NZ Herald - Plus Feature February 2020

A New Zealand Herald Commercial Publication

Tuesday, Febuary 18, 2020

CELEBRATING BIRTHDAYS AS YOU AGE The Rise of Coffee Culture

ATLANTIC CROSSING A CRUISE TO REMEMBER

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nzherald.co.nz | The New Zealand Herald | Tuesday, February 18, 2020

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nzherald.co.nz | The New Zealand Herald | Tuesday, February 18, 2020

PLUS CONTENTS The bank of Mum and Dad p5

Easing the pain of birthdays p4

An Atlantic odyssey p8-p10

Cafe culture p6

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COVER STORY

nzherald.co.nz | The New Zealand Herald | Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Birthdays an have a vicious bite, the older you get (main); Joanna Mathers (inset).

Photos / Supplied

(NOT-SO)

MANY HAPPY RETURNS bring you food . . . bliss. Not only does this involve zero effort, it will also act as a nice taster for the sedentary years to come. Good to get the practice in early.

Birthdays as you age can be quite difficult affairs, but Joanna Mathers has some suggestions to ease the pain

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ostly, it’s easy to ignore the march of time. The day-to-day stuff — bills, work, everything else — are stultifying, and the realities of advancing years fade into the background. But on one glorious (ahem) day each year, there’s no escaping your impending dotage.

And that day, my friends, is your birthday.

As someone whose recently “celebrated” a late-40-something birthday, I can testify to its vicious bite.

There was much drinking to dull the pain, and lashings of “good cheer” . . . underpinned by a sense of unease. Presents were given (mainly consciousness-altering, bottled ones), hugs were exchanged, and condolences shared.

Only a few more years until official oldness.

Childhood memories (albeit fading) cast birthdays in a sepia glow of 1970s innocence.

Waking up at 6am to jump on my exhausted parent’s bed, parcels laid in front of me, paper torn and whoops of joy issued. As the years clocked up, the joy receded. By 40, I was over the whole sorry thing.

Birthdays as you age are difficult affairs. Presents no longer hold their sway.

I, for one, don’t want more stuff.

I have everything I need.

Then there is the forced socialising, and the platitudes: “Many happy returns!” (not as many as their used to be.)

My dream birthday would be a day in bed with no human interaction at all. A day to wallow in the luxury of nothing-to-do.

Other people differ in their attitudes to birthdays as they age. I have friends who are salivating at the thought of their 50th. They plan to celebrate decadently, and have seemingly no qualms about the half-century milestone.

In that spirit, and in an attempt to be jollier about birthdays future, I’ve decided to make a list of best ways to celebrate as you get older.

Here’s hoping you find some inspiration here. If not, something to ease the pain.

Eating out I can’t generally afford to pay $500 for a meal, but maybe I should start saving for next year, and have a massive splurge. Fine wine gets better with age, so spending an evening soaked in luxuriously expensive aged booze and delicious food might help highlight the positive aspects of ageing. Tiny portions, a massive bill: it is sure to be memorable. Plus, you can Instagram your enviable meal, thereby creating the illusion of prosperity and leisure.

Cin cin!

Lying in At the other end of the spectrum, spending the day in bed also has its merits. Lazing in an old dressing gown, reading all day, while people

My dream birthday would be a day in bed with no human interaction at all. A day to wallow in the luxury of nothing-to-do.

Lying down all day and eating I love Uber Eats. Sure, it’s morally questionable, but hey, you can’t argue with all that food, delivered straight to your door.

How about a birthday where you lie in bed all day and eat? You could get breakfast delivered from the local hipster cafe, lunch from a fusion sushi joint, then dinner from your fave Vietnamese eatery. And if you lay down a whole bunch of towels on the sheets, you can (hopefully) keep the bed clean between meals.

Natural birthday If your birthday is in summer, it’s a nice opportunity to enjoy the warm weather outside. But make sure the mates you take are older than you. You don’t want downyskinned 20-somethings ruining your day. Just gather those with more wrinkles than you, and totter along to the beach. Preferably a beach where no one wears bikinis or is younger than 40.

A cold, windswept beach would be best. A place to contemplate the void.

Or you could just stay in bed.

Day spa On a happier note, what could beat a day spa as a birthday gift to self?

There is an abundance of agedefying facials available, plus cellulite-beating massages and

callous-busting foot scrubs. Then there’s the scented candles, the herbal teas, the paper underwear.

It’s a genuine treat, and it may even make you look younger for half an hour. You never know. Or you could try Botox? Or even schedule a tiny surgery?

Cultural event Opera, orchestras, movies during the day at boutique cinemas. The average age at any of these events is likely to be 70, so depending on your vintage, you’ll either be among your peers, or a babe in the woods.

It might also be a good place to pick up a sophisticated older man or woman, if you’re single. And there is always plenty of wine to be had.

At your age, wine is an essential component of any successful birthday. Unless you have liver or heart disease. Which is quite likely. If that’s the case, stick to water.

So, there you have it. Some excellent tips for enjoying birthdays as you get older. You will undoubtedly have your own ideas about how to spend time on your “special” day; but if not, it’s been my pleasure to help you out.

But I guess we better end of a slightly more serious note.

All joking aside, there are other (more positive) ways to view birthdays. I have a friend who nearly died last year, but didn’t.

When her birthday rolled around earlier this year, I felt an immense sense of gratitude.

Birthdays are an acknowledgement that we are still here. Maybe we should view birthdays like money: the higher the figure, the more fun you can have?

Ageing is hard work, but it’s better than the alternative. Or so the saying goes.

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nzherald.co.nz | The New Zealand Herald | Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Lending from the bank of Mum and Dad Photo / Getty Images

An estimated 90 per cent of firsthome buyers rely on help from their parents, writes Ewan McDonald

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loan, which the kids can pay back when they can.

You have to remember however, that things can go horribly wrong — financially and emotionally — so it pays to know the pitfalls before handing over the cash.

Can you afford it?

Before you commit to an act of generosity, ask yourself if you really have the funds.

While more and more ageing Kiwi parents are trying to help their adult children into a home, they risk loaning or giving away money they could need later in life.

Now that we’re all living longer, the amount we need for retirement must stretch further. While it’s natural to want to look after your children, as you near retirement from earning, your top priority should be yourself and your spouse.

Tip: Do what you can, but don’t overextend yourself or fall into the trap of borrowing to help your child into a home.

Start the conversation Have an honest conversation with your offspring about how you can help and what’s required in return.

Let them know about the kind of retirement you want and how you’re going to fund it. You should also have clarity about your children’s money management skills.

Tip: Agree whether you’re giving them a gift or a loan that you expect them to pay back. Seek independent advice and if you’re worried about the risk, get it legally documented.

Guarantor, loan or gift?

While acting as your child’s guarantor can help them get a loan, it often involves pledging your home’s

equity. Before diving in, ask yourself if you are financially prepared, and able, to cover the loan if your child can’t. In extreme cases this may mean the forced sale of your house if something goes wrong. Banking Ombudsman Nicole Sladden reiterates the importance of knowing how your children handle money.

“It’s natural for parents to assume that they know their child’s credit history, their likelihood of making repayments and whether they will be clear and transparent about the borrowing. But this is not always the case. “The fact a bank requires a guarantor means that the borrower did not meet the bank’s lending criteria or that the borrower may default on the loan.”

Tip: Still keen to proceed? Then get legal advice, know the implications of being a guarantor, and negotiate a limited guarantee so you’re not

Numbers game If you have more than one child, you may be expected to loan or gift money to one and all. So, once you’ve accounted your own living expenses and retirement plans, be clear of the amount you can afford each child.

If the amount is looking a little sparse, your children may consider buying a property together, or with their friends.

Tip: Parental gifts and loans need to be properly recorded and a propertysharing agreement set up to cover things such as shared expenses, dispute resolution and an exit plan for each party should things go belly-up.

Individual legal advice is a must.

Tip: You’ll need a property sharing agreement to be clear on how and when you get your loan back, and any gains, as well as how to handle any disputes. Alternatively buy a property yourself, rent it to your child, and then give them the opportunity to buy it from you.

BFS0076_KS

aturday noonish. The two of you — and the schnauzer, of course — have ambled down to your favourite local cafe and ordered the Big Breakfast for you and the herby mushrooms on sourdough for her, thumbed through the Herald property section, and woken up the dog to wander home when the phone rings and . . .

“Hi Dad, it’s Chloe here. Liam and I have just been to an open home and you know we’ve been looking for a while and we really love this house and we were just wondering if you and Mum . . .”

You’re about to find out whether the years of toil and tax have been worth it, and whether your daughter thinks you’re an “OK Boomer”.

Whether you want to help them out of renting, or help them out of the family home, your financial support might be the only way your adult kids will ever gain a foothold on the property ladder.

With houses now costing up to 10 times the average income, the Bank of Mum and Dad — or Bomad as it’s been coined — is now said to be the sixth-biggest home-loan lender in New Zealand. An estimated 90 per cent of first-home buyers rely on help from their parents.

This might involve an interest-free

legally liable for other debts incurred in your child’s, and their partner’s, name.

If you can afford them, loans and gifts are a better way to limit liability. Once again, it’s important to document any agreement in a legal manner.

While over-the-dinner-table agreements start with the best of intentions, and parents believing their kids are trustworthy, numerous parents have been left out of pocket, and families shattered, because of the “confusion” over whether the money was a gift or a loan.

Then there’s the added complication if your child’s relationship breaks up.

Without a contracting-out agreement in place, your gift can become relationship property, and your ex-inlaw may refuse to pay back their share of the advance.

Turn your KiwiSaver into an income for life One option worth considering when you retire is to invest your KiwiSaver savings in Britannia’s Lifetime Income Fund. You will receive a regular income throughout your retirement which won’t be negatively affected by market fluctuations, interest rates or even how long you live, giving you peace of mind for your future.

To chat further about Britannia’s Lifetime Income Fund, call 0800 663 663 or visit britanniafinancial.co.nz Disclosure Statements for Britannia’s Authorised Financial Advisers are available on request and free of charge. The Product Disclosure Statement for the Britannia Retirement Scheme is available from Britannia Financial Services Limited at britanniafinancial.co.nz.

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DINING / TV

Joanna Mathers charts the rise of the urban caffeine connoisseur

nzherald.co.nz | The New Zealand Herald | Tuesday, February 18, 2020

CAFE CULTURE

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t hasn’t always been this way.

It used to be tea and lamingtons; a slice of ham and a smear of mustard within two sad, soft white slices of bread. But as we enter the third decade of the 21st century, coffee and its attendant foodie culture is enmeshed in our national psyche. It shows no sign of budging.

Starting in the early ’80s, with pioneering cafes such as DKD in Auckland and Atomic on Ponsonby Rd, a few years later, coffee consumption has reached a critical mass and now there’s a cool cafe in every cranny.

There’s a type of mania to the way in which we consume coffee. But why? What makes coffee such a tantalising treat? Why are we so bonkers about the bean?

This is the question posed by Emma Felton, a senior lecturer at the University of Queensland, in her recent book Filtered: Coffee, the Cafe and the 21st Century City. The book explores the rise of cafe culture and looks at how technology, changing work patterns, and the rise of foodie culture has made the cafe experience so ubiquitous.

Although her experience is based in Australia, much of what she’s uncovered has relevance in New Zealand as well.

Cities have been cleaned up; the moneyed flock to them. And much of the popularity of cafes is down to the increased amenity in cities; the attendant gentrification process.

You can see this in Auckland: the boom in building and changing face of fored both the numbers and the physical spaces needed for food and coffee culture to thrive.

“Cities are in the business of attracting tourists and people to live,” she says. “So many local authorities get behind urban renewal and the result is more places to eat, drink and shop.”

This is “big picture” stuff, but there are more personal reasons why coffee culture thrives.

Felton says that for women in particular, cafes provide a space in

which to engage socially and without fear. Bars can be threatening, but as daylight meeting spaces, cafes offer an attractive alternative.

“I [also] joke that the cafe’s popularity might be tracked to the rise in online dating. The time it takes to have a cup of coffee, can be enough time to assess a stranger, and leave with everyone’s dignity intact,” laughs Felton.

We’ve also moved out of the shadow of colonialism.

Our formerly stodgy “meat and three veg” British-influenced diet has been transformed by the rise of innovative chefs who marry the best international food with their own Kiwi sensibility.

Cafe culture has risen alongside this new foodie culture. Coffee connoisseurs (like their craft beer counterparts) are serious beasts; the provenance of the bean, the roasting technique and temperatures analysed with scrutiny.

“There’s a connoisseur/foodie element to the type of cafes that have emerged,” says Felton.

“The specialty of a ‘third wave’

cafe, where the emphasis is on the craft of coffee and coffee making, which is regarded as artisan.”

She says that this plays into people’s sense of identity, especially when ethical issues come into play.

“It’s also about community, feeling that you are part of a group of people who value similar things — for example ethically sourced, quality food and drink.”

These “hipster” cafes are the playgrounds of the bearded and the tattooed; places in which you feel you need a doctorate in design just to be allowed entry. But even the most intimidatingly cool cafes offer a space in which to gather, take a breath, and restore flagging spirits.

“Other demographic influences are the fragmentation of traditional social bonds, encouraging us to forge different types of relationships. And in our busy urban lives, the cafe can be a place for respite, to read or just relax for a short while,” says Felton.

Another aspect of cafes’ ubiquitous appeal is their usefulness as a workspace. The Mac on the table is a fixture, and while this may seem

to the deskbound a delightful way in which to work, there’s a darker reality behind it.

“Two influences are driving [the rise in cafes as a workplace]: technology and the rise of contract work or the ‘gig’ economy, where people aren’t tethered to a workplace and can bring a laptop to the cafe.”

The precariat (those who move from job to job without fixed employment) is an outworking of our late capitalist economic model. The lattesipping millennial is likely vying for their next gig so they can pay the rent; and the cafe provides an inexpensive workspace from which to do it.

Back in the day, eateries were stolid affairs: stodgy sausage rolls served with a lash of tomato sauce, chocolate eclairs the most exotic dish in the display cabinet. Daytime leisure activities were limited to what you’d create for yourself — picnics in local parks, or a bit of sport.

Night saw the cities and towns open up; live music being a major drawcard for many from the late 1960s onwards. The rise of cafes in New Zealand has a direct correlation

with the death of nightlife. The days of waiting until after dark to get your fix of entertainment have gone; it’s early morning caffeine fixes instead of dancing until dawn.

According to a new report Living After Midnight, there are fewer bars and clubs now than in 2008, when there were 600,000 less of us.

Maybe we are more puritanical these days, or maybe we are so heavily regulated that people can no longer afford to set up nightspots.

Whatever the case, the action has moved from 12am to 12pm and wine and song replaced with long blacks and espressos. It’s a culture shift that’s jarring for those of us who preferred to hide in the shadows.

But coffee culture, like all trends, will undoubtedly ebb and flow.

Which may be hard to imagine given the all conglomeration of cafes that proliferate our fair city. The tentacles of gentrification keep spreading, and with them, the cafes.

That vacant petrol station is likely to be transformed into a boutique roastery in the near future. Watch this space.

Prosthetic justice F orget the fake news, it’s the fake faces that shine in the movie Bombshell, which like the TV series, The Loudest Voice (Neon) delves into the recent past. The setting is the sexual abuse scandal that rocked Fox News in 2016. It stars Charlize Theron who shines from behind an expertly applied layer of sculpted latex. She gives a near-perfect rendition of the voice and mannerisms of Fox News’ most well known woman, Megyn Kelly. Even if you’ve never watched Fox you may know her from a news cycle that involved her menstrual cycle.

In 2015 she famously asked Donald Trump some reasonable questions during the Republican primary race and received a return gift of a famously unreasonable response. Even today, familiar as we are with Trump’s catalogue of unruly outbursts, this one takes the bleeding cake.

During the debate Trump had some of his “salty” comments about women — “fat pigs”, “dogs”, etc — quoted back to him by Kelly. Trump, who assumed that Fox would go easy on him fumed after the encounter and tweeted up a storm into the early hours. He then responded a few days later with a phone call to Fox News, in which he decided Kelly’s impertinence

Paul Casserly TV review had a menstrual basis, or as he put it, “you could see blood coming out of her eyes, coming out of her wherever”. Kelly was defended by all manner of sane people including her old foes, the lefties, who see Fox as the broadcast partner to Satan and all his works.

But make no mistake, Kelly is no Kim Hill, her foray into asking the Don some “tough questions” was not her usual M.O. Not long after she was vilified by her new-found defenders for opining that Santa should always be white, just like Jesus was. In the Fox world, this is not even close to being a faux pas but it became a rallying point for Fox haters and the more socially “aware”, who went back to hating her. Perhaps the thing that made Megyn seem almost reasonable on Fox was how dribblingly insane most of the other hosts are. A one-eyed queen in a land of the blind, and all that.

It probably helps, if like me, you’ve seen way too much Fox

News. I first found myself bingeing to gloat-watch when Obama was on the rise and then again for that run up to Trump’s victory at the primaries and the election that followed. But fear not, the film provides a helpful and swift backgrounder at the beginning of proceedings if you aren’t familiar with the territory.

Fox News became such a hit for the same reasons much of Murdoch’s media empire has, and its recipe is nicely boiled down in the film. The stuff that works is the stuff that terrifies your grandmother and enrages your grandfather. “Titillate and frighten” is the real mantra, rather than the official one, “fair and balanced”. Of the latter, seen by many as one of the great jokes of modern media, an explanation is offered by a young conservative staffer before she suffers at the hands of Roger Ailes, who indeed frightens her as he amuses himself. “Fair”, she reckons, refers to the general news coverage (fires, floods, murders) while the “balance” is provided by the likes of Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity and the other frothing bullies with the reddest of necks who make Hosking and Richardson look like Chloe Swarbrick. Balance? How that concept flies, she says, is that because so much of the media

John Lithgow as Roger Ailes in Bombshell.

landscape is filled with left-leaning bed-wetters, the extreme views of the fox opinionators provides that “balance”. Or as John Lithgow’s Ailes tells us: “The news is a ship, if you take your hands off the wheel, it pulls to the left.”

Lithgow is great but it’s Margot Robbie who threatens to steal the show. She’s the just-mentioned “conservative staffer” but this is not an impersonation of a real Foxer but a composite of a whole lot of young blonde women that Ailes, and other bosses at Fox, sexually harassed. Nicole Kidman, and an eye-catching wig, are the quiet achievers of the film with a pitchperfect take on the first Fox woman to take Ailes to task, Gretchen Carlson, whose quiet rage rumbles throughout.

As I’ve said before, I loved The

Photo / Supplied

Loudest Voice, which was the first to blow the lid off this particular #mettoo foxhole. It took a different path to end up in a similar place but the parallels, and enjoyments to be had are plenty. Russell Crowe’s Ailes was as powerful as John Lithgow’s turn here, though Lithgow’s brings more humanity to the table, a trick he pulled with his stunning Churchill in The Crown. There’s also more humour in the film, not surprising given the chops of the male writer (Big Short) and male director (Austin Powers). But in the end, Bombshell attempts to shine the light on the structures of abuse and challenges faced by the victims but succeeds more in explaining just why Fox is Fox. ● Bombshell (Cinema); The Loudest Voice (Neon)

nzherald.co.nz | The New Zealand Herald | Tuesday, February 18, 2020

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nzherald.co.nz | The New Zealand Herald | Tuesday, February 18, 2020

An Atlantic odyssey

Greg Fleming crosses the Atlantic, from Barcelona to Rio de Janeiro, on Oceania’s Marina

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t’s an iconic journey that dates back to the 16th century when Spanish ships starting making the arduous eight-week trip to the New World, braving the unpredictable ocean in small wooden ships.

But this Atlantic crossing would be done in a state-of-the-art cruise liner with every need catered to — the actual crossing taking just four days; the cruise 14 — proceeding down the coast of Spain through the Strait of Gibraltar and across the Atlantic to South America.

If you’re accustomed to travelling on bigger ships, a cruise on the Marina will open your eyes to another type of cruise holiday; one where relaxation and rejuvenation is key and the days go by in a blur of sun, food, reading and exploring the on-shore destinations, not queuing for food at the buffet. And there’s no better way to do it than on a leisurely Atlantic crossing, with plenty of sea days and a chance to visit the Canary Islands, get a taste of Africa in Cape Verde and end in Brazil’s spectacular Rio de Janeiro.

Barcelona I flew in a few days early to explore another legendary city — Barcelona.

The Catalonian capital is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe and the unique architecture of Antoni Gaudi (the mastermind behind Casa Mila, Casa Batllo and La Sagrada Familia) along with the art and the food were the reasons I flew in early.

I visited Casa Batllo (literally “house of bones”), named after the textile industrialist Josep Batllo who commissioned it.

It was built by Gaudi between 1904 and 1906 and is second only to the still unfinished La Sagrada Familia in popularity.

After entry — around 30 Euros ($50) — you’re given a tablet that unlocks information as you walk around.

Up close it’s the attention to detail that impresses: eccentric doorknobs, mushroom-shaped fireplaces and an undulating ceiling that evokes the sea are just some of the touches.

There’s a great gift shop too, so set aside at least an hour, but get there early to avoid the queues.

Of course, pretty much anywhere you wander in Barcelona is a feast for the senses — even if the playfulness of Gaudi isn’t your thing — there are beautiful buildings everywhere you look. A great way to see them all is on the

Barcelona Bus Turistic, a hop-on-hopoff bus that will get you close to all the sights and provides a prerecorded audio guide (just get a seat on the upper deck).

Jetlag ensured I was up early the next day so I made my way to La Boqueria Market and spent an hour watching the vendors set up their stores. The only thing open for business was the tapas bar Bar Pinoxto, no bad thing as it has a reputation of serving some great, fuss-free tapas.

I ordered a cortado and two tapas dishes — one of chickpeas and pork, another of eggs and zucchini — simple dishes, but hearty and delicious. Be prepared to wait for a seat.

The Museu Picasso is another must visit.

The museum focuses on Picasso’s early years from 1890 to around 1917.

There’s an audio guide with admission and you can follow the artist’s development as you move through the rooms; there’s also a set of 42 ceramic works. Of course, you could spend weeks just visiting museums — there are over 34 — including the Museu del Futbol Club Barcelona, the Museu del perfum, and the Fundacio of Barcelona-born artist Joan Miro, but I had an ocean to cross.

All aboard There are no dodgem cars, rockclimbing walls, simulated sky diving or bungy jumps on the Marina; if you’re after adrenalin-pumping activities, look elsewhere. The Marina is old school in the best way possible — offering personalised service with a focus on elegance and comfort, and Marina’s older demographic love it.

So instead of robots serving you drinks (one option offered on a recent cruise I took), you have waiters in formal attire offering afternoon tea and scones with clotted cream, while a string quartet plays.

Unsurprisingly, many on board were brand loyal (converts to the “O” life).

One couple I spoke to were on their eighth cruise on the Marina; the itinerary seemed to matter less than the cruise experience itself — indeed, they

Oceania’s Marina at sea (main); the Christ the redeemer statue, Rio de Janeiro (above).

would only leave the ship on a couple of occasions throughout the cruise.

Inspired by Miami’s Mondrian Hotel and the Palm Court at NYC’s Plaza Hotel, the first impression is one of chic elegance. The Marina’s grand staircase is movie worthy and my balcony cabin well appointed with ample storage, and a bathroom with both a tub and shower and plenty of Bulgari amenities.

The food is among the best I’ve experienced on a cruise ship, with multiple dining venues, and four signature restaurants (the Asianthemed Red Ginger, the Italian Toscana, the Polo Grill steakhouse and Jacques, the first-ever restaurant by celebrity chef Jacques Pepin).

Better still, there’s no extra charge

for these and on a longer cruise like this, you can try each one multiple times (I found myself most often at the Polo Grill, wowed by its handsome decor and mouthwatering steaks, with Toscana a close second; seafood lovers will flock to Red Ginger and its famous sea bass dish served in a banana leaf).

The ship was purpose built for a food-focused experience, befitting a line that boasts it has the “finest cuisine at sea”.

Each restaurant has its own galley (there are around 150 chefs on board) and only the freshest ingredients are used. The ship even carries multiple types of French flour and butter for the 24/7 bakery, while the Versace plates at Toscana are a work of art.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the Canary Islands After two sea days, the first stop was the capital of Tenerife — Santa Cruz.

Photos / Supplied; Greg Fleming

Tenerife is the largest of the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago 100 kilometres west of Morocco. While there were various shore excursions available on board, I opted to do some independent sightseeing. Santa Cruz’s main shopping street was just a five-minute walk from the port and offered the usual high-street stores in a pretty, pedestrian mall with a series of smaller, more interesting side streets running off it.

Back on board that night, the destination was reflected in a Spanishthemed night at the buffet — with paella and other Spanish dishes served. Another special was available a few days later on Thanksgiving and much appreciated by the many American passengers who enjoyed roasted Turkey, sweet potato and cranberry sauce.

San Sebastian, La Gomera A day later, we arrived at San Sebastian (population 8000) on the island of La Gomera, and its slow pace and relaxed vibe was a world away from neighbour Santa Cruz. This was the first time the ship had visited San Sebastian (one of the advantages of sailing on a smaller ship is that it can get access to ports like this) and it continued on D10 p10

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nzherald.co.nz | The New Zealand Herald | Tuesday, February 18, 2020

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TRAVEL

nzherald.co.nz | The New Zealand Herald | Tuesday, February 18, 2020

An Atlantic odyssey continued from D8 p8

turned out to be a highlight.

We were able to walk off the ship into one of the most picturesque towns I’ve ever visited.

Brightly coloured buildings rose up the sides of the town, accessible by steep narrow lanes. It was like walking around a film set — the town eerily quiet in the middle of the day — until a motorbike or car appeared around the bend. I lunched at a local restaurant, the owner taking me inside to choose the type of fish I wanted — all caught that morning.

Afterwards I wandered around, had a coffee in a cafe and visited the Church of Assumption where Columbus and his men prayed in 1492 before setting off to the New World. This would have been a hard place to leave.

This is one of those surpass-allexpectations days that travel throws us once in a while.

Mindelo, Sao Vicente, Cape Verde Also called Cabo Verde, this group of islands 600km off the west coast of Africa was a fascinating stop.

Mindelo is the main city on the island of Sao Vicente. On a guided shore excursion I visited a West African market and fruit market before busing out to the volcanic Monte Verde (the island’s highest peak at 744m).

On the way back to the port we stopped at a beach, its fine white sand blown in from the Sahara desert.

Mindelo is an odd place, a thirdworld city that still has a way to go if it wants to compete with the Canaries as a tourist destination. It experiences water and electricity shortages and has limited employment opportunities. The city wasn’t developed until the 19th century because of its arid nature, and its main industry today is as a refuelling point for transatlantic freighters.

As our mini-bus drove the empty roads back to the city we passed women walking in the brutal heat with jugs of water on their backs, when they saw the bus they all turned and waved. I wasn’t the only one who felt strange that evening returning to our luxury cruise ship.

Atlantic Crossing With four sea days ahead, I took the opportunity to explore the ship.

Much time was spent in the English-style library — a comforting place with a fireplace, big leather chairs, a wide selection of books — from classics such as Dickens and Proust to self-help books, biographies and the latest thrillers — and a cafe, with a skilled Barista Paulo, just around the corner.

The Spa and gym were also great

Marina magic

● Free Wi-Fi on board ● No extra charge for signature restaurants

● An onboard (complimentary) barista

● Complimentary raw juice bar ● 1200 guests and 800 staff.

places to pamper yourself and work off the extra calories.

Don’t miss the culinary classes — the first custom-designed, hands-on cooking school at sea. Our class was taught by (now New Zealand-based) chef Stephanie Hersh who worked for 16 years as Julia Child’s secretary.

Cooking classes are run throughout the cruise, but you need to book.

We went though some Latinbased recipes in anticipation of our Brazilian destination and the twohour class flew by. Hersh says the classes are fully booked on most cruises and in many destinations she also takes culinary adventures with groups — exploring the destination’s local markets, and sourcing products.

“When you follow food you get a

Brightly coloured buildings rose up the sides of the town, accessible by steep narrow lanes. It was like walking around a film set — the town eerily quiet in the middle of the day . . .

Clockwise: San Sebastian (main); Greg Fleming aboard the Marina; Mindelo, Cape Verde; the local Frevo dance in Recife.

Photos / Greg Fleming

great insight into the local culture,” she says. The onboard culture was also food focused. Over the 14 nights, I dined at all the restaurants and each had their highlights — the spicy miso soup and the watermelon and duck salad at Red Ginger; the Waldorf salad and New York strip steak at the Polo Grill; the handmade tortelloni stuffed with ricotta and spinach at Toscana. If you’re a foodie, this is the line for you.

Within a couple of days we were crossing the equator — a feat celebrated on board by a light-hearted ceremony, which included a mock inquisition, egg throwing and other gooey punishments around the main pool. At this stage in the cruise many passengers were getting to know each other, with many arranging evening meals together, a reminder of the community feel on the cruise.

Brazil After four days at sea we reached Recife, the capital of Brazil’s northeastern state of Pernambuco (bonus: passengers didn’t have to bother about going through immigration as the Brazilian authorities had already cleared our passports, which the Marina took on embarkation).

Recife is sometimes called the Venice of Brazil, because of its interconnected islands — although this is a gritty port city with few tourist niceties — taking a guided shore excursion here is recommended.

We bused up to Olinda (transferring to minibuses so as to get through the narrow cobblestone streets) where we spent time at the beautiful Se Cathedral and Misericordia Church. The square here used to be the site of slave trading in the 19th

century but is now a popular tourist destination. Come Carnaval — which lasts five days in February — the streets around here are packed.

We also got a glimpse of the local Frevo dance (Rio has Samba, Recife has Frevo) at a nearby souvenir shop.

We then visited the baroque Golden Chapel, built in the 16th century, one of the most admired religious monuments in Brazil (its name derives from the amount of gold used to cover the many woodcarvings that decorate the walls, altar and ceiling).

It was quite a jolt to go from the tough streets of Recife to a sevencourse degustation with wine pairing in Marina’s La Reserve (dining here will set you back US$95 plus gratuities) but if you’re a foodie, you won’t want to miss this.

It’s also a great way to meet new friends — as all tables are shared.

It was raining as we sailed into our final port Rio de Janeiro but that didn’t stop us ticking off the most famous Rio attraction: a visit to Christ the Redeemer, the towering art deco statue built in the 1930s, sitting atop Mount Corcovado.

The concrete-and-soapstone statue is big business for Rio — a city so vast and unique a one-day visit doesn’t begin to do it justice — and it’s certainly the spot to get a panoramic view of the city.

We took the rail car up and our Brazilian guide instructed us to all pray for a break in the weather.

Twenty minutes later as we got to the top, the rain stopped and the clouds parted for a few minutes and afforded a view across the city no photograph can do justice to.

A fitting end to a unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime journey.

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nzherald.co.nz | The New Zealand Herald | Tuesday, February 18, 2020

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nzherald.co.nz | The New Zealand Herald | Tuesday, February 18, 2020

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