Oaktree Cottage

Wwoofing in Wine Country

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March 3rd 2009
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 spre ... read more

Oceania » New Zealand » South Island » Blenheim

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The Polynesian Maori reached New Zealand in about A.D. 800. In 1840, their chieftains entered into a compact with Britain, the Treaty of Waitangi, in which they ceded sovereignty to Queen Victoria while retaining territorial rights. In that same year... ... read more