November 6, 2023 Maketu Pies (Day 40)
Today the weather report predicted rain starting before noon. So we decided to walk into Maketu, a 15 minute walk downhill. It turned out to be a warm morning! We read the plaques along the walk describing the history of Maketu. There are 2 historic churches, an Anglican church and a Roman Catholic church.
I don’t know which church this is, but I was impressed by the archway at the gate!
The intricacy of the carving is fantastic!
I’ve seen this architecture in front of buildings in the small towns we’ve been through, also on the building at Waitangi Treaty Grounds where I participated in the traditional welcome ceremony. It is part of the Marae or “meeting grounds that are the focal point of Maori communities”. We see signs for Marae in quite a few communities. They all look very well kept and respected. We continued around the tiny town center, past the kid’s playground where I saw something I’ve never seen in a playground before – a surfboard!
It’s on a spring, and boy, is it a challenge for an adult!
We picked up 2 meat pies at the convenience store to take home and heat up for lunch. Maketu is famous for their ‘Maketu Pies’. We’ve found these type of pies all over, and they are the best value! Think pot pies, but fresh, hot, with flaky pastry crusts, just the right amount of gravy and flavor! Eat them right out of the paper wrapping!
We bought these out of the refrigerator at the store because we had to walk uphill home! We heated them up in the oven for lunch and they were great!!
We waited for the rain to arrive, but it seemed to be stalled to the west of us. We took advantage of the sun we had to wash some clothes and put them on the line. Later I made dinner of leftover grilled fish in a cheese sauce, with lemon from their tree, over pasta. With a salad of greens including fresh spinach from our host’s garden and nasturtiums I gathered from the roadside on our walk back to our B&B.
The rain finally arrived after a nondescript sunset!
We even had a brief display of lightening and some rolls of thunder!
November 7th, 2023 at 6:46 pm
The Maketū Pies sound fabulous!