The Pier, Kaikoura

Saturday 16 February

Today was not so magical. The weather gods of the Land of the Long White Cloud had been kind to us so far, but today they just decided to relax and let it rain and be lousy. Our whale-watching trip was cancelled. We got quite wet walking two kilometers into the charmless town, and once there, had our first truly bad meal in this country - at the Craypot. We should have been warned when the sullen waitstaff wouldn't make eye-contact, or when they told us that their advertised "awesome seafood chowder" contained kamaboko, that pressed crab substitute. (We now recognize that this sort of puffery is one of the telltale signs of severe restaurant malfunction.) Nonetheless, we unwarily ordered and ate mussel chowder whose main ingredient was apparently mucilage, and continued to taste it for the rest of the day.

Still, we can be happy in most situations. We went to the bright-pink local theater, the "Mayfair," and saw "The Golden Compass." We had a glass of wine and dried off in the hotel room while Holt finished Orlando Furioso. And we went out to dinner to the Pier in the evening.

This was another trustworthy Lonely Planet recommendation (in fact, as we dined, several people walked into the restaurant carrying the guidebook). The place is an old hotel, subtly renovated and painted. When you walk in, you notice that all the chairs are placed at one side of their tables, and that tables on one wall are built up against the window, with taller chairs to accommodate them. That's because that side of the restaurant looks out at a fabulous view of the bay and the mountains beyond.

The wine was a Matahiwi Pinot Noir - we needed a red on such a cold night, though we'll take any excuse for drinking New Zealand pinots. Our starters were simple steamed mussels with garlic and thyme, and crispy-skinned salmon with Nelson bay scallops (always with roe; why are American scallops never served with their roe?) topped with red bell pepper and fennel piperade. Took the taste of mucilage right out of our mouths.

The mains were ribeye steak with baked shallot, potatoes, and greenbeans in beef jus; and char-broiled rare venison with plum sauce, along with arugula and beets sprinkled with feta. Simple and well-prepared, with crisp vegetables, none of which was billed as "fabulous" or "awesome." And our server smiled, looked us in the eye, and actually got things we asked for (he got tipped, natch). The Pier is obviously a good, dependable, and especially functional restaurant.