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Published: January 30th 2012
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Marlborough region
Mandatory vineyard picture! Any port in a storm We go to the Department of Conservation information center in downtown Nelson in the morning but as we had expected, Abel Tasman National Park, our golden destination, has been largely closed off due to mudslides. Three-quarters of the hiking trails are shut down. The friendly staff tell us that it’s looking likely they’ll be re-opened the next day but we have to get to Christchurch by Sunday morning to return the car. Timing is getting tighter. And the friendly staff also tell us that heavy showers are predicted that afternoon. Or perhaps just a light rain…?
We look at a weather forecast and scout out Kaikoura, an eastern coast town that a friend had recommended. Though all of NZ looks cloudy, there aren’t any storms predicted in Kaikoura so after quickly booking a well-rated hostel, we set out. It’s actually sunny this morning in Nelson but the promise of “always sunny in Nelson” comes too late. We’re off for safe harbor!
We wind back through the gorgeous green valleys and turn south to hit the plains of Marlbourough region. This is
the wine country for New Zealand. Over three-quarters of the
East coast
Fur seal colony below country’s wine comes from this flat dab in the South Island. Sunny days and cool nights, the same climatic haven that Napa Valley provides for vineyards in California. It feels a lot like Napa with stylish wineries flaunting their trim vineyards and careful gardens. We stop at two wineries (my housemate Meredith, a self-proclaimed wino and Masters student of viticulture and enology, would scorn me if I didn’t.) We pick them from Lonely Planet with zero idea of the quality of either place. One we choose because of the unknown wine type, montepulciano, and the other we select based on its sustainability classification. The first is posh, the second is spare. Turns out sustainability means “bio-dynamic” which means organic and a certain order of planting…along with some scientifically questionable practices that have to do with buried cow horn and ground quartz. Among other things... Not sure if this vineyard necessarily embraces all the intriguing variety of those practices but either way, the wine is pleasant. NZ specializes in pinot noir which is not one of mine or Kristy’s favorites. Too watery for our palate, in general.
One street town We continue south and start to track the coastline.
Water and seal and rock
I could take dozens of these photos, differing only by the crest of a wave, and still think every one is beautiful. I wake up to Kristy pulling over to a lookout. There’s a black craggy cliff tumbling down to large boulders where fur seals drape themselves. An oystercatcher large, black, with a vivid thick orange bill as long as its body, pokes and prods into crevices. Cabbage trees (yucca family) give a Doctor Seuss feel to the place and manuka trees with their dusting of grey blooms puff along the hillsides. Manuka honey has put NZ on the map since it’s supposed to have some sort of awesome healing magical powers. As far as I understand it from the glowing descriptions.
We find our hostel easily enough since Kaikoura is a largely a one-street town. Our host Tim briskly shows us about, introducing us by name to other sojourners. The hostel is hostel-typical: sparse rooms and comfy, spacious shared space. Designed to draw folks out of their rooms and into the broader traveler world. It is indeed a comfy place and people are hanging out on the couches, making food in the kitchen, smoking on the patio. There seem to be several younger people that have been here for quite some time. They work in trade for their rent. At
Alpha male
This dude definitely ruled the roost the back of the property is a sticky wooden gate in the fence that opens onto the train tracks which we can cross to reach the beach.
It’s overcast (didn’t outrun the clouds!) but we need to stretch our legs. Go to Hislops, well recommended in the book, and just a few doors down. It’s your average fancy “sustainable” eatery where the food may be overpriced but it’s definitely unique. We try wallaby! (Unimpressive…) We amble to downtown which is entirely located on one road off the highway. The branch of the main road from the highway marks the start of the little knob peninsula that Kaikoura main sits on. The downtown is squished in a comfy way, the other buildings of interest are strung out further along that main road, all lined up against the bay. The water is so light and tropical, looking warm in this hanging weather. This place would likely glow with color, from the turquoise water, the rose-hued buildings, and the ever verdant green hills. There’s little noise in the streets on this Friday evening and it’s getting dark. After exploring the coastline, a narrow beach where every shell-crunching step reverberates into the
Kaikoura mural
And a mitten whale... enclosed evening silence, we start to loop back around past downtown, the big local jewelry shop, a mini mini-golf business, the ubiquitous “holiday parks” for trailers, and back to our hostel property. We retire early to our room, still a bit tired from our rollercoaster night in Nelson.
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