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Published: January 12th 2008
Mr. Sheep
Well we've put no photos of sheep up yet so there ya go, and the local brew. Next blog well find a hobbit for yeeAnother blog already!!!
We've been moving fast the last few days and have a good few photos to upload, so thought we had better jot down what we have been up to while we have the time! However, internet services have not been so willing. It has taken 4 attempts at different internet points to get this blog together. Asia had it down to a tee, but they have all sorts of administrator blocks for downloading the picture resizer on computers here in some places and others have no usb port etc! Pauls is the techie side, so he's had a few frustrations, but we've pieced it today for your monday morning viewing pleasure. (for those of you who aren't avid readers enough to be reading on weekends, we KNOW you skive in work at any opportunity!!!).
Soooo.................
Got to Blenheim, and checked into our hostel. The Koanui Lodge - NOT GOOD!! Kitchen was dirty and a lot of long termers there. Lady who runs in came into kitchen shouting to the long termers about the Ants as we were putting our food in... eugh! They had an outdoor yard with pool table etc, but it was dirty
Water Break
Soon to be replaced by wine break :D and littered with beer bottles when we were there. Worst hostel we stayed in, dirty dishes, totally unloved, and left to fend for itself by owners. Anyway, sure I suppose we there for the wine tasting!
We rented bikes the day after arrival, and anxious to put some miles between ourselves and Koanui Lodge, we donned our helmets as the law here dictates and off we went. We did around a 15-20km round trip, taking in 4 different wineries along the way. The cycle was fantastic, we were framed by huge mountain ranges on all sides, and we were cycling through a plain, flanked by vineyards on all sides!!! The wines were also fantastic, the wineries we went to were Hunters, Saint Clair, Allen Scott, and Cloudy Bay. Unfortunately for us red wine buff's it was mainly white wines in the Malborough region, but we were there to taste wine so taste wine we did - never mind the array of bottles we bought for later consumption. We also stopped in the Makana chocolate factory for some scrummy samples along the way!!! Apart from one place the wine tasting was free. The one place we paid for it, it
Saint Clair Winery
Our first pit stop was only $2. Nearly preferred to pay, as it took the pressure off us for actually buying stuff, unfortunately it didn't stop us NOT buying... Even in that place we bought a dessert late harvest reisling. Gosh, we are getting very cultured indeed!
We were very bold too when in Blenheim. We went to the cinema twice!!! Saw 'I am legend' and 'Once'. 'Once' is an irish film set in dublin starring Glen Hansard out the band 'The Frames'. Far too many dublin scenes made us homeless. (very good film tho). Paul was having a fit tho, cause its full of really good music, and the sound in the 16 seater snug cinema screen was not good. Both the musician and engineer in him were equally appalled.
Our final night in Blenheim was a Saturday, and the demons in the hostel drank until the wee hours, with no interference by management. They were pounding down the halls, slamming doors and making a general racket until about 3am. Never so glad to leave a place; was like a bomb hit it the next morning too. Mentioned to manager in the morning, but she was relatively non-plussed, so didnt bother
Cycle fuel
Got roped into a full bottle oops on the first stop, this could get messy! pursuing it! We got out of Blenheim faster than a cat leaps off a hot tin roof, and no blame there put on Blenheim itself!
Next stop Nelson. Arrived at a lovely (thank god) hostel called the bug, into a beautiful spanking clean room, with lovely facilities! Ah the relief for two cranky tired leprachans on tour!!!!!
Anyway, Nelson is lovely. They were wrapping up a jazz festival in the town, so got some street and pub performances on the day we arrived. The next day, woke to all day downpour, so we took the day out, to make some plans and pre-book accomadation. Good thing too, we had to opt for our second choices in a lot of cases even though we were calling a week or two in advance in some cases! Its getting busy! So our THIRD day in Nelson, we blitzed the place. We started with the WOW car and and wearable art museum. The wearable art stuff was cool, but you couldnt take photo's unfortunately. But we got the pick of the cars, some nice ones too, porshes, pink caddilac, etc!!!!
Then we went to the Foundry Park which was $5 dollars
in. A bargain, run by volunteers. Could have spent a whole day there, and they even had a brewery where you could sample and drink beer, and a working train that went around park. The place was a replica 19th Century village. We were too late to sample the beers, but other than that, the place was really good, i'd highly recommend it! Then to top off the day, we walked up to the centre of New Zealand, a 1/2 an hour return hike up to a viewpoint where you can see all of nelson and the surrounding mountains and out to the abel tasmen park over the bay. Very impressive, once we got over the hike. The sun was out at that stage, and its SO hot when it comes out. Their ozone layer is thin, so when its even just 20 celcius, it feels like its 35 degrees in spain. You can burn in a half hour without sunscreen even though both of us would have a decent tan as a base. Anyway, worth the walk! Great walks to do around nelson up the hills, but as the weather hadn't been great, we only got to squeeze in
Makana Chocolate factory
Next stop for a bit of chocolate tasting, Simon if your reading this I know ur getting jealous ;) that one. Pity, as Paul has taken to this hiking lark in a big way, and keeps eyeing up 'tramping' boots in all the shops! Think it will be only a matter of days before he has a pair on me, and I'll find myself on a 3 day trek in the wilderness.
So then the next day, we got up early, made our packed lunches and drove up to Motueka, beside the Abel Tasman park. We dropped our bags into the hostel (the Hat trick - nice enough place too) and went up to Kaiteriteri to get the water taxi at 10.30am into the park. We got dropped off by boat, after some seal spotting on the way, hopped out at Tonga bay to walk through the National park down by Bark bay, and on to Torrent Bay to be picked up at 5.30, with time to paddle our feet. The Park is fantastic, everything in it is protected, you can get fined something like up to 10 Million dollars for catching a fish!!! The walk we were told was to take about 4hours, but we sped through it and did it in 2hrs 45mins. In a sweat,
but worth the exercise! Sure we're dab hands at it at this stage!
The next day, we drove down the west coast to Punakaiki. We drove via the Nelson lakes and Buller Gorge. Stopped for the compulsory photo at Rotoroa lake, but got promptly back into car and sped off, as we were being swarmed by sandflies, despite wearing repellant. It was beautiful scenery but not worth the bites and itches! We stopped then at the longest swingbridge in new zealand over the Buller Gorge. I was terrified, but Paul wasn't entertaining me. I was practically paralyzed with fear when halfway across I noticed that people were walking across from the other side towards us, and would have to pass me half way. Paul wasn't pandering to me (thank god though really, as i would have only been worse then, and probably would have frozen altogether). And so we crossed without event, and all was well. We did a little circular loop around the park on the other side of the gorge, by an earthquake fault line, whilst trying not to think about the swingbridge return crossing. They also had a flying fox that you sat into a harness,
Stop number 2 Hunters
These guys do a fine Cabernet Blanc, its great just walk in, 5 wine tasters later your on yer bike again, all for free. and were sent flying across the gorge on a cable. It was the lesser of two evils for me, so we did that instead of walking. Although, I did get the guy to do his '1,2,3,4' safety checks twice. I'm turn into a lily liver in my old age. We did a tandem and it was quick and painless, and I even considered doing it again, until I realised I would have to cross the swingbridge again in that case! So off we went again heading towards the coast.
We drove down to a place called Punakaiki along the coast, and stayed in a place called The Beach Hostel for the night. The location was fantastic right on the beach, with sheering rock faces behind us. The hostel was nice, and had yummy muffins. We went out for dinner and a pint and a game of pool, walked down to beach to watch sunset, and then sat in for evening drinking tea and playing chess.
Up and at it at 9.30 am the next morning. We walked the half hour Truman track down to the water through the 'subtropical' bush as a post breakfast warm up for the
Vineyards
View from the bike, row after row of vineyards, we only stopped at 5 from a potential 40 or more I think? day (for me anyway! Paul enthused by the location was up at 8am for a jog down the beach. Think all this tramping is interfering with his laziness). Anyway, next was the famous Pancake rocks. These are layoured limestone rocks being worn by the sea on the coast. They resemble a heap of pancakes in the way they are layered, and supposedly scientists have yet to uncover why the layering process occured the way it did??? Lots of geography and exercise all before 11am!
On the way down the coast, we stopped in a place called Shantytown, a replica goldrush town. It was OK and enjoyable enought, but was $20 in each and not as good as the $5 town in the Foundry Park in Nelson.
Back into the car for our short drive down to Hokitika. We stayed in a lovely little place last night there called Birdsong, outside the town. Beautiful place with a balcony in our room and a seaview no less. Had another quiet night in giving the homliness of the place, and beat Paul 4 out of 5 times at 'Connect 4'. I beat him in one of the games in 4 moves,
"Sideways" eat your heart out
Number 4 cloudy bay, picked up some nice wines here for Mark and Mary's arrival in Christchurch so i have to admit I think he was tired eh!?!?!? They had a sheep teddy on our bed too. Paul totally fell in love with the sheep, and insisted on a multitude of photos of it, and it and beer, and him and it and beer... Should I be worried? When i threw it off the bed to go to sleep, paul got up and turned it over from it's upside down position!??!? ..... Need i say more!
Anyway, today we're in Franz Joseph Village, so we're plotting and planning some glacier looking at, or walking or something energetic. Our haunt tonight has an outdoor spa pool though too, and we're here for a full 3 nights so its time to relax after all our moving at last! Some nice people in the Hostel, and we've been given vouchers for a free shot in the bar down the road so we're heading down there at 9 once we wrap this up. Looking forward to a night out, and a lie in in the morning, maybe a spa after breakfast! Its all good. ALSO, we were late booking this place (a week in advance) so we HAD to
take their expensive room, with a TV, video, ensuite, and kettle, fridge and toaster. Sure we're only spoilt. Nice to get a bit of comfort, after the rapid transit of the last few days!
So we've brought you all up to today. Its glaciers for the next few days, then Wanaka, Queenstown, Te Anau (for Milford Sound) and on to the Caitlins! The car is still ticking over, and we're still doing well. Still missing you all of course, but time is starting to fly now, so have to make the most of it while we can!!!
Keep in touch now Y'all! x
Elaine and Paul
x
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yvonne
non-member comment
cinema
glad you enjoyed "once".thought it was fantastic too.notice no comments about "i am a legend" mam(new ross one)