As we walked out, my mother surprised me. I pointed out the Kiwi Park an I mentioned that I hoped we would make it there tomorrow. She immediately replied, “Why can’t we go there now?” She pointed out, with impeccable logic, that the weather was currently great but it might be raining tomorrow.
So we walked in and paid the $60 admission fee for her, with me being allowed in as her “caregiver”.
We had about 45 minutes until the 3pm “Conservation Show” so my mother headed towards the Park’s side hustle (hope it’s not unfair to call it that): the Honeybee Centre. It’s part honey shop, part café, with free honey tastings thrown in. I did partake of some of their different honeys and I do have to admit that the honey I tasted is to normal supermarket honey, what duck confit from a Parisian restaurant is to a Big Mac. Both honeys are “honey”, and both meals are “meals”, but there the comparison ends. I bought a gift pack for my wife and a couple of jars for myself.
Where I do feel I need to do further research is regarding “Manuka honey” (which in NZ is pronounced “ManOOka”). Hannah, who took us through the honey tasting, did know an awful lot about honey and I’m certain that she is personally convinced that Manuka honey does really does have healing and medicinal properties. She said that she keeps her Manuka Honey in her medicine cabinet and has half a teaspoon whenever she is sick. At $200 per jar, I’d say that half a teaspoon at a time is all you’d want to have!
Then the teacher in me came out and I asked, “Have there been reputable, peer-reviewed scientific studies that prove the medicinal power of Manuka Honey?”.
She immediately replied, “Yes, there have”.
Anyone know whether that’s true? I haven’t bought any yet but I’m prepared to be convinced!
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