Me and the first olives - with the house in the background
My name is Jared, and I’m still not entirely sure how I ended up living in paradise.
My partner Rick and I are two American city boys who moved to rural New Zealand in 2006. We live on 20 acres just outside the charming wine and olive village of Martinborough, at the bottom of the North Island.
It’s a little different from where I grew up, which was the suburbs outside Detroit. I used to stay out till 5am dancing at clubs downtown, where we were frisked at the door for guns and knives. Now I get up at 5am to do yoga, write, and feed the chickens. I’m amazed and still a bit surprised.
The blog
‘Moon over Martinborough’ is my little blog about living a simple yet deeply satisfying life in one of the world’s most beautiful places. New posts come out every Saturday morning, New Zealand time.
I’m interested in telling true stories with conflict, rising tension, climax, and resolution. So sometimes I have to wait for the real life resolution to happen before I can write about events here.
For the sake of privacy I change people’s names – except for me, vineyard staff, and the chickens. Other than the names (and a little poet license here and there) these stories are true.
The olive oil
You can find our olive oil at the Martinborough Wine Centre just off the Martinborough town square. The oil is a blend of Frantoio and Leccino, and it’s packed full of flavor – grassy opening notes and a strong peppery finish. My favorite way to use it is drizzled on steamed asparagus or broccoli. Yum.
If you can’t get to the Wine Centre, email me at mail@moonovermartinborough.com and I’ll let you know about shipping.
Read more about our olive oil in the ‘Olives & olive oil‘ category.
The property
Our property has about 500 olive trees and a trout stream just out the bottom gate. Plus we have apricot, peach, pear, plum, chestnut, almond, pine nut, feijoa, and even a quince tree. There’s a 2-bay hay shed with a million dollar view, a veggie garden, green house, flower garden, native garden, some very well fed hens, and a geriatric rooster we call Old Man Henry. Cattle and sheep graze in the paddocks.
Let Frances Mayes have her Tuscan sun, and Peter Mayle his year in Provence. I’ve got my moon over Martinborough.
For more on how Rick and I ended up here, take a look at the post ‘First time I saw the trees‘.
Or read my life story as recipe at ‘Make your own olive oil in 23 easy steps‘.
Hope you enjoy the read. And please leave comments. They make my day!
Contact
You can email me here: mail@moonovermartinborough.com
May 27, 2009 at 2:06 pm |
Love your blog and am totally jealous when I read about people living in such beautiful places! We are in Cincinnati which is (sadly) beginning to look like Detroit in some ways. I lived in Grosse Pointe for a couple years; couldn’t ever get comfortable with the total poverty across Mack Avenue with lifestyle closer to lake. I do miss Eastern Market though! & all the great restaurants…
May 27, 2009 at 8:13 pm |
Thanks Erin. We used to drive down Detroit’s Jefferson Avenue just to see the line where poverty ended and wealth began. Unbelievable. Detroit things I miss: Greek Town and the films at the DIA.
June 4, 2009 at 2:03 am |
Great Blog, I’m thinking of moving to Greytown
June 4, 2009 at 8:01 am |
You should. Greytown’s great. Good shops and a great baker.
June 13, 2009 at 10:32 pm |
Hiya – great blog – real olive oil is a bit different to the supermarket stuff isn’t it! Sadly not too many olive trees here in Scotland (…yet…)
June 14, 2009 at 5:12 am |
Yes, it’s very different. Actually, the first time we tasted our fresh oil we thought we’d done something wrong, since it didn’t taste at all like the supermarket oil! We’ve learned a lot since then.
July 24, 2009 at 4:50 am |
Hey, thanks for the blog comment. Your life sounds amazing, really enjoyable blog to read. I’ve always loved New Zealand and always enjoy the wine when visiting family over there.
July 25, 2009 at 5:56 am |
Glad you liked the read. Yes, NZ wine is good stuff. How lucky you are to have family here.
July 28, 2009 at 2:26 pm |
Hi Jared…
I grew up in the Wairarapa till I was 13…I somehow just stumbled across your “blog’ and read about your river…The memories of my childhood in the sun came flooding back….thank you for that. I remember leaving New Zealand to go and discover what the world had on offer….I was sixteen!! Years spent in New York, London and Sydney…..like yourself……racing around finding out who I was…..now I have returned “home”, although I am now about 30 miles west of you as the crow flies……..and happier than I have ever been…..a loving partner,dog and two cats…….plus everything else that country life in New Zealand has to offer…..be sure to come and visit with us here….and swap some stories…..
Warmest regards
Andrew
July 28, 2009 at 9:13 pm |
What a nice comment, Andrew. Thank you. Your lodge in Otaki looks great. A perfect place for a holiday!
September 12, 2009 at 12:45 pm |
Hi Jared,
I am a Brit married to a NZ’er living in Montauk NY, we have a small vineyard in M’boro and return each year for the harvest, I often check in on your blog to see what’s happening in our little town, we love it and miss it, and the olive oil from M’boro just like the wine is very special!
Best,
Sally
ps hope you don’t mind…added you to my blog.
September 13, 2009 at 7:57 pm |
It’s very nice to hear ‘the Moon’ is helping you feel connected to Martinborough while you’re away. If you ever need harvest help, let me know. I’d love to experience that – and write about it in the blog!
November 17, 2009 at 11:44 am |
Hi Jared
I have just discovered Moon Over Martinborough through Benny’s Place and have just spent the whole day at work reading all of your posts (hope the boss didn’t realise!).
I am a Kiwi (orignially from Rangiora in the SI) currently living in Australia and have been away from NZ for the last 10 years. Reading your posts really remind me of how wonderful NZ is and how much I miss it. You are making me homesick! Luckily I am coming home for Christmas this year so I will get to see all my family, who all still live within 20kms of each other.
The language you use when you write and all the Kiwi terms and phrases that were/are so strange to you are very comforting for me to hear again. I don’t get to hear our unqie phrases very often and you have really made me laugh out loud.
Thank you to you and Rick for bringing a bit of comfort to a nostalgic traveller.
November 17, 2009 at 8:04 pm |
How nice to hear, Jo. Thanks heaps. Glad to help give you your NZ fix!
December 3, 2009 at 4:11 pm |
This was funny. Wine bouncer and only two trouble makers. lol.
February 27, 2010 at 7:31 am |
Thanks Denise. Glad to hear you liked Behind the scenes at Toast Martinborough!
December 18, 2009 at 5:16 pm |
Wanted
6x Moonovermartinborough 250mls Olive Oil
Martinborough Wine Centre (the best shop in town)
!Reward Offered!
Amanda
December 18, 2009 at 7:21 pm |
You mean you sold the first lot?! Great. I’ll bring more over this weekend!