Blogs from Blenheim, South Island, New Zealand, Oceania
March 12th 2012
Today we went on a Bubbly Grape full day wine tour of the Marlborough region - we went to 6 wineries (Cloudy Bay, Saint Clair, Withers Hill, Villa Maria, Bouldevines and Bladen) and the boutique chocolate factory, along with a delicious lunch platter... We were pleasantly surprised with the variety of the wines - this region certainly doesn't only do Sauvignon Blancs! We had some really nice Pinot Gris, Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Noir! A great day...... read more
Neuseeland - Blenheim/Picton
Published: February 19th 2012Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Blenheim
February 7th 2012
03.02.2012 Durch Zufall trafen wir ein paar Leute wieder, die wir bei unserer Wanderung kennen gelernt haben. Mit ihnen verbrachten wir die nächsten drei Tage. 07.02.2012 Wir fuhren nach Blenheim und haben uns noch einmal um eine Arbeit erkundigt. Allerdings gab es noch nichts zu pflücken, deshalb fuhren wir weiter nach Picton.... read more
January 14th 2012
Lovely day when we left Wellington. Ferry was delayed by an hour 'cos of the wind! But crossing was fineaznd there was some lovely scenery as we sailed across the Cook Strait into Tory Sound then into Queen Charlotte Sound before arriving in Picton. Still,a 3 hour crossing! Only a half hour's run to St. Leonards Vineyard Cottages (Blenheim) where we are staying. Didn't arive till after 3,so it was too late to embark on a vineyard tour (everybody "aaaawwwwww!). So we went to the pool and took some sun for a couple of hours. Paul's (the owner) mother lives with his sister in Framlingham and his brother-in-law used to run Atco in Stowmarket! Lovely setting,among vineyards with mountains rising on both sides................and sheep,hens and deer on-site! We're in the "Old Dairy" - a ground level ... read more
December 21st 2011
Stayed 3 days at Abel Tasman NP but we were very disapointed. Supposed to be lovely sandy beaches and nice sea. In fact we stayed at Kaiteriteri beach. Chosen by the Guardian as the 5th best beach in the world. Well known for its misprints I assume that was 500th best, because noone who has been to Cornwall, Brittany, Canaries Australia etc etc would put a beach with imported sand (they brought it in by lorry 2 days before we got there) and brown murky water as one of the best beaches in the world. Needless to say we stuck to walking the coast path which was nice but didnt venture into the water. From there we travelled around the Buller gorge visited the suspension bridge and went on a few walks there; then we travelled ... read more
December 7th 2011
Ergens onderweg hadden we een slaapplekje waar we 's morgens alweer gebruik maakten van het 'speelgoed' dat er was. Dit keer een touw met een stok = schommel! Heel leuk schommelen aan de boom! (kijk vooral naar Jan – zijn gezicht voor en na-) grappig! Wat we op onze weg tegenkwamen: een zoutmeer, we kochten ook een zak mandarijnen en een zak broadbeans (ik weet geen vertaling hiervan) bij de boer voor 1 nz dollar = 60 cent!, we zagen een oud huisje (cottage) het eerste schooltje in Blenheim. In Blenheim zelf gingen we naar de bib om op te zoeken hoe je de bonen moest klaarmaken. Er stond overal op dat de bonen best te eten waren begin van de lente (hier is het eind van de lente). We vonden de broadbeans terug in 1 ... read more
South Island - East Coast
Published: November 24th 2011Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Blenheim
November 23rd 2011
We are heading across the Cook Straight to the South Island. Our check in for the ferry goes smoothly, which is more than can be said for the crossing – a blustery affair which requires an intense focus on the horizon in order to keep lunch down. We’re glad the choice of the now defunct catamaran - the vomit comet, as we’re told it was called, was not available to us. After a couple of hours, our Interislander ferry begins to navigate its way through the deep, and mercifully placid waters of Queen Charlotte Sound. The southern land seems to envelop us and draw us into its harbour, and we sense that nature will have a lot in store for us here. We’re going to be making our way down the East coast this week, before ... read more
New Zealand, Christchurch and Hanmer Springs, Days 15 and 16
Published: November 12th 2011Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Blenheim
November 12th 2011
Thursday November 10, 2011 - Day 15 We woke up in Hanmer Springs around 9:00 AM after about six hours of sleep. We could finally see our surroundings and it was amazing. Hammer Springs is a small town located in an alpine area with mountains covered with snow and lots of green. The town is known for hot spring pools to soak in. Our plan for the day was to drive back into Christchurch for some site seeing. We met Shane the owner of the property and he gave some ideas on what to see. There is only one road up and own the east coast so after leaving the mountain area, (where we saw hundreds if not thousands of sheep, bunnies, and other wildlife), we headed south on highway 1. It was getting close to ... read more
Happy Birthday Grandpa Speeg!
Published: November 1st 2011Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Blenheim
October 30th 2011
On to wine country! It was delicious. After trying to find a hike in beautiful sheep country, but failing, we gave up and hit up the vineyards. We tried two establishments, Forrest and Hunter, and both were quite delicious. Giggling continued for a few hours after the wine tasting and we made our way to Picton. Beautiful place. The water is so blue and green mountains shoot straight out of the sound waters. We happened upon a tasty pastry place. I got an apple tart and Brian got a super brownie. We wandered around the bay taking in the sound. We found starfish, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, and a GIANT hermit crab, who gave a photo shoot for Brian (he told him he was sexy).... read more
August 22nd 2011
Let the detours begin! We were supposed to fly from Wanaka to Christchurch, pick up a rental car and drive to Blenheim but the Wanaka airport closed because of a snowstorm. Being the intrepid travellers that we are we jumped on a bus to Christchurch only to arrive late at night in the midst of their snowstorm! Most hotels were full but we managed to find a room at the Addington City Motel. The owner was kind enough to come pick us up from the airport. Early next morning we took a shuttle back to Christchurch airport and spent the entire day trying to get a flight out to Blenheim. It was not to be so we booked a night at the lovely Chateau on the Park and arranged to take the TransCoastal Train the next ... read more
June 30th 2011
Blenheim After dropping Laura off in Christchurch we headed up the coast to Kaikora, along the way we saw lots and lots of seals! We managed to get up close and personal with them, although, one of the them “yelled” at Tory sending her scooting back to the van. And relax …………. We had booked 3 nights in a self contained cottage at the Walnut Block vineyard and it was fantastic. We had a stock of excellent Pinot Noir, a great view over the vineyard (with sheep in it!) to the mountains and our own patio out the back to enjoy it all. We did a wine tasting tour of the surrounding vineyards (which were very numerous) and even managed a BBQ! We also visited the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre which is home to World War ... read more
