Less than an hour outside CHCH, we found the Pegasus Winery open for business - a beautiful property with lush gardens and really good wines... so far, there have been no mediocre or bad ones, in case you were keeping score. We were happy to be on the road again and really looking forward to our night's rest - mostly just having a shower... but at Pegasus, we found flushing toilets and running water - a big first step. Unfortunately, their award-winning dining room was closed as the staff were all still in CHCH with their families.
Certainly understandable... we moved on and just up the road, we found yet another Canterbury winery - Mud House - open for business AND, more importantly, with an open restaurant. We enjoyed the first real-meal we'd had for almost 4 days... a lamb ragout for me and beef stew for the better-half... and a bit of the ol' pinot to help it on its way. This time, the bottle was only half empty (I'm really a half-full type, but...) and, as the civilized Kiwi's are wont to do, we re-capped the bottle, stuck it in the box in the trunk and carried on our trip.
A series of windy-road signs foreshadowed the up-n-down-n-round type of countryside through which the main highway travelled... and us along with it. About 1500 or so, we pulled over at a rest stop, parked under the shade of a large leafy tree and snoozed for an hour or so... just what we needed. The remaining kilometers passed uneventfully, except for the spectacular vistas of coastal cliffs and turquoise ocean waters that faced us as we drove down from the mountains to Kaikoura. We arrived at our motor hotel in well before sunset... and it set behind the mountains to our west before it "really" set... the sun's reflections off the eastern clouds over the Pacific were pretty colorful, though.
Kaikoura is a bit 'touristy' and held an obvious appeal to the younger set... lots of back-packers roaming the street(s) and hostel-type accommodation along the main thoroughfare; a number of cottage and second home properties for those from CHCH well-enough off to be able to afford seaside accommodation, too. Grocery re-stocking completed, we both enjoyed a leisurely shower and a hot meal - cooked by us in our self-catering two bedroom suite by the ocean. And, the better-half was able to do the laundry... a big plus after using our few 'clean clothes' so sparingly for the past week.
Oh, I forgot to mention... another thing that happens when folks around you experience an earthquake, they tend to stockpile and hoard... water, food and gasoline. We were unable to buy bread or gas... everything else seemed to be in normal supply. The grocery store suggested the bakery would be open in the morning with fresh bread and the one operating local gas station had signs up that they, too, hoped to have a product for sale after 0900 Friday morning. Night fell!
Friday - after a liquid breakfast (juice, not wine), we took our leave and headed into town for bread, gas and a hot coffee (we have become big fans of NZ's 'flat-white') with toast. All elements satisfied (full tanks all 'round), we headed north again up the coast - as spectacular as it was when we first viewed it yesterday afternoon... water colours always changing, rocky cliffs waxing and waning. An obligatory stop or two along the road at resting areas afforded the opportunity to capture some descriptive photos of coast and forest... not to mentions a few birds and seals. Craggy coast turned into grassy windy fields covering low but growing hills as we ventured inland. Winding roads, again... and, tout-a-coup, vineyards! We had crossed the invisible boundary into the eastern extremities of the Marlborough region... and soon, we arrived in Blenheim, the eastern anchor-town of the Marlborough region and a busy and, obviously, reasonably well-off town. Time for late lunch.
The first large winery we came across - with resto - was Brancott (aka Montana - it's in its final stages of re-branding after changes in ownership two+ years ago). Some will be familiar with Brancott's 'B' savvy - a fruit-forward (a true exemplar of the NZ-style sauvignon blanc of today) boomingly big savvy - enjoyable with almost anything you want to eat that isn't too spicy. We enjoyed this marvelous substitute for grapefruit juice along with an appropriate meal in the outside al fresco seating area of Brancott's property... just across from the large well-equipped supervised kids play area (for the kids of parents tasting, touring or eating). Welcome to the Marlborough. Next, we moved on to our motor court accommodation for the next 4 nights in Picton - 17km further up the road in the Marlborough Sounds area - more spectacular fjord-like scenery.
After hunkering down for the evening, unpacking and getting our plans adjusted, we stopped to take stock - our CHCH impacts were catching up on us and we didn't realize how much we had been affected. Needed sleep kept us from venturing out much before noon on Saturday morning but venture out we did... after all, wineries needed visiting!
The Wairau river valley from the western slopes of the Richmond Range to Blenheim at the the eastern end makes up the bulk of Marlborough wine growing area; its soils and micro climes are ideally suited to the growing of vines and each smaller area has it's unique 'terroir' to claim. As much as the local folks don't appreciate the comparison, I found it much like the Napa Valley in appearance - not orientation - with its nearly-dry river bed, alluvial soils and brown hills on either side spotted with patches of forest growth... as well as its dry breezes predominantly down the hills from the west. Good grapes are grown here and really good wines produced - some small vintners and some large... and many still proudly family owned and operated! I will not dwell on those visited (St. Clair, Alan Scott, Cloudy Bay, Wither Hills among them) except to say that nary a one was not worth the trip (double negatives, EH?).
Sunday - the planned visit away from the wineries in the opposite direction to Nelson. To get there required a trek of unknown duration along a road of unknown pedigree known as the Queen Charlotte Drive... it sort of imparts an image of a regal cruise along the coastal hills to the town of Nelson... only a mere 100km or so... and easy stroll of a drive... right?
Transiting the QCD gave new meaning to the term gut-wrenching fear (and amazing vistas)! After climbing out of Picton along a well paved wide-ish road for about 2 km, we turned a 90-degree corner and the road almost disappeared. for the next 30km, the car never exceeded 30km/hr and ofter - probably way more often than local drivers would like - we rounded blind corners at 10-15km/hr while trying not look over and down... as it was, in some instances, straight down through rain forest to the ocean below. And did I mention, you couldn't tell where people's cars went through the guard rails since, on most corners, there were none. meeting an oncoming logging truck on the corner is a shattering experience - one we've had the privilege of sharing - and one which does not bear repetition. The remainder of the drive - through rain, fog, and bright sunshine was uneventful by comparison. Sure glad I wasn't going back that way... it would mean being on the outside of the corners.
Nelson was a bit of disappointment and did not present itself as well as other locales we have visited in this marvelous country. I will not dwell on this - no sense in being negative... but we would have been better off spending the day in the wine region. As our sunny and Sunday afternoon waned towards late afternoon, we agreed it would be reasonable to return to Picton while we still had sunlight. A quick iPad map and GPS consultation provided the bad news - if we look the long route back it would be well over 240km and we would inevitably be driving the latter portion of the trip in the dark... still on mountain roads. Decision to brave the QCD route back taken, we left Nelson with some trepidation. This time, however, the fear-factor was not as strong... after all, we'd already been through this trip in not-so-great weather and the roads were now dry, visibility good (at least to the next corner) so we great fully arrived back at our digs before the sun set and in time to enjoy an evening meal at a local resto, with a good Marlborough pinot, of course.
Our parting visits to more wineries (notably Lawson Dry Hill and Isabel Wineries) and a good (but late) winery lunch at Wairau River winery capped the afternoon. Back to Picton, final trip this time, and we must get ready for the voyage via InterIsland Ferries to Wellington on the 1005 crossing Tuesday morning.
Morning early checkout... short drive to the ferry terminal... better-half anxious about the crossing - she's not pleased about the Digby-Saint John crossing, either - and we were told the ferry was delayed for an hour. We walked back to the cafe in Picton, enjoyed another flat white and biscuit, and walked back in time to see that the ferry terminal staging area was full of cars, vans and did I mention what a truck-load of sheep smell like? right next to us in line? It got quite uncomfortable in the car with the windows rolled up and the fan turned off... Finally, we boarded and began the next leg of the journey... to journey to the North Side!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Kaikoura, Marlborough and Nelson region, South Island NZ
No comments:
Post a Comment