Blenheim (the wine region !)

A short drive from Picton is Blenheim; not necessarily the prettiest of towns along the way, however it has one very big lure.....it is a major Wine Region !That's right what better way to spend a day than with a bike and a whole load of wineries, which give you free tastings. However our original plan of cycling round all the wineries was slightly thwarted by my arm being in a sling...cue a genius idea from me..

"why don't we see if they have a tandem? I mean, that'll be fun won't it Kip? What's the worst that could happen; you, me, a tandem and a lot of free wine....?"

So we got a map of the wine regions and had been told which ones to target by other travellers we had met along the way. We got to the bike shop early to get saddled up.

Ok, here goes nothing...after a few false starts and profanities at each other we were off and trying to navigate the main highway through Blenheim. The hardest bit was actually trying to cycle together, as when one person wanted to stop pedalling, you couldn't just stop, as this would invariably prompt a few choice words from the other person who came to an abrupt stop, mid pedal.

Needless to say after the first few wineries we managed to get into a good rhythm and it became second nature. The wineries were great and real mix of large manufacturing places with household names, to the smaller boutique type places that had a few acres of land and did everything themselves.

Throughout the day we managed to see 8 different wineries, trying 4 or 5 small glasses of their finest plonk in each. Lunch was just on the grass along the way out of one of the wineries.

All in all we managed to cycle round trip of 40Km, which was quite a shock, considering we thought it might be 15-20 tops! Kip did a great job at the helm, with me and my sling at the rear providing moral support. We didn't crash once, although there were a few uncertain moments when i turned round (not thinking) and in doing so shifted my weight, which through the bike way off path and meant Kip had to struggle to keep the thing upright and in control.

A great day out and a fantastic way to see the wineries and enjoy New Zealand's finest plonk.

Picton & The Marlborough Sounds

As seems to continue to happen in New Zealand, you visit one place and then the next place you go to seems to outshine the last. This time Picton and the Marlborough Sounds. This is in the NE corner of the South Island and where most people come across on the ferry from the North Island.

Our plan here is again to explore of the great NZ walks called the Queen Charlotte track. In a similar vein to the Abel Tasman we are not planning to walk the entire thing, as this will take 4 days and need camping equipment. So we chose the 2 main sections, manageable in a day, and booked a water taxi to take us there.

The first day's walk was at the furthest end and started at a place called Ship Cove. This was where Captain Cook stopped and based himself to explore the South Island. It was about an hour's boat ride from port of Picton, but this gave us a great view of the Queen Charlotte track from the boat.

Now i know that people say that you meet people you know all round the world and freaky things happen, but no sooner had we jumped off the boat at Ship Cove, that i thought i recognised a couple ahead. A lovely couple called Dot & Peter Mayne, who go to St Paul's church and i have loosely known for years. Low and behold, i stop them and IT IS THEM!

They were over in Christchurch visiting one of their daughters and had taken a short break up to the Marlborough Sounds...of all the places, timings, situations....!
So after that nice, but unexpected, hello we cracked on with our 5 hour walk along the track. The track had a number of steep climbs along the way, but being up high gave us great views through the trees to see down to the sea, bays and beaches.

We arrived at our pickup point at one of the lodges along the way and took a slow boat back to port, via a number of the other bays and picking up other walkers. A nice little bay called Honeymoon Bay caught me eye too!

That night we retreated to our hostel to rest up. The best bit about this hostel (and i promise not the reason we picked it) was the fact that at 8pm they served free chocolate pudding nad ice cream...Whoop ! This was much needed and of course well earned after the hours of walking we had been doing.

The next day we again boarded a water taxi, but took a short 20 miute trip to another section of the Queen Charlotte Track. This time we planned to do a short walk of 2/3 hours and finish at a lovely little lodge called Lochmara lodge. We decided to treat ourselves and stay the night in the Lodge (i know, no free pudding, but i'll survive). Luckily we had given our bags to the water taxi guy so we didnt have to lug them on our walk.

We arrived at Lochmara lodge mid afternoon, had lunch and chilled out. The lodge had a large series of grounds with various art works and landscaped areas to chill out and be away from the world, just what we needed.

That night we enjoyed a meal out - now this sounds daft, but in 9 weeks of being in NZ we only ate out a handful of times, so as you can imagine, we were quite excited. The lodge was great and a nice change to the usual hum of a hostel. The next morning we headed back to Picton and collected our car and large backpacks stored at the hostel.

Nelson & the Abel Tasman

So after our defeated visit to Nelson Lakes, we were pleased to see that Nelson itself was a better place to be. A large port in the North of the South Island and a large one at that. It was nice to be in a bigger and busier place after the sparse-ness of the West Coast.

We found a really nice hostel in Nelson called the bug (so called due to all the VW beetle stuff adorning the place). A good place to base ourselves for the next few nights. The next day we explored Nelson town and the surroudings, but after we had spent a good 2/3 hours in the local Information centre and Dept. of conservation (DOC) office to figure out about what to do in the infamous Abel Tasman National Park.

We emerged with our heads buzzing with options, leaflets, but a clearer idea of how we were going to see the place. We spent the rest of the day mooching round Nelson town. Lots of shops, sights and things to do. The cathedreal was impressive, inspite of the 50's inspired spire  at one end.

We then saw a sign for the Centre of New Zealand - so we thought we would give it a try and see if it actually was the centre. Yep, it was. A short walk up a steep hill (again)  and we got to the top to see some great views of Nelson and the surrounds. Also the actual centre point, where they measure all the distances in NZ from.

The next day we headed a short 1 hour drive north towards the Abel Tasman NP and stayed in a little town called Motueka, again in a lovely backpackers. This one was situated on the edge of an apple orchard and was definitley one of the better ones!

The Abel Tasman NP is another of New Zealand's finest national parks and a must do on the route round the south island. As with the other parks in NZ, the Dept of Conservation have restricted and controlled the development of anything in the parks which give these places their peace, quiet and remoteness which is hard to find in many other places.

We planned 2 day trips to explore different parts of the park, sadly because i had broken my collar bone, we were not able to do the kayaking option, where you set off in to the blue, visiting each sandy bay en route and enjoying the views from the sea. However in stead on the first day we drove to the start of the track and walked 4 hours to the first main bay and got a water taxi back to the car. The 4 hour walk was great and along the way took many little detours off the main track, down to secluded and empty beaches to enjoy the view-

The water taxis are so well setup and gave us the option to see the place by sea, rather than panting and struggling in a sea kayak (a bonus of breaking the collar bone !)

The following day we took the water taxi further up in to the park and got dropped off at a bay (Bark's Bay) about half way up the track. With the weather being better than the day before and more time on our hands we had a great, relaxed walk north towards some of the less well trodden beaches/bays. Again some great scenery, with lots of little bays and beaches dotted along the coast, in amongst trees and rocky outcrops in to the sea.

The end of that particular days walk was at a bay called Awaroa and we found a nice little lodge that you could stay in (expensive, but nice to have a nosey round). There is of course the DOC huts that you can use or pitch a tent, but why do that when you can look round a nice lodge.

We waited on the beach for about an hour, relaxing in the sunshine before the water taxi came along to collect us and show us another stretch of coast line en route back to the port.

Overall a great few days walking in the Abel Tasman and good to see another varied landscape the NZ has to offer. We retreated each night back to our lush hostel in Moteuka and again from there planed the next step.

A lovely view from a room in the hostel

As we were up in the North of the South Island we decided to continue up to the top and see the Farewll Spit; the northern most tip of the South Island. We stopped for one night in a little town (by which i mean middle of nowhere) with a nice, well establised hostel which has a lovely garden. The best bit being a massive hammock called the "web" over a small stream.

We went up to see and walk along the "Farewell Spit" and also visit the true most northern tip of the South Isand. So far we will have then travelled to the top and east of the north island and the top of south island. With some more great walks under our belts and more impressive scenery snapped, we drove on to our next destination, Picton.

The West Coast - Part II

After recovering from our New Years eve shenanigans, we continued North up the West coast. There is not a huge amount to see along this stretch, so the next few days were mainly covering the distance.

On route there was a little stop called Punakaiki, where there is a series of rocks that apparently look like pancakes. As I said, not that much to keep you occupied along this stretch; and these just made us hungry and think of pancakes.

We had some company with us on this stretch as we were giving Joe & Emilie a lift, as they were heading in the same direction. This was also welcome company and meant we didn't have to talk to each other (only joking!)

On route we had a brief stop and walked across New Zealand's longest swing bridge. We then got to our next stop, a sleepy little place called Murchison, nothing special about here, except the hostel we stayed in did meals and desserts....that's right, the night we were there, they had sticky toffee puddings. Now I do pride myself on my "one man quest" to try every sticky toffee pudding I can, in an attempt to find the best. I have to say this ranked in the top 3 (the bench mark and number 1 of course being a Ma Donald special!).

We cracked on north to our next destination Nelson, but before we did we stopped at a placed called Nelson Lakes. Now this was supposed to be a nice walk with sceneic views and wonderful vistas. Our optimism however got the better of us. When we arrived in the carpark, it was cloudy, however it was also early-ish in the morning. So we decided to wait a little while and watch the clouds disappear and reveal the view.
After about 45 minuted we decided to get out of the car and try the walk anyway. Needless to say the weather only got worse and in the end it started to fog over as we climbed higher. All in all a good walk but it wassnt the best views we have seen.

Next stop - Nelson

New Years Eve (NZ Stylee)

We started our New Years Eve with an afternoon trip to the a local gorge, aptly named Hokitika Gorge, an impressive little gorge about half an hour out of the town. What was great was the amazing colour of the river running through it. We were told to take our togs for a quick dip and we duly followed suit. However not thinking it all the way through, the water had come straight from the near by snow capped mountains; needless to say it was freezing !The dip was brief, but refreshing.

We headed back to the hostel and got ready for our NYE. A lovely proper dinner followed by a short drive down town to a local view point called Sunset point. We had been told that this was the place to see the best of the West coast's sunrises and sunsets. Also as this was New Zealand, this was of course one of the first places to see the sun setting on 2011. We were not disappointed and had the most awesome sunset and skies to say farewell to 2011.

So with the sun set on the year,we headed back to the hostel to gather supplies and make our way over the road to the desserted beach. Our plan....fire !

What better way to spend a NYE then to collect random bits of drift wood, create a fire pit in the sand, construct seats from old tree stumps and have a fire and drinks. We were joined by Joe (Scouse) and Emilie (Parisian) who we had met a few days before and joined us for NYE. A lovely couple who we would end up travelling with for the coming week together.

So the fire was lit, the beers were open and the stars were out - perfect !

A few others from the hostel joined us nearer to midnight (mainly German's). We talked about what each other's NYE traditions were. Somehow we managed to convince them that at midnight in England, we all did the hokey kokey. So at the stroke of midnight, we were on our feet doing the hokey kokey. Looking back now this is very random and they must have thought us strange, but hey ho, it is memorable to see a small group in the middle of an empty beach doing a random "English Tradition". At about 1am we doused the fire and headed back to the hostel to continue the merriment.

All in all a great NYE and one to remember. However the next morning, my slight over indulgence in more than "just the one beer" had kicked in. A hangover i can deal with; a hangover with a small reaction to the prescription drugs i was on for my shoulder...not adviseable. Ah well, it is not every year you get to see the NY in, with such style!

Christmas in Wanaka

Lake Wanaka

Well after giving Kip the best ever Christmas present of me being confirmed as an invalid by the doctors, we decided to stick to our plans and head to Wanaka, a lovely place about 45 minutes away from Queenstown. Here we would spend the next week chilling out and enjoying the sunshine over christmas. 


It has been weird leading up to Christmas, as usually in the UK there is a non-stop barrage of songs, adverts and deals to make you aware it is fast approaching the festive season. However, with our senses knocked out by having daylight until 10pm at night and it being lovely and warm (sorry if i am rubbing it in) - it just didn`t feel Christmasy.


Anyway, we ventured out on Christmas eve and did a massive shop for proper food, something that we have not done for a long while. Our wedding present from Lin & Mark (in-laws, for those that don`t know) was to have a meal out on Christmas day. However, we decided to not just have 1 meal out but in fact 12. That`s right, we turned it in to the 12 meals of Christmas. 

So Christmas eve approached and we chilled out at our hostel with a gourmet meal of...fish fingers, chips and baked beans ! Delicious. So midnight was fast approaching and we made sure we were in bed, ready for the big day.


We awoke on Christmas Day and headed for the 8am service at the local church in Wanaka. A lovely little place and a perfect dose of Christmas, carols and communion. We were very fortunate to start talking to a lovely English couple at the church (Bob & Sue), who now live in New Zealand and in the spirit of Christmas they invited us to their place in the afternoon for drinks !

We got back and had a nice breakfast, before opening a few presents under our make shift Christmas tree. After this we ventured out and went off for a walk along the lake edge and soaked up the sunshine. This was still a weird feeling, as last Christmas, Kip and I strolled in Windsor Great Park, in the Snow, freezing our noses off.

For our Christmas lunch what else could we have but a BBQ. So i was dispatched with tongs in my good hand and we cooked up a lovely Christmas day BBQ. After lunch and the obligatory snooze for Kip on Christmas Day, we headed over to Bob & Sue`s to spend a traditional kiwi afternoon. That`s right, outdoors, in the sunshine with a glass or two of something nice and chatting. We then ventured on to the neighbours house and were introduced to many more people from the UK etc who had moved to live in New Zealand. One of whom went to school at Farnborough Hill, only 3 miles down the road from our house in Frimley !!


After all that fun and excitement, there was only one way to wind down. That`s right, a cuppa tea, cheese, biscuits and a glass of port. Some Christmas traditions have to remain the same, regardless of where you are in the world. 

Boxing day was another lovely sunny day and more walks along the lake, followed by chilling out and enjoying the relaxing environs of Wanaka. Kip may also have had another little afternoon Christmas sleep (you know, to keep up with traditions).


Our final few days in Wanaka were spent with me mainly recuperating and not doing too much and avoid anyone walking into my shoulder. 

Although we did manage to visit the local funky cinema, which is the old town hall converted in to a cinema. The seats are an array of sofas, aeroplane seats and a bright yellow Morris Minor. 




We also went to Puzzling World, a weird place consisting of many optical illusions, puzzles and a mad maze that took us 45 minutes to complete. 

And so it was time for us to pack up Christmas and leave Wanaka. Our next trip was to work our way slowly up the West Coast of the South Island and find a suitable place to base ourselves for New Year. 

The West Coast

So after leaving Wanaka, we headed up the rugged West Coast, our first stop was a place called Haast. Sadly the weather wasn`t as good, so the view of the infamous Haast pass, a lovely drive through a mountainous region, was lost on us.



Pushing on, we then reached the first of the 2 main glaciers situated in the Southern Alps region. The first was the Fox Glacier. We took a short 1 hour walk to the face of the glacier to see the mass of ice carving its way through the mountains. All in all, pretty impressive. Sadly becuase of my arm, we were not able to do the walks or heli-hikes on the glacier (but something to add to the list for when we return...).





What amazed me most was the various posts and markers on the drive up to the glacier, charting where the glacier had previously been. Over the years it had receeded up the valley, but only some 70/80 years ago, it was over a Km further down the valley.



We stayed one night in Fox and visited the local beach and lakes. It was noticeable that the beaches along the West coast are rugged and very much windswept. The next day we headed to the other glacier, the Frans Josef Glacier. A similar if not smaller, but prettier glacier (if that is possible). Again a short walk up to the face of the ice and very hard to comprehend the size and scale of these huge slabs of ice. We drove on to a little coastal town called Hokitika, which would be our home for the next 3 nights and NYE !



With NYE approaching, we decided to venture out in to our surroundings to check out the night life. Sadly there was not much. We explored Hokitika, a local mecca for the New Zealand Jade, used in jewellery and other small arts.