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Published: August 6th 2007
Haning Out at the Vineyard
Josh outside of the Montana WineryThis weekend we took off for the East Coast and Marlborough Wine Country. Monica, another itinerant doc from the clinic came along for the excursion. It is about a 3 hour drive from Reefton through the Buller Gorge and down onto the plains surrounding the Wairau River. There is no mistaking that you have entered wine country. Vineyards stretch almost from side to side in the Wairau Valley.
Wine making started in Marlborough in the mid-seventies but has really taken off in the last 15 years. It is currently the largest grape growing region in New Zealand. Many of the vineyards are quite young. The majority of grapes are of the sauvignon blanc variety which thrives in this cooler wine climate. Marlborough is known world round for its sauvignon blanc wines. It is lesser known for its pinot noir. They also grow a fair bit of chardonnay and riesling.
We left the kids at the hotel with permission to wander through town (with a cell phone) while we embarked on the critical wine tour. There are more than 100 wineries in the area. We picked a half dozen to check out (Lawson's Dry Hills; Wither Hills; Saint Clair; Dry Lands; Montana and a cellar door featuring a selection of smaller vineyards).
Among my favorites were - sauvignon blancs: Wither Hills 2005; Lawson's Dry Hills 2006; Rose Tree Cottage 2006; Bouldevines 2006; and pinot noirs: Wither Hills 2004; TerraVin 2005. We also stopped by Makana Confections where they sell handmade chocolates and other high end candy.
We returned from the wine tour late in the day only to discover that a tire on the Land Cruiser had gone flat. The tire had been leaking for some time and I had meant to take in. In retrospect that would have been the smarter option. Nonetheless, I was able to change the tire notwithstanding the Japanese instructions on the jack. We went out for a fine dinner and returned to the Blenheim Country Hotel around 8:00. Now the Blenheim Country Hotel is not your Four Seasons, however, it would have been passable had it not been for the wedding party going on. They had a live band playing 20 feet away from the rooms. Even with the windows firmly shut, it was as though we were at the wedding from a volume perspective. The band finally stopped playing around midnight, which was when Avery began to throw up - she evidently picked up a 24-hour flu that has been going around. Suffice it to say, sleep was a bit hard to come by.
On Sunday, while the women puttered around the shopping district, Josh and I headed down to the local aerodrome. The Omaka airfield was one of the first operating in New Zealand and is the site of the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre, which opened its first exhibition - entitled Knights of the Sky - just before Christmas. It features one of the largest collections of original and full-scale replica WWI aircraft - both static and flyable- presented in a series of dramatically staged static exhibits. Kiwi director Peter Jackson has been a long time supporter of the project, and the first exhibit reflects his cinematic influence.
We spent a good part of Sunday afternoon on the beach at Cloudy Bay. Josh showed great improvement in his rock skipping technique, while Adrianne and Avery combed the beach for shells. The drive back home was uneventful, however, after 5:00 p.m. on a Sunday most places close including gas stations. We were lucky enough to coast into a gas station in Murchison which was open, but from now on I will be sure to fill up the tank before leaving any major population centre.
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junior
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tire(d)
Coincidence? I think not. I too was changing tires on the weekend. Removing winter and putting summer on. Turns out, one of the summer tires had gone flat (over the 6 months on non-use). A little trick used by changers of tires, after proper inflation, one places a small amount of spit on the end of your (most used) finger. The spit is applied over the end of the cap-less valve stem (allowing surface tension to do the rest). It should completely cover the opening. If the valve is leaky (which was the case with my summer tire, or is that tyre?) air bubbles will be visible escaping through the spit. This will allow you to determine if the leak is the fault of the valve or the rest of the tire. If the valve needs to be replaced, for a few dollars, one can acquire the necessary replacement parts at the New Zealand equivelant of Canadian Tire (White's?). Hope this helps. Remember to always check your fluid levels. It doesn't hurt to check the vehicle's either.