Getting my New Zealand driving licence! Restricted Licence — Part 3 (The Practical Driving Test)

Getting my New Zealand driving licence! Restricted Licence — Part 3: The Practical Driving Test

In Part 3, I’m going to write about my experience of sitting the Restricted Licence practical test. If you haven’t read them yet, Part 1 and Part 2 might also be helpful.

Up to this point, I’ve talked about supervised practice and lessons with an AA instructor. But questions like “When should I sit the test?” and “How much practice is enough?” are honestly very subjective—it really depends on the person.

Timing: when to sit the practical test

In my case, I practised in parallel with a supervisor and with an AA instructor. Through several “mock practical test” lessons with the AA instructor, I was able to get advice on how close I was to being ready for the real test.

Toward the end of my practice, for example, I was told something like: “Your general driving is probably fine for the practical test. But you should spend the next two weeks focusing on parking. If you were going to fail, it would likely be because of a parking mistake.” Based on that advice, I decided I was ready to book the test.

Booking and preparing for the test

For the practical test, I recommend allowing about one full hour in your schedule. You book online (via the booking site) and pay the test fee. When you book, make sure you select the test location where you plan to sit the test, and then choose your preferred date and time.

You can book through the New Zealand Transport Agency here:

https://www.nzta.govt.nz/driver-licences/getting-a-licence/take-your-test/practical-tests

When I sat my test (around 2025), I often found available slots about two weeks ahead. However, it sounds like booking can become much harder depending on the season. During busy times—such as summer holidays, when many university students try to get their licence—it can apparently stretch to 2–3 months. So it may be difficult to get the location and time you want unless you book early.

What the test involves (a simple overview)

On the day, you arrive at the test centre and drive on real roads with the examiner. At the start, the examiner checks the basics during normal driving, such as:

• General driving and safety routines

• Mirror checks (often the “three-point check”)

• Blind spot checks

• Speed control while driving

If everything goes smoothly, it seems common to be asked to do a parallel park on a side street within about the first 10 minutes. You need to be able to do this properly and safely.

After that, you continue along a range of routes, driving on local roads and sometimes (depending on the area) motorway driving as well. If everything is satisfactory, you’re told you’ve passed at the end, and you receive a paper temporary licence.

How the driving test day went (this is what it was like for me)

You’re usually told to check in 30 minutes before your booking time, so I recommend arriving at least 30 minutes early.

After checking in, if it’s your first attempt, you’ll complete the application form. Then you do an eyesight test, and they also take a photo for your licence. The good news is: if you don’t pass on that attempt, you generally won’t need to redo the photo and the application form the next time.

After waiting until your scheduled start time, several examiners come out and call people in order. You greet your examiner and then walk with them to your car.

One important thing is that you need to bring your own car for the test. I personally think it’s safest to use the same car you’ve been practising in with your supervisor. Also, because you’re not yet allowed to drive alone before passing the Restricted test, you’ll need your supervisor to drive you to the test centre. That means your supervisor will need to accompany you (sitting in the passenger seat) on the way there. If you want, the supervisor may also be allowed to sit in the car during the test (that’s how it was explained to me).

Vehicle check before the test, and an important note about the start

Before the driving begins, the examiner checks the car. They confirm things like whether the mirrors can be adjusted properly, and whether the indicators, lamps, and lights are working. After that, you’re given safety instructions—and then the test begins.

The test starts the moment the examiner says something like, “Okay, please exit this parking area safely.” From the very first movement, you need to do your mirror checks and safety checks properly. I really felt that it’s important not to relax even at the very start.

During the test: the basic rule is “follow the road unless told otherwise”

One key rule the examiner told me was: unless you receive a specific instruction like “turn right at the next corner” or “turn left at the next corner,” you should basically keep following the road as it goes.

So even if you come to a T-intersection or a crossroad, if you are not instructed to turn, you continue straight. It can feel a bit confusing at first, but I think understanding this rule helps you stay calm during the test.

If you make a serious mistake early, the test may end immediately

This part is a bit strict, but I was told that if a major error happens early in the test, you may fail on the spot and return to the test centre without completing the full route. When I went, I actually saw a few people come back relatively quickly.

A common pattern seemed to be people who hadn’t practised enough with an instructor, and came in without fully understanding the rules—then made an error around the first turn or early intersection and had to return. That was the general impression I got on the day.

My result: I passed on my second attempt (but the first attempt…)

I personally sat the practical test twice and passed on my second attempt. My first failure was, surprisingly, for speeding.

Looking back, I had done a lot of practice both with an AA instructor and with my supervisor—but the car I practised in with my supervisor was different from the car I used on the test day with the examiner. When the car is different, the accelerator feel and how quickly the speed builds can be slightly different, and I don’t think I was fully used to that. As a result, I went just a little over the speed limit and that was picked up. Because of that, I returned after about 20 minutes and didn’t even make it as far as the motorway…

For my second test, I went in with a strong focus on speed control. I also paid close attention to parallel parking, following distance, and roads where the speed limit changes depending on the time of day. This time, I completed the whole route, and after about 40 minutes I returned to the test centre.

As soon as we got back, I was told, “You’ve passed,” and I received the paper temporary licence. The proper card licence arrived by mail later—about a week afterwards.

Summary

Since this was the Restricted Licence, I haven’t got my Full Licence yet. When I eventually do, I’d like to write another post about that experience too.

That’s my experience of getting my Restricted Licence. I hope it’s useful for anyone who is planning to stay in New Zealand for a while and is thinking about getting their licence.

And if you haven’t read them yet, Part 1 and Part 2 might also be helpful.

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Japanese version of this article is available here. 

Getting my New Zealand driving licence! Restricted Licence — Part 2 (Driving Practice)

Getting my New Zealand driving licence! Restricted Licence — Part 2 (Driving Practice)

Recently, I got my Restricted Licence in New Zealand, and I’m sharing what the experience was like. If you’d like a bit of background first, Part 1 is here.

From a “forever Learner” to aiming for the Restricted Licence

My situation looked like this:

• I had been on a Learner’s licence for years.

• I had no driving experience in Japan.

• I felt nervous about driving and didn’t feel confident.

• I live in Auckland.

• I work during the day.

To get my Restricted Licence, I did the following:

• Practised driving with a supervisor

• Practised driving with a professional driving instructor

• Reviewed road rules

• Sat the Restricted Licence practical test (I passed on my second attempt)

In this Part 2 post, I’ll cover the first two items: practising with a supervisor and practising with an instructor.

Practising with a supervisor (my experience)

In the New Zealand licensing process, once you’ve got your Learner’s licence, the core of your practice is driving on the road with a supervisor.

Who can be your supervisor?

First, there are requirements for the supervisor. They must have held a Full Driver Licence for at least two years. Your supervisor sits in the front passenger seat, and you practise within the rules and time restrictions that apply. In my case, my supervisor was a family member. Many people ask family, but it seems some people ask friends as well.

How do you choose practice locations?

When you’re a beginner, it can feel scary to jump straight into normal traffic, so choosing the right practice locations at the start felt very important. I was truly starting from zero, so my very first practice was in a large, empty car park. I went to a wide, quiet car park and drove around inside it first, just to get used to the feel of the car.

That said, some car parks are suitable for practice and some are not (either because they’re not appropriate or because it’s not allowed), so I think it’s important to check the rules and make sure you’re practising in places where it’s permitted.

The next step, of course, becomes practising on public roads. I chose areas near my home where traffic was very light—places with lots of commercial facilities near the edge of town, where it was quieter and easier to practise. In particular, I looked for a few places that had things like cul-de-sacs, simple straight roads, or roads where you could make an easy “loop” and drive around the same route repeatedly without too much pressure.

How practice and improvement worked for me

My general routine was: my supervisor would drive us to the practice location first. Once we arrived somewhere that felt “relatively safe and suitable for practice,” I would switch into the driver’s seat and practise from there. This approach meant I didn’t have to immediately handle difficult roads, and I could focus on driving more calmly.

In the beginning, I was very nervous, and it was much more tiring than I expected. So I kept each session to a set length, and I tried to practise at times when it was bright with good visibility, and when the roads were as quiet as possible. For me, that felt like the safest way to build confidence.

I also practised with an AA instructor in parallel (more on that below), and I think that combination helped a lot. While continuing supervised practice, I improved little by little. Later on—really in the second half of my journey—my supervised practice started to include things like parking practice and driving on the motorway. But that was genuinely “later on,” and I don’t think it’s necessary to push those things too early.

Start by choosing good locations, and expect it to be a long game

In New Zealand, supervised practice is the main way most people build their skills. That’s why finding “good practice locations” matters so much. If possible, I think it’s even better to practise near the driving test centre—around the area where you’re likely to drive during your test.

And one last important reminder: you must display your Learner’s Plate (the L plate) on the car. It’s easy to forget, but it’s essential. If you keep following the rules and practise steadily, you can build confidence step by step.

Practising with a driving instructor (my experience)

Where do you find an instructor?

In my case, alongside my supervised practice, I also took lessons with an AA instructor. AA lessons can be booked through the AA website, and if something comes up, there’s a system for cancelling or rescheduling. I found it very convenient and easy to manage bookings.

More information on AA driving instructors is here:

AA Driving School: https://www.aa.co.nz/drivers/driving-school/driving-lessons/

AA has many instructors, and I do think “fit” matters. My suggestion (based on my experience) would be to try lessons with a few different instructors at the beginning, and then once you find someone you work well with, continue with that person until you pass.

AA member discounts and lesson packs

Of course, lessons cost money, but AA members can get a discount. Also, if you prepay for a “5-lesson pack,” it works out a bit cheaper than paying one by one. I bought two 5-lesson packs and did a total of 10 lessons with an AA instructor.

Choosing the right area for lessons

One of the most important things for me when learning with an instructor was location. Since you’ll eventually sit your practical test, I recommend practising as close as possible to your test centre, with an instructor who knows that area well. If you’re planning to take the test locally, your instructor can teach you routes that are commonly used in the test and explain “local tricky points” that are specific to that area.

What the first lesson looked like

Out of my 10 lessons, the first few were truly “beginner warm-up” sessions. We focused on getting comfortable with basic control and building familiarity with real road conditions. Later on, we added parking practice, and I drove on the motorway for the first time with the AA instructor. After practising safely that way, I then continued that kind of practice with my supervisor during my own sessions.

Also, because the instructor doesn’t know your driving level at the first lesson, the first session often feels like a short loop around nearby streets—partly as a way for them to see your habits and current skill level. Based on that, the lesson plan for the second session and beyond gets shaped. Unless you’ve already practised a lot and you only want to do mock tests, taking just a single lesson may not be the most effective use of an instructor.

Later lessons and working towards a mock (practice) test

In the later lessons, almost every session became “route practice with a mock test in mind.” For example, if normal driving was fine but parking needed work, we would focus on parking. Or if a specific roundabout felt difficult, we would practise that roundabout repeatedly. Being able to target weak points like this was a major benefit of learning with an instructor.

Mock-test style lessons were especially valuable

What I personally found most valuable was the “mock test” style lesson option. It’s very close to the real practical test: you drive a commonly used test route with the instructor, and then you get feedback afterwards. They tell you very clearly what you did well, what needs improvement, and even whether you would likely pass or fail if you sat the test that day. Because I felt the New Zealand practical test was harder than I expected, this mock test was especially important for me—and I’m very glad I did it.

That’s the overview of how I practised. Next, I’ll finally share my practical driving test experience.

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The Japanese version of this article is available here. 

Getting my New Zealand driving licence!: Restricted Licence Part 1

Getting my New Zealand driving licence!: Restricted Licence

I’ve been living in New Zealand for quite a while now, and… I finally got my driving licence (Restricted Licence)!! So, I’d like to share the overall process and my personal experience in this article. 

The New Zealand driver licensing system

New Zealand currently has a three-stage driver licensing system. In simple terms, it looks like this:

1: Learner’s licence

• This is a “paper” learner licence (a provisional licence).
• Requirements: You need to submit an application form, pass a written test on road rules, and complete an eyesight test and a photo (you must attend in person).
• What you can do: You can practise driving on the road as long as a supervisor is always in the front passenger seat. You must display L plates. There are restrictions on what times you can drive.

2: Restricted licence

• This is a restricted provisional licence.
• Requirements: You must pass a practical driving test. You will need to provide the application form again, and you’ll also need another eyesight test and photo.
• What you can do: You’re allowed to drive on your own. You can also carry passengers if a supervisor is always in the front passenger seat. There are restrictions on what times you can drive.

3: Full licence

• This is your full licence.
• Requirements: You must pass a practical driving test. You will need to provide the application form again, and you’ll also need another eyesight test and photo.
• What you can do: Basically, there are no restrictions.

For more detailed information, see here:

• New Zealand Government (official) site: https://www.nzta.govt.nz/driver-licences
• Study road rules for the Learner’s licence here: https://drive.govt.nz/
• The AA (private service) website is also very helpful: https://www.aa.co.nz/drivers/driver-licences/

Why I recommend getting a licence

If you’re not planning to live in New Zealand permanently, you may be wondering whether it’s worth getting a licence. Here are the application fees: https://www.nzta.govt.nz/driver-licences/licensing-fees/licence-fees

Even if you don’t drive, a Learner’s licence is useful as ID

• The Learner’s licence is relatively easy to get, and it’s extremely handy as an ID card.
• It means you don’t need to carry your passport around all the time.
• It’s also fairly straightforward now because you can study road rules using an app.
• Cost: If you pass on the first attempt, it’s around NZD 100.

A Restricted licence expands your freedom a lot

If you’re living in New Zealand long-term, having a car is incredibly convenient. In fact, outside the major cities (Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch), it can feel like a necessity for everyday life. I live in Auckland, so I managed for a long time using public transport, but honestly, I wish I’d gotten my licence earlier.

The practical test is quite strict. It costs around NZD 160 for the first attempt, and about NZD 100 from the second attempt onwards. Many people end up taking the test more than once.

A Full licence has no restrictions

If you want to drive with passengers freely (without the restrictions), you’ll need a Full Licence. That said, many people are happy staying on a Restricted licence for a while—especially if they just want to be able to drive themselves and don’t feel any urgency to upgrade. For things like car insurance or rentals, having a Full Licence is often an advantage. But the practical test for the Full Licence also seems to be quite strict.

In my case: I was basically a “forever Learner”

In my case, I got my Learner’s licence fairly early, but then I didn’t try for the Restricted licence for years. The main reasons were that my family could drive, and living in Auckland meant I could get around by bus and train… 

But I started wanting to be more independent. And I also realised that if anything happened to the family member who could drive, I would really be stuck. That’s why I decided to go for my Restricted Licence this time.

I’ll share what the process was like in the next post (Part 2).

Thank you for reading up to here.

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The Japanese version of this article is available here. 

Greenstone (Pounamu) Necklace-Making Workshop

Greenstone (Pounamu) Necklace-Making Workshop

NZ greenstone (Pounamu) is a popular souvenir in New Zealand. In te reo Māori, it is also called pounamu. Buying a piece from a shop is wonderful, but have you ever thought, “I’d love to make one with my own hands”?

Recently, I joined a workshop where you make a necklace using pounamu. It was held at a studio in East Auckland, starting at 10 a.m. and running for almost the whole day. We began by choosing our stone from a selection of roughly cut pieces. I really enjoyed being able to pick a stone while thinking about who it might suit and who I might like to gift it to.

This particular workshop was for making a halfmoon-shaped necklace. Here is the pounamu I chose—the yellowish one on the left. It’s not a colour you often see in shops; it felt more like the kind of piece you might see in a museum. I loved how unique it was. On the right side of the photo is the grinding stone.

For the making process, we used whetstones and mechanical grinding tools, slowly shaving down the edges to shape the piece. Once the rough shape was done, we used files and then sandpaper in stages, taking time to smooth and refine the surface. At the end, the stone was polished with a machine, and then we threaded it with cord to finish. You can even choose the colour of the cord—but for me, the hardest part was braiding and finishing the cord.

On the day, it wasn’t just about making the necklace. We also heard cultural stories connected to pounamu, and it was special to be able to learn about Māori culture while creating something with my hands. I also learned an important cultural custom: in Māori tradition, the first piece you make should be given to someone else as a gift. Some people say it can be okay to wear it yourself first, but the core idea is that “the first one is a gift.”

Ta-da—here it is, finished!

I really enjoyed the quiet, hands-on time—almost like having a conversation with the stone while I worked. It was a great refresh, and the making process itself was so much fun.

If you’re looking for a meaningful present for a loved one—or simply want to create something special—why not try making your own pounamu? The more time you spend shaping it with your own hands, the more personal and precious the finished necklace becomes.

The workshop I attended was this one: Aotearoa Bone and Stone: https://absca.nz/ 

Thank you very much for reading! 

Japanese version is here.

My Elementary School Son Is Obsessed with Minecraft… and We Tried a Dragon Quest Mod

My Elementary School Son Is Obsessed with Minecraft… and We Tried a Dragon Quest Mod

Disclaimer: This is one of popular post in the Japanese site of this blog, that's been recently translated. (Japanese version is available here.) Some information and version may be well dated by now but translating and sharing here as the original post from 2017 seem to have been very useful. 

My elementary school-aged son is completely hooked on Minecraft, and I previously wrote about how he started doing YouTube-style gameplay commentary using Minecraft on PC.

He’s still playing Minecraft regularly, as always.

But recently, after watching some gameplay videos on YouTube, he came to me and said, “I want to try the Dragon Quest mod.”

Huh? What’s a “mod” anyway? That was me at first.

I managed to figure things out by digging through information online, but there were a few parts that I couldn’t solve with internet information alone—so I’m leaving some notes here in case it helps someone else.

The Dragon Quest Mod for Minecraft

With Minecraft on PC, you can download files called “mods” from the internet. By installing them, you can play worlds and experiences that don’t exist in vanilla Minecraft. The one my son got obsessed with is a Dragon Quest mod—basically, it turns Minecraft into a world that feels like it’s set in the Dragon Quest universe. It seems to be made by an individual, but the level of quality is amazing.

In regular Minecraft, there aren’t that many enemy variations, and gameplay tends to focus on building and exploration. But with the Dragon Quest mod, huge numbers of monsters appear that resemble the Dragon Quest world. So even just fighting monsters can be a big challenge! The difficulty of defeating monsters is also high, and you can go on adventures in places like dungeons—so you can enjoy a long, slow adventure over many hours of play. 

The Dragon Quest mod is free to download, and as long as you can install it yourself, you can enjoy Minecraft even more without spending extra money—so I highly recommend it.

What You Need to Install the Dragon Quest Mod

The official website explains the installation process and details about the mod very thoroughly, so please refer to that for the main steps.

First, there are several files you need to download:

1. The main Dragon Quest mod file

2. Prerequisite files required by the Dragon Quest mod

3. A file called Forge 1.5

4. A Forge Lib file

Official installation page:

http://dqm4mod.wixsite.com/home/untitled-caoh

If you follow the guide on the official installation page, you should be able to proceed without too much trouble.That said, the steps may differ depending on your Minecraft version.

We installed the mod quite recently—in October 2017. Our Minecraft version was the Java edition, version 1.12.2. It’s the newer version of Minecraft that starts from what’s called the “new launcher.”

Editing the .json File (Using the Official Guide)

I was following the official installation page step by step, but I ran into a problem at step 7—the part involving the .json file. The example .json file shown on the official page didn’t match the contents of my own .json file, and I couldn’t figure out exactly which parts I needed to rewrite.

My guess is that while the mod itself keeps being improved, the Minecraft game also keeps getting updated and changing versions. This .json file seems to play an important role when Minecraft launches. And if you fail to edit it correctly, the game won’t start properly at all.

We failed the first time editing the .json file, and we got an error where the modded Minecraft wouldn’t launch. So, while still using the official page as a reference, I carefully looked through the .json file and did a slow, methodical process:

• Find something that seems like it should be removed (based on the reference pages)

• Edit and save the file a little at a time

• If an error happened, undo that part

• If it seemed okay, delete that section…

Basically, a tedious trial-and-error process. When the required changes were obvious, it was fine. But around those areas, it was hard to tell which information was unnecessary. It turned into a staring contest with the .json file—trying things and forcing my way through by testing.

My husband and I each tried installing the mod on our own computers, and we both struggled at the same point. In the end, it seems the .json file I edited was the one that worked, because we were able to reach the next step (launching the Forge version of Minecraft).

I emailed my edited .json file to my husband, and he placed it in the correct folder on his computer. After that, he was able to install the mod successfully as well. (For the record, we each purchased Minecraft separately, and we were using the same version.)

Since it might help someone else, I’ll include the dqm3.json file that is currently working for me with the Dragon Quest mod. (It’s named “dqm3,” but the mod is actually DQMIV.)

I opened the file in Notepad and made changes, then copied and pasted it below. I highlighted parts that seemed important in the official guide in yellow. There’s a lot of messy content in the middle, but I think the main changes were at the beginning around the “id” section and near the later sections.

I hope it helps someone who is struggling to install the Dragon Quest mod.

**From here**

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${auth_session} --gameDir ${game_directory} --assetsDir ${game_assets}","minimumLauncherVersion":4,"releaseTime":"2013-04-25T15:45:00+00:00","synced":false,"time":"2016-02-02T15:37:47+00:00","type":"release"}

**To here**

Dragon Quest DQMIV Mod Installed Successfully!

After that, copying the DQM files went smoothly, and we were able to play using the Dragon Quest mod! Because we spent almost the whole day on Sunday struggling with the installation, it was genuinely moving when the mod finally launched.

But… the Dragon Quest mod is pretty heavy (it can be demanding on the computer). And it’s hard. The monsters are strong. My son was absolutely thrilled. He played the Dragon Quest mod on my computer, and he and my husband went on adventures together in the Dragon Quest world in multiplayer mode.

During installation, we also used the following websites as references:

https://www57.atwiki.jp/dqm3mc/pages/4.html

https://minecraft-jp.pw/adddqm0506/

A common installation issue seems to be that if the Forge version doesn’t match properly, it won’t work. It sounds like if it isn’t something like the “1.5.2…” version, you can’t use it with Minecraft 1.5.2—so you need to be careful when downloading the Forge file.

I also saw information saying that if your Java version is too new, it won’t work—but I personally didn’t reinstall an older Java version. The Java installed on our computer should be the latest version… I think.

That’s the story of our fun Dragon Quest mod installation…

It’s a really content-rich mod, and to properly enjoy it, you might need to use strategy and guide sites as well. My son is having a great time, and for our generation, Dragon Quest brings back so much nostalgia… (like, “Wow, I used to play this!”)

By the way, my son is now asking Santa for his own computer as a Christmas present. Since he’s been using the PC more for games and YouTube, I think he sees it as an extension of a game console. He’s only eight and still believes in Santa… and yet he’s asking for a computer. Cheeky…! 

*Disclaimer: This is one of popular post in the Japanese site of this blog, that's been recently translated. (Japanese version is available here.) Some information and version may be well dated by now but translating and sharing here as the original post from 2017 seem to have been very useful. 

Kiwi bird Pukunui passes away in Japan, leaving no more Kiwi bird in Japan

There was news report in Japan that the last remaining kiwi, named "Pukunui" passed away in Japan. 

The original source describes that "The national bird of New Zealand, Kiwi. In Japan, Tennoji Zoo (Osaka, Japan) was the only zoo with kiwi birds. The last kiwi at the Tennoji Zoo, Pukunui, was announced dead on 5th August 2024". 

BuzzNewz (Japanese site) 

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/3b03b6f52869b8762358bb8077f73d9b5cabbbe5

Oh no!! NO KIWI birds in Japan. 

While animal enclosures at zoo is a topic for debate for animal ethic reasons, it is also true that animals from other countries are a wonderful way to educate people about different countries. For example, Japan pays a significant amount of "rental fee" to China each year to have Panda in Japanese zoo. I imagine kiwi birds were sent to Japan too as embassedor to culturally connect Japan and New Zealand. 

Pukunui, the kiwi bird which passed away, was 36-year-old. According to Sankei news, Pukunui was a female kiwi bird, born in 1988 in New Zealand, arrived in Japan in July 1991. 

Original article Sankei News (Japanese) https://www.sankei.com/

This is such a long time ago and I had no idea that kiwi birds live so long. Pukunui was paired with another male bird "Jun" which had passed away at 42-year-old, in July this year. So two were a pair for a long time together, and died almost together. 

This is apparently equivalent of 70-80 year-old human. Staff at Tennoji Zoo must have looked after Pukunui and Jun very well, to live well until the old age. 

Wild life conservation is a very important matter and keeping the native animal (e.g. Kiwi) in captivity in another country may not be possible. But As a Japanese, it's a little sad that Japanese children will no longer have options to see Kiwi birds in Japan and hope that there are other opportunities/means for them to learn about amazing kiwi birds their home country, Aotearoa New Zealand. 

Chestnut Picking Season In New Zealand!

The day is getting shorter, and temperatures are starting to drop in Auckland.

That means... Autumn is here!

Autumn means all sorts of yummy autumn harvests will become available... including chestnuts!

So we have been looking around for chestnuts, and found some places we can go to pick fresh chestnuts.

When is the Chestnut Picking Season in New Zealand?

Chestnut picking season in New Zealand is autumn, around mid-March to mid-April.

It may change depending on the weather for the particular year, but usually mid- to late-March is a good season for them in North island.

And... chestnut picking season is actually quite short compared with other fruit like citrus, only lasting about a month, or sometimes only a few weeks.

So if you want to pick your own chestnut, you got to be keeping close eyes on these chestnuts trees once the end of summer approaches... otherwise, they might all fall and be gone before you even notice them!!

If you want to go pick your own chestnut at established chestnut farms, starting collecting information once March begins!

Where to Pick Fresh Chestnut: Local Parks?

So where are chestnuts trees.... ?

Some people have chestnut trees in their garden. You can also find some chestnuts trees in public parks and reserves.

We found some chestnut trees in our local, west Auckland park: Tui Glen Reserve！

Tui Glen Reserve is an awesome park for children with a lot of outdoor play toys.

But this park also has a few chestnut trees, and they were starting to drop chesnuts around February.

This is a bit early than typical chestnut.... may be due to warm Auckland weather?

Some of chestnuts are really small, but some are edible size.

You cannot find that many, but if you are lucky enough to find some on the ground, they are sweet and yum!

Some small chestnuts found at the Tui Glen Reserve

You can always checkout the foraging map available online (see walnut article http://en.japakiwidaisy.com/2018/02/fresh-walnuts-picking-season-in-new.html).

There may be some known chestnut trees in nearby parks and public domains.

Chesnut Picking in New Zealand: Farms?

If if you want to pick your fresh chestnuts, in a large quantity enough to enjoy them... the best place to go is your pick-your-own chestnut farms!

There are a few places around, where owners have opened up their chestnut-farm for people to pick chestnuts and purchase them.

There isn’t a chestnut forest in the middle of Auckland... but comes close! Some places are only about one-hour drive from Auckland.

Here is a few places I found on the internet...

In Clevedon：Chestnut Charlies

http://www.nzchestnuts.co.nz/

Address：291 Monument Rd, Clevedon, Auckland 2582

Phone: 021-182-3030

Between Auckland & Hamilton, near Rangiriri：Chestnut Ridge Farmstay

http://www.chestnutridge-nz.com/index.html

Address：40 Moorfield Rd, Te Kauwhata 3782

Phone：027 250 0941

Could not confirm this place is still operating, but there’s one in Waiaupa: Chestnut Farm

169 Percy Millen Dr, Waiau Pa 2679

There may be other places not listed on the internet.

Many places sell chestnut you pick, at a good whole sale price (some times as cheap as 2~4 dollar per kilo!) .

Most places also ask you to bring your own bags for chestnuts.

Chestnut shells are very spikey so you might choose to bring gloves and good shoes, and even a tong to pick chestnuts with.

When you are making a plan for chestnut-picking, make sure to contact chestnut-farm first, to ask them about their open days (when chestnuts are ready), cost, and what to bring.

Once you know where and when to go chestnut picking, keep a good manner at the chestnut-farm, and happy picking!

Chestnuts in shells – spikey!!

You will be so happy after picking big chestnuts... yum!

Buying Chestnuts

If you do not care about picking up your own chestnuts, you can always purchase them.

Some Asian fruit & vegetable shops tend to sell them around chestnut season.

They are sold at much higher price than when you pick your own though.

Some chestnuts sold at shops may have been stored for a while and become a bit dry.

You need to carefully check chestnuts for how fresh they look, how dry they are or if they have any mold on them, before buying them.

In addition, sometimes people sell chestnuts from their farm/garden at local market or on trade website like trademe.

If you are lucky to find chestnuts for sale in these occasions, you can buy fresh chestnuts at very reasonable price.

So it is worth keeping eye out for chestnuts for sale around March ~ April.

How to Store Chestnuts

Freshness is very important for chestnuts; they are perishable food.

Chestnuts can be stored in the fridge for a few weeks easily; storing chestnuts for two weeks after picking them is said to actually improve the flavor of chestnuts.

But after that, gradually chestnut will go bad...

So what if you picked heaps of chestnuts and want to enjoy them over a long period of time?

Well for a long term storage, you may wish to freeze them in the freezer.

There are a few different ways of freezing chestnuts,

１．Freeze as is (in hard shell)- not very recommendable

First is to throw chestnuts in the freezer as is, with hard shells still attached.

While it is easy just throwing chestnuts in the freezer, it may be hard to peel them after they defrosted.

So I personally do not think this is a good idea...

２．Peel shells first, then freeze them – recommended

Many people freeze chestnuts after peeling outer shells and inner skin.

Peeling chestnut is a bit of tough work, as chestnuts shells are hard.

But once you peeled them then freeze them, it is much easier to used after you defrost them.

Over a long time of storage, your peeled chestnut may start to dry out, or change color.

To prevent this from happening, some people sprinkle in a bit of sugar in the same freezer bag as peeled chestnuts before freezing.

Sugar will lightly coat the peeled chestnuts, and help them stay good in freezer.

３．Cook Chestnuts in Syrup & Freeze – recommended

My favorite way of storing chestnut is first cook chestnuts in syrup (with a lots of sugar), then store chestnuts with plenty of syrup in freezer bag.

Even if you store for a long term in a freezer, chestnut will not dry out as they are inside syrup.

Thick sugar-syrup prevents ice crystals from forming and keeps chestnut in a good condition.

When it comes to eating, you can simply defrost them and enjoy them as is!

So We Picked and Ate Our Chestnuts!

So we already enjoyed some chestnuts we collected by going around parks...

First, we peeled shells off from chestnuts we picked.

Chestnuts skin is really hard, so it helps if you first soak chestnuts in hot water for a while; this softens outer shell.

I boiled a jug of water, and poured hot water onto chestnuts (raw), and left it until the hot water cools down enough for me to touch.

Then peel chestnuts with a sharp knife.

Still mostly raw – just softening skin by pouring hot water over them.

Once you peeled chestnuts clean, you soak them for 15-20 minutes in water with a pinch of salt.

This helps remove a bit of alkaline flavor (bitterness) from chestnuts. – an optional step (as chestnuts taste good as is), but supposed to make them taste even better.

Peeled chestnut

This time, I cooked chestnuts in a syrup.

In brief,

1. boil chestnuts in a pot of hot water with 1TBS of added vinegar – for about 15~20 minutes at low heat or until chestnuts are cooked.

2. drain and discard water – cool chestnut in a bowl.

3. place chestnut in a pot with water just enough to cover chestnut.

4. add sugar, approximately half the weight of chestnut (200~250g for every 500g of peeled chestnut)

5. cook at low heat for about 10 minutes – sugar will dissolve and water will become slightly thicker. Be careful not to burn the chestnut – or brown the syrup – cook at low heat!

Oh no, Burned it for the first try... still yummy though

Try again, this time successful sweet chestnuts in syrup! Yum!

Chestnut Picking in New Zealand Summary

• Chestnut picking season in NZ: Mid-March ~ April
• Chestnuts trees in parks/ or chestnut farm!
• Freeze them to enjoy them longer!
• Chestnuts in sweet syrup ... yum!

Hopefully 2018 would be another great year for chestnut picking....

Happy Chestnut-picking & eating!

Dairy-Free Ice Creams Available in New Zealand

Our son has had food allergy to certain kinds of food ever since he was a baby.

One of food he is allergic to is cow’s milk.

When he was a baby, he was so sensitive that his skin would flair up whenever he just touches anything that contained milk.

Now he is a school-age child, he has grown a lot stronger against dairy products (after actively trying treatment at a hospital), and he can now take some contamination-level cow’s milk in his food.

But still, he avoids eating any kind of food that contains raw-milk or cream – like typical ice creams.

So when it comes to desert like ice cream, I am always looking out for some dairy-free options for my son with dairy-allergy.

Dairy-Free Ice Cream Range in New Zealand!

So I was delighted when I went to my local countdown and found that they had new products on the ice cream shelf.

And those were all dairy-free!!

Photo below is a section of ice cream shelf dedicated for specialized, dairy-free ice cream range.

All these ice creams in above photo are dairy-free!

While some have writing “may contain trace of....”, my dairy-allergic son was able to eat them without any problem.

Awesome SO GOOD brand ice creams!

On the left of the phot is a product named “So Good Almond” from the famous SO GOOD brand that sells variety of soy-milk and related product.

These SO GOOD brand ice creams are made from mainly soy milk, instead of cow’s milk.

The So good almond ice cream has chocolate flavor, and includes some almond flakes that adds crunchy texture and nutty taste to it.

There are other kind of ice creams from SO GOOD brand, including vanilla favored soy ice cream and more recently, caramel-flavored soy ice cream.

A variety of Like Licks ice creams!

Next to the SO GOOD ice cream is the “like licks” brand ice cream range.

They come in variety of flavors too; Almond & raspberry, Oat & chocolate, Soy Hokey pokey.

Hokey Pokey!! Cannot talk about ice creams in New Zealand  without Hokey Pokey!

So my son was so happy when I bought this Hokey Pokey flavor ice cream that he could eat!  Thank you Like Licks!

Like Licks Ice Cream... Yum

So here is Almond & Raspberry flavor....

And here is the Soy & Hokey pokey!!

With this much variation of ice cream flavors available in dairy-free range, children with food allergy to cow’s milk now has a plenty of options for their ice creams in summer.

If you buy several kinds of ice creams, you could hold a mini-ice cream party or ice-cream shop at home!

The only problem is that they are quite bit more expensive than regular ice cream made from cow’s milk.

Small container (~500g) cost 8 dollars and up... (and on special!)

But I remember days when these dairy-free products were difficult to find on market. My son could not enjoy any commercial desert.

So even if they are a bit pricy, I still appreciate the fact there are now so many kinds of dairy-free ice creams available from just a local supermarket.

Let’s Buy Some Ice Cream Cones too!

Well, ice creams on cones have something special about them, don’t they?

So let’s pickup some ice cream cones too...

And they are cheap, compared to the ice cream themselves.

You can also pickup some 100s&1000s from baking section of supermarket, to sprinkle on top of ice cream to add a special touch.

By putting three different flavored dairy-free ice creams together with cone...

Woooow, awesome, isn’t it?

This will surely satisfy anyone who love ice cream but cannot have dairy-products!

The above ice cream combo sure made my son’s day special.

Check the Ingredients Carefully

Many of dairy-free ice creams use almond, soy, or coconut milk as a main ingredient to replace cow’s milk.

So if you or someone is allergic to one of above product, unfortunately you would not be able to eat them.

You should also carefully examine the ingredient label on the ice cream package, to make sure you know what ingredients are in the ice cream.

Some people are not very fond of soy-flavor or coconut-flavor, although they can eat them.

My son is not so much of a fan of coconut-milk flavor, although he loves soy milk.

So he was happy with soy-based ice creams from SO GOOD brand, but did not like some of coconut-based ice creams.

My experience so far is that, chocolate-flavored ice creams are easier to eat than vanilla flavored ice creams, as chocolate flavor masks the characteristic taste of either soy or coconut in the dairy-free ice cream.

So our usual first pick of dairy-free ice cream that we never tried before, is chocolate flavor.

So that’s what we found in our local supermarket for our with food-allergy.

I hope in the future, even more of this kind of dairy-free, or XXXX-free products become available that people with food allergies can enjoy with other people.

Fresh Walnuts Picking Season in New Zealand!

Time passes so quickly, February 2018 is almost over.

In New Zealand, it is end of summer now, and is a season for fresh walnuts.

Have you foraged this season’s walnuts yet?

Walnuts Picking?

Yes walnuts!

They can be roasted to eat as is, or can make an awesome addition to any baking foods like cookies, muffins or cakes.

Alternatively, roasted walnuts can be added to salad or stir-fry.

They are rich in vitamin E and unsaturated fat, making walnuts really healthy food for our body.

But when you have been only buying bagged walnuts out of shell, we tend not think about where they come from.

Walnuts are seed (or core) part of green fruits that grows on a walnut tree.

When the fruit matures, green fruit naturally drop from the tree.

As the fruit start to get rotten, the inside (walnut shell) becomes exposed.

At this timing, if you visit your local walnut tree, you can pick many natural, fresh, organic walnuts from under the tree!

And this season is usually around February in New Zealand.

Where Can I Find Walnut Tree?

Walnuts tree can be found in various places in New Zealand.

Some people have them in our garden, but if your garden doesn’t have a walnut tree, then try looking for one in...

• Parks
• Roadside
• Car parks with lots of green areas surrounding it
• Garden of churches and chapels

Walnuts tree typically grow really tall, so you are unlikely to find a walnut tree in a small park.

If there is a large park with many deciduous trees, you might find walnut trees, too.

Around February, walnuts trees would bear some green fruits, about size of kids’ fists on the tree.

Some are found fallen on the ground underneath the tree.

So looking for a tree with green fruits on it or underneath it around February may be the easiest way to spot a walnut tree.

Once you are used to finding a walnut tree, you will be able to spot them by looking at tree shape, skin and leaves.

Also, there are some “foraging” maps available online. You might decide to use these as a guideline to find our first walnut tree.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/food-wine/84570132/foraging-in-new-zealand-how-to-find-free-fruit-in-your-city

As long as you adhere to basic manners and good practice, there should not be any problem picking walnuts off the ground.

But hurting the tree or shaking the tree to access fruits on the tree should not be tolerated.

Also, even if you spot a good walnut tree, if it is on someone’s private properly you must not access it without asking for a permission from the owner.

How to Pick Fresh Walnuts

In the right season, walnuts fruit will naturally fall – so all you have to do is pick them off the ground.

Green fruit on the left is the walnut fruit.

If walnut shell is fully exposed without any fruit, then it may have been there on the ground for too long.

If the walnuts feel very light or shell is very fragile, and it is most likely already rotten inside.

If the fruit outside walnuts shell is fully intact and really firm, then the fruit may have fallen prematurely and inside walnuts may not be very tasty.

Apparently, a good walnut is the fresh walnut shell with fruit still adhered on it, but the fruit outside is starting to rot and turned black.

But I guess, you just don’t know what comes out of the shell until you crack it open...

We picked ours with either some fruit attached, or fully exposed ones as long as they feel heavy and hard.

Try squeezing walnut with hand, if they crack easily then it is definitely rotten inside.

One thing to be careful is that, liquid that comes out of walnut fruit stains your hand brown.

They do not come off easily even after washing our hands with soap.

So if you do not want your hands to get dirty, you might want to use vinyl gloves to prevent the liquid from touching your skin.

Likewise, you should not wear your new, favorite cloth that you do not want get stained on.

Picked Some Walnut –!!

So we came home with a bag of walnuts from our local park.

Some looked quite fresh and had just fallen off the tree, while others looked like they had been on the ground for a while.

The park we went to had more than two walnut trees on site, and each tree produced walnuts with difference sizes.

We believe that we were a bit late for the season, as many good ones were already picked, and many rotten ones were left on the ground.

Some with fruit on, look really clean when outside fruit is taken off.

There are some tips and ways you can clean your freshly picked walnuts on the internet.

We washed ours in a tub of water and scrapped any adhered fruits from the nuts manually, using brush.

We then dried our walnuts under the sun for a while.

Look some are huge! I think they are from different variations of walnuts.

We just picked and prepared them like above, but we plan on cracking them open next, and either roast the content to eat them, or use them for cooking.

You could roast walnuts while they are in the shell, but this time we prefer to crack it open first so that we can get rid of rotten ones and select good ones for eating.

In our regular life, walnuts come unshelled in a plastic bag from the supermarket, normally.

So it was quite a new experience picking and washing our own walnuts. Our children enjoyed it too.

Now, it would be perfect once we manage to make a yummy walnuts cookies from these... !

Planting Walnuts to Grow Walnut Seedling...?

If you get a hold on fresh walnuts from the latest season, it may be fun to keep some for planting next spring.

Walnuts break out of dormancy and germinate in the spring after experiencing the cold winter.

So if you want to plant some walnuts, keep some good looking walnuts wrapped in wet paper, put them in a plastic bag and store in the fridge, then plant them into a pot next spring.

According to some sites on the internet, fresh walnuts has pretty good success-rate for germination.

If you keep several walnuts in the fridge for next season, the chance is that you will see at least one germinating and growing.

You need to be careful if you decide to plant walnut seedling into your garden, as a walnut tree grows into a very large tree in years time.

Walnut trees also produce and release a type of toxin from their roots, that prevents other plants from growing.

So while it would be a great fun to plant your self-picked walnuts in pots and watch them grow, you might want to keep them in pots and not directly planted in your garden.

We kept a few walnuts in our fridge to plant next spring.

It would be a fun experiment to do in the garden with children!

Summary

• February - Walnuts picking season in New Zealand!
• You can often spot walnuts trees in public parks
• Be careful picking walnuts trees as they can stain
• Keep some for germinating experiment, but planting directly into a garden requires some thought

Some people sell fresh walnuts from their garden on Trademe or on a road-side market around February so keep eye out for them if you want locally grown organic walnuts.

Happy walnut picking/buying/eating!