Wine Tasting - hick-up

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Our intention was to dive to Havelock and walk some of the Queen Charlotte Track. This was billed as one of the nicest walks in the country. The weather however didn't fit with our plans.
By the time we got to Havelock the clouds had closed in and it was raining hard. We got to the hostel which was a lovely house overlooking the lake. Apart from an American man with his son that was staying in the chalet behind the house we had the place to ourselves. It was like having your own holiday home for the evening. We managed to dodge the storms and get to the shop for essentials like wine, biscuits and cheese. We may be backpackers on a budget but we were heading into wine country and we wanted to act the part.
With the weather being so bad we spent the night in the house which we still had all to ourselves. Finally a good night's sleep without anyone waking me up at 6am as they pack their bag.

The following morning greeted us with more rain and a thunder storm. With no chance of any kind of walking we decided to head down to Blenheim, wine capital of the South Island.

Obviously after having a fantastic place to stay the night before there was no chance of us being so lucky two nights in a row, and we were right. The only place in the town with room was this grotty place that was being used by students working in the wine and apple fields. They had all been there for months so the place was just another one of those hostels you didn't want to be in.

Just down the road however things were looking much better as Blenheim is the home of amongst many others, Montana Wine Company. Montana is by far the biggest wine producer in the area and has a visitor centre to match it. Modeled on a massive French Château it was bursting with bottles of wine. For just $5 each we managed to taste pretty much their full range of wines although as I was driving at this point I only got to taste each of the wines while Carol Anne got to drink them. So unfair. We of course had to buy a couple of bottles, it would have been rude not to. Driving back we couldn't help but call into another one. This time their range of 6 wines was free to taste. Again I only got to sample while Carol Anne polished off the lot.
We had to come up with a better plan to see these Vineyards, and we did, bikes.
I'm sure the police could just sit at the entrance to the Montana Vineyard and catch everyone as they came out.

The following morning we heading back down the road a few miles to Renwick where we hired a couple of bikes from the hostel we were now staying in. While drinking and driving is obviously not allowed it seems that riding our bikes pissed is completely acceptable.
Armed with a map containing over 50 different vineyards we set out.
As it was only 10 am and we were trying to be good we decided not to head straight for the vineyards but instead go for a bike ride. Luckily the wine growing valley is very flat and biking through the miles and miles and vineyards was easy.

Our first stop was at a vineyard called The Mud House. It had some gorgeous wines and even nicer food. It was set overlooking the vineyards and the mountains behind. The picnic tables were set just in front of a lovely lake making it the perfect place to enjoy some expensive food and wine. Three courses and a couple of hours later we finally decide to move on. We spent the rest of the day sampling the delights of various vineyards before getting the bikes back just before it got dark. If any pub company wants me to research them a new wine list I will be more than happy to.

These very nice few days also marks the end of our time on the South Island. The next morning we woke with very clear heads (honest) and with no hint of a wine hangover we headed towards Picton, our final destination on the South Island.

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