I finished a hat and knitted an entire other one in my TV time.

Two new hats, just in time for more summer

The other work I did was different every day. I wasn't there for any harvest, so it felt like I was doing lots of different catch-up projects. I did touch-up paint on the outside of the house, weeded and spread mulch in some of the gardens, mowed the lawn and around the lavender with a push-mower, mowed a back field with the tractor, sanded and stained some outdoor chairs, and fed the chickens. The chickens were so funny to watch! There was a pretty apparent hierarchy among them, especially between the older and younger roosters. They also crowed all day long, which could get a bit annoying.

Before, during and after the chair "restoration"

Chickens getting ready for bed

Nero the adolescent rooster

Patrick getting the tractor/mower combination ready

After a few days of laying low at the house, I went for an afternoon outing to hike Mt. Cass. It was just a winding path through pastures, but was a pretty tiring climb that ended with great views. Most of the surrounding area is vineyards, and I could see almost as far as Christchurch to the south.

"Wildlife" on the hike

You can see some of the vineyards at back right

Looking south towards Christchurch

When we went back into Christchurch for a day of errands, I took a bus to Lyttelton and then hiked the Bridle Path back. When British pioneers first arrived to settle Christchurch, Lyttelton was the deep harbor they could sail into, and the Bridle Path was the easiest way over. It may have been the easiest, but I am glad I didn't have to climb it carrying all my belongings.

View into Lyttelton from the path

I mentioned earlier that my hosts were technically retired, but Patrick has also picked up casual work at a local vineyard. It basically means that he can go whenever it feels like it, so when it's too hot, raining, or he has other things to do, he just doesn't have to go. Seems like a pretty good deal. In any case, another of my local adventures was going to the vineyard and winery where he works and doing a bit of wine tasting. When his work friends spotted him we got pulled back into the bottling area and I got a little more of a look behind the scenes.

Pegasus Bay restaurant / tasting room

So overall, I had a very relaxing few days out in North Canterbury, but I'm ready to see more.