Blogs from Blenheim, South Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 6

Blenheim 12th - 15th April The main thing we wanted to do in Blenheim was to hire bikes and cycle around the wineries. We hired bikes from our campsite and cycled about 10 kms to Renwick where most of the wineries are. It was lovely flat cycling (I don't do hills, unless they go downwards!), but the roads were busier than we thought. I had envisaged lovely quiet country roads, but even the minor roads had quite a few lorries on them. Still, the wineries were great. We visited five where we forced ourselves to take part in the free wine tasting on offer (what a hardship). We picnicked in the garden of one of the wineries in gorgeous sunshine. By the time we got to the fifth winery we were 'all wined out', as Rob ... read more

Our approach to the Awatere Valley was a twisty trip along a narrow licorice ribbon road that entwined itself about the main south railway line around successive folds in the hills. These hills were of ochres, yellow and sand hues, their dry stalks of yellowed grass waving in the in hot noon breeze. The extreme dryness of the hillsides was a stark contrast to a sea of well-watered grapes that spread in lush green rows across the valley floor and up onto the lower slopes. It was a sudden, striking change in hue and texture. Awatere Valley is award-winning wine-producing country and it seemed that every land owner there had his or her obligatory vineyard. Except, it seemed, for Oaktree Cottage, a lovely little place nestled among the growers. Historic Oak Tree Cottage is home to ... read more

14th Dec 2008 Wine tasting tour today, we thought we'd all book and go on one and see the good side of the wine industry...haaa!!! We are goin with a company called Bubbley grape Tours The man picked us up at 12, it was us 6 and an Old English couple called John and Jan, there were from Kent,lol! Went to an award winning winery called Hunters one of the other winerys we visited supplys Gordon Ramsays Resturants with wine, we bought a bottle of wine from this one, each place you visit you try between 5 and 9 different wines, all the wines tasted really nice, didnt think we'd like it as much as were always drinking beer!! haa! We went to a Liguar place and they gave us this butterscotch shot, it was so ... read more

We left Picton when we got back because there was nowhere to stay and headed to Blenheim. It was a small town, although alot bigger then Picton, and there didn't seem like much to do. We stayed the night and then headed to Nelson the next day.... read more

Tomorrow we leave the South for the North Island, so we've only about a week until we leave New Zealand. We've loved it here so far, but we're also quite looking forward to getting rid of the campervan now. There are only so many nights you can stay in semi-deserted campsites on the edge of town, before you long for a decent bed in a decent hotel smack bang in the heart of the city! Tonight we're staying in Blenheim, and despite being in the heart of wine country, this is a pretty small and dare I say it, backward place. In fact this is the second dodgy little place we've stayed since our long drive north. When we arrived we stayed in Motueka, which sounded OK but actually shut up for the night at about ... read more