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Published: April 11th 2011
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For the last half-hour the inter-island ferry weaves its way through Marlborough Sound: a wonderfully scenic seaway dotted with loads of steep-sided, wooded islands. We picked up a car in Picton and took the coastal scenic route to Blenheim. Although it was raining (it rains a lot in S Island), there were lovely views of rocky headlands, the real Oyster Bay, white sandy beaches and blue-green seas. Blenheim is the main town of the Marlborough wine region, which produces arguably the best sauvignon blanc in the world. There are other grape varieties as well - pinot gris, riesling, viongier, muscat and others - but over 70% is s. blanc and very good it is too. We met up with Richard, an ex:RN friend of Bob's, who now owns and runs a vineyard high up on Brookby Ridge. Looking out over the Marlborough valley with its hundreds of acres of neat rows of grapes, framed by blue-coloured mountains as far as the eye can see, it's easy to understand the attraction of living here. Like Argentina & Chile, many wineries offer tastings, but unlike S. America there are few wine-production tours, so we were lucky to have a behind-the-scenes look at Wither
Hills winery with Becky, Richard's daughter, who's learning the NZ wine trade after having worked at Bibendum in London.
The next stop was Westport, to meet up and stay with Bob's half-cousin, another Richard, and his partner Wendy. Most tour buses pass by the attractive little town of Westport on their way to the evocatively named Cape Foulwind, a little way further south, which is their loss. Next day we reached the Franz Josef Glacier, one of the few accessible glaciers in the world. A brisk walk across a wet, stony valley floor in the driving wind and rain (did I mention that it rains a lot here?) took us to the foot of the ice. The glacier towered above us, while at its base there was a bright blue ice-cave with a swift-flowing river at its centre, carrying along huge ice-boulders which had fallen from the roof of the cave.Franz Josef and the nearby Fox Glacier are unique in the world in that they grow every year while all the rest are shrinking. The weather was against us (we never did see Mt Cook!) so we headed back to the car to dry off and continue our journey south.
Wither Hills Winery
The decorative grasses insulate the cellars below from both heat and cold - clever! We crossed the Southern Alps at the Haast pass, to reach Wanaka, a very pretty lakeside town with one of the best B&B's we've ever seen. We were tempted to move in! From Wanaka we drove to Alexandra to see Mary's friend Chris and her husband Andrew, who have built a beautiful house up above the town, with spectacular views of snow-capped mountains all round. With Chris as our well-informed local guide, we saw Queenstown, Arrowtown, Lake Wakatipu and Glenorchy - all offering varied and dramatic scenery. S Island roads are a wonder to behold: smooth, well-maintained, well-signposted, and you can drive for hours without seeing another vehicle. Alexandra is in the centre of the Otago wine-growing region (are you beginning to detect a theme here?) but this time the majority grape is pinot noir, which grows well with hot, sunny days but cool nights even in summer. After reluctantly tearing ourselves away from Chris & Andrew's hospitality, we drove to Te Anau, a small, pretty town on the shore of the lake of the same name. Te Anau was our base for a boat trip on Milford Sound, a couple of hours up to the north. Next morning we
Harvest - Wither Hills
Having come down into the hopper, the grapes are taken up on the conveyor belt to be sorted. left before dawn, and as the sun rose a few clouds to the east turned flamingo-pink, and then the surrounding mountain-tops turned pink as well. After driving through much mountainous Lord of the Rings scenery, we arrived at Milford for our boat-trip, early enough to almost have the Sound to ourselves. The Sound (which is actually a fjiord, as it was formed by glacial action) is spectacular: high, almost sheer, mountain peaks drop down into the sound. Trees and shrubs cling to the practically vertical mountainsides all the way down into the water, and there are many high, permanent waterfalls cascading off the rocky slopes. Milford Sound is a place of extremes: the highest rainfall recorded was 24 inches in one day (!) and the record wind-speed was 136 knots. It's about ten miles long, three miles wide at its widest point, and deep enough for cruise liners to enter and turn round safely. A definite 'must-see' for anyone touring South Island. After Milford we went to Bluff, almost the most southerly point on the NZ mainland, and noted for its fish and shellfish. This is the best place for huge green-lipped mussels (they were more than 5 inches long
and went very well with garlic!), wild oysters and crayfish, so we were both very happy!
Next stop was the Catlins, a wild area along the south east coast teeming with wildlife and primary forest. We became very adept at spotting sealions, fur seals, albatross and the rare yellow eyed penguins, gorgeous. With such rocky cliffs and the natural camouflage of the seals, etc it took us awhile to learn to spot the graceful draping of these creatures on the rocks just out of range of the waves. Amazing how far they can climb without arms!
The small city of Dunedin gave us a taste of life and lights after the wild stormy coastline. It has a real buzz, most probably accounted for by the presence of a good university. About a third of the town are students, lots of coffee bars, bookshops and the like. Another place we could live happily! The Otago Peninsula provides a huge sheltering arm for Dunedin's harbour, curving seaward up the coast. It, too, is home to many sealions, albatross and breathtaking views.
On the way north we decided to try to see Mt Cook one more time. Having been almost all the way
Wither Hills
Grapes going up! around it from the west coast, south and to the east it had never emerged from its cloud cover. We were lucky and it was a magnificent sight, rather dramatic in its setting across the plains and reminiscent of Lord of the Rings. We stayed in Twizel and had an unobstructed view from our cabin which was magical.
Our time in NZ is almost at an end. We arrived in Christchurch 2 days ago. The damage from the earthquake is hugely evident. The central district is still mostly blocked off both with demolitions and unsafe buildings. We drove towards the centre and then just walked. Hagley Park and the Botanical Gardens are beautiful but not much else is open. Tourist information is fractured as things change every day with the progress of recovery. Beautiful old buildings are standing but with no side or roof. It is very sad but the resolute spirit of the local people is inspiring. A highlight has been a reunion with a dear friend and colleague, Alex Steele who was in one of the tall buildings during the earthquake. I was able to bring her so many good wishes from all her many friends in UK.
Next stop Australia!
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dianne Bret Harte
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Your verbiage and photos are dazzling and very cruelly activate my latent travel itch! Do tell me you're going to Viet Nam, since I have a June trip there and need some first-hand accounts. Look forward to Australia with you!