Blogs from Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand, Oceania

Yesterday, we took a drive to Kaikoura - famous for whale watching. Unfortunately it was a grey and windy day, so we were satisfied with viewing some seals up close and having a yummy pub meal. On a clear warm day it would be a beautiful area, a lovely coastal town with mountains close by. This morning, we visited the resident pets at the B&B - some Alpacas and miniature horses. Milly the Alpaca is very friendly and greets you with a kiss. Unfortunately she got a bit spooked by the male in the herd and ended up spitting in my face! But she is still very cute... Then we headed back to Picton for a spot of shopping - they have quite a number of nice gift type shops featuring locally made products. In the ... read more

Arrived at the Copthorne Millenium Hotel where we were basing ourselves for the next two nights. Managed to sneak into the restaurant before it closed and a couple of rib-eyes were washed down with a very nice local Pinot Noir. The next morning saw us taking the hire car back to the airport in Blenheim where we'd arranged to meet our driver for the day - George also known as 'Aussie' Two other people joined us in the mini bus and we immediatley headed for the Cloudy Bay vineyard. A very good tasting of 7 of their finest wines (no spitting out I can assure you!). Next stop a small family run vineyard called Bladen. Excellent tasting of 5 wines (still no spitting) and I purchased an excellent bottle of the botrytis desert wine (or 'sticky' ... read more

Our last stop on the south island was the Marlborough/Picton area. First we did some wine tasting near Blenheim. Neither of us are white wine drinkers but we had to try the world renowned Sauvignon Blanc from the region and it was actually pretty good (not that we would know any better anyways). We also treated ourselves to a gourmet lunch at the Allan Scott winery. The green-shelled mussels were huge and delicious! It was really nice because we don’t eat out much since our budget can’t really handle it over here. Hence why we don’t post much for food photos anymore since our cooking isn’t really photo-worthy… After our splurge in Blenheim, it was time to work off all those excess calories on the Queen Charlotte Track. At 71km long, it’s the longest track we’ve ... read more

This morning there was a sense of anticipation in the air, the last grains of steaming Indonesian coffee scented the camp, and we scruffy travellers attired ourselves to the best of our abilities. We were going to Havelock, a gorgeous little town at the head of the Pelorus Sound, otherwise known as the 'Greenshell Mussel Capital of the World'. 'The Slip-Inn' is a pretty harbour side eatery, it's outdoor terrace and situation nestled within the yachts reminded Lewi and I of 'The Last Anchor'. Perhaps it was this sense of familiarity, or maybe the clever name, but whatever the cause we soon found ourselves very comfortable. With a beer in hand and an order placed for Moule Frites and a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, we sat back to soak up the sun, feeling very lavish. It ... read more