Fire, Flood, Pestilence

Kaikoura 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaikōura

We finally arrived in Kaikoura just before 7:00 pm. 

Our drive had taken slightly longer due to our opting for the scenic inland mountain road after we cleared Christchurch. 

It had been another spectacular New Zealand drive so we did not mind in the least that it took just over an hour longer for us to reach our destination.

Our only regret is that we would have less time in Kaikoura itself so as it was still light when we arrived, we decided to have a quick drive around town before our fish supper at a lively beach side tavern.

The centre of Kaikōura itself is actually quite compact as this is very much a tourist town well known for its activities and scenery rather than its monuments.

"It is located in a stunningly beautiful setting, with the Seaward Kaikōuras mountain ranges as its truly magnificent backdrop".

On our original schedule we were planning to spend one night and two days in Kaikoura so, among other outdoor delights, we could experience one of its many walking tracks such as the Mt. Fyffe, which would have certainly provided us with stunning, panoramic views of the Kaikōura peninsula from the summit or the upper slopes at least".

"Mt. Fyffe owes its name to the Fyffe family, the first European family to settle in Kaikōura".

"The cottage that they lived in, built in 1842, still stands, and is now a tourist attraction operated by Heritage New Zealand".

"The construction of the cottage is unusual in that the supporting foundations of the house are made of whalebone" which is an indication of this town's whaling history.

"The Kaikōura Peninsula extends into the sea south of the town, and the resulting upwelling currents bring an abundance of marine life from the depths of the nearby Hikurangi Trench".

"The town owes its origin to this effect, since it developed as a centre for the whaling industry".

"The name Kaikōura means 'meal of crayfish' and the crayfish industry still plays a role in the economy of the region".

"However Kaikōura has now become a popular tourist destination, mainly for whale watching rather than hunting fortunately; sperm whale watching in Kaikoura is perhaps the best and most developed in the world as is swimming with or near dolphins".

"There is also a large and easily  observed colony of southern fur seals at the eastern edge of the town".

On our previous itinerary, when we were planning to stay one night in Kaikoura, the Airbnb accommodation I found was on that very stretch of beach so seals would often be seen on the rocks within walking distance of the accommodation - at least that's what we were told prior to booking.

"At low tide, on that beach, better viewing of the seals can be had as the sea gives way to a rocky base which is easily navigable by foot for quite some distance".

"It is also one of the most reasonably accessible places in the world to see open ocean seabirds including albatrosses" though not usually the large Royals which we had seen at Taiaroa Head.

"Petrels and shearwaters can also be spotted in Kaikoura, including the Hutton's shearwater which nests high in the Kaikōura mountains".

We would certainly have loved to have experienced a whale watching tour in Kaikoura which was also on our previous itinerary, but choices have to be made when one is travelling; it is always going to be impossible to do everything you want to do, unless you live there for a while, which we are now considering (when foreign travel is permitted again of course).

After sundown we retired to the Strawberry Tree pub for the evening where we enjoyed a well earned Speights beer and a delicious fish supper, all whilst being serenaded by Irish style musicians.

It was a fantastic atmosphere and the perfect place for us to unwind after a long day on the road.

Kaikoura to Blenheim 

This had certainly been the longest and busiest travel day on our entire three month voyage.

Our sightseeing morning in Dunedin had been perfect and our long scenic drive to Kaikoura had been relaxing and pleasant considering the amount of driving we actually shared that day.

Our time in Kaikoura had been brief unfortunately but we had thoroughly enjoyed every minute we spent there.

The final leg of our very long day was from Kaikoura to Blenheim.

We are accustomed to long drives as we have often driven from the south of Italy to our UK home in Surrey, at times with young fractious children or a nervous rescue cat and on one occasion with heavy Italian marble which we had bought at a marble quarry in Italy for our newly refurbished UK kitchen.

Night driving is always a challenge; if you do decide to drive after dark, make sure your night vision is good and / or you have the correct night driving glasses.

It goes without saying that you should never drive when sleepy whether at night or during the day.

We both had two cups of strong black coffee before leaving Kaikoura that night and we had a bar of dark chocolate in the car and a tin of boiled sweets.

But on that evening tiredness was not at all an issue.

It was actually a lovely clear night and when we first left Kaikoura the roads were beautifully deserted and that Kaikoura mountain sky  was full of stars.

However that all changed when we joined the main Highway to Nelson via Picton which is the road we needed to take to reach our accommodation in Blenheim.

Suddenly our peaceful New Zealand night drive turned into a 'dodge the lorry' game.

We soon found ourselves in a steady stream of lorries driving at us and tailgating us seemingly from all directions.

It was clear that road trains travelling from South Island to North Island were booked on one or more of the overnight ferries from Picton to Wellington.

These lorries were in a hurry and they were not going to let anyone get in their way; their drivers were extremely familiar with those highways; they knew exactly where the speed cameras were located and when we all approached one, they slowed down, kept their distance from us and dipped their headlights but in between speed cameras they tailgated us, glared us with their lights and put pressure on us to move dangerously close to the outer edge of our lane so they could overtake.

We, on the other hand, were not familiar with those roads and they also seemed very narrow to us compared to what we were used to in Europe; there are no dual carriageway sections at all on that road so we were more than happy to stick to the 60 km speed limit at all times; we certainly didn't want to go any faster than that; but those lorries, once they had cleared the speed cameras, they didn't do a km under 75 km an hour.

Being overtaken at speed on a narrow mountain road in the dark by a massive double lorry is absolutely terrifying.

This was the worst and most irresponsible night driving we had experienced anywhere; it felt so dangerous and stressful that we took turns driving every 15 minutes as it was late, dark, unfamiliar and we needed our wits about us at all times.

We were SO relieved when we finally arrived in Blenheim and we were able to leave that dangerous highway; we were also pretty annoyed that the short drive from Kaikoura to Blenheim had marred the very long but excellent drives from Queenstown to Dunedin then from Dunedin to Kaikoura.

We would be embarking upon our North Island road trip 10 days later and we decided there and then that there would be no more night driving in New Zealand for us.

We arrived in our Blenheim accommodation just after 12:30 am.

We were a little apprehensive about this accommodation option as it was very low cost and it had been a relatively last minute booking after our various weather induced itinerary changes.

But we need not have worried at all; any stress we may have endured during our challenging journey from Kaikoura, dissipated immediately as soon as we rolled into our private driveway and saw the beautiful fully equipped Airbnb house which would be our home until 12:00 noon the next day.

Cloudy Bay 

https://uk.cloudybay.co.nz/

Our next stop was Cloudy Bay. 

This vineyard needs no introduction as Cloudy Bay wine is now a household name and is sold all over the world. 

"Established in 1985, Cloudy Bay was one of the first five wine makers to venture into Marlborough".

"At the time, it was almost an unimaginable place to set-up a vineyard, but Cloudy Bay’s founder David Hohnen, was convinced of its potential to produce excellent wine and invested in the best land of the region".

"Since then, Marlborough has risen to become New Zealand’s leading wine region, as well as one of the finest winemaking locations in the world".

"The winery was named after Cloudy Bay, a body of water explorer Captain James Cook came across during his voyage to New Zealand in 1770".

"His discovery coincided with flooding in the region, which washed large amounts of sediment into the sea".

"Noticing the water’s opaque appearance, Cook cleverly christened the area Cloudy Bay".

"Today, Cloudy Bay not only captures the essence of Marlborough but also embodies New Zealand's luxury to the world".

"The luxury of space and time, of intimate moments and nature’s rarest qualities".

An excellent description of that wonderful land which we are very fortunate to have experienced for ourselves, be it for a relatively minuscule fraction of time.

CLOUDY BAY TASTING MENU

Cloudy Bay Experience  - $10 Pelorus Sparkling Non Vintage:

Sauvignon Blanc 2020

Chardonnay 2017  

Pinot Noir 2017

Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc Immersion - $15      

Sauvignon Blanc 2020        

Sauvignon Blanc 2006        

Te Koko Sauvignon Blanc 2014

Cloudy Bay Indulge - $25  Pelorus Rose Sparkling

Sauvignon Blanc 2006

Te Koko Sauvignon Blanc 2014    

Te Wahi Pinot Noir 2011                  

Te Wahi Pinot Noir 2017

Due to the cost of tastings at this higher profile vineyard, we shared one of each of the above between us then everyone selected a glass of their favourite with a cheese snack platter which we enjoyed in their stunning tasting garden.

While we sat there in glorious sunshine, drinking exquisite vintage wines, surrounded by what must surely be rated among the most beautiful countryside in the world, we unanimously agreed that our long drives to get there were totally worth it.

Even the lorry dodgems drive from Kaikoura to Blenheim late the previous evening. 

We even saw a little New Zealand fan-tail bird that flew into the tasting room when we were there ordering our wine and seemingly followed us out when we left then he and other little birds, flew around our table for as long as we were there undoubtedly hoping for a few water biscuits scraps.

It really was as perfect a moment as any could be.

Jackson Estate

https://www.jacksonestate.co.nz/vineyards

We could have easily spent the entire afternoon sitting in that glorious Cloudy Bay tasting garden sipping excellent wine and enjoying the sunshine and beautiful scenery all around us, but when you only have one day to experience the best that Marlborough can offer, we thought we should press on with our vineyard tour.

The Jackson estate, also on the Jackson road was a very short drive from Cloudy Bay. 

We visited the Jackson Homestead vineyard that afternoon.

It is named Homestead "after the original site settled in 1855 by Adam Jackson, now named Jacksons Road where the original Homestead still resides".

"This is Jackson Estate's oldest vineyard and is planted with Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling and Pinot Noir".

On the Jackson Estate website it says that "this land has been sustainably farmed by the Jackson family for five generations".

"Fruit from this vineyard delivers intense notes of stone fruit, white melon and tropical characters.

"The combination of mature vines with the stony free draining silt loam soils have been the foundations for the elegant textural wine style that Jackson Estate is best known for".

The Jackson Estate Cellar door, which we visited that day, "brings together a state of the art production facility where they handcraft the wines and the hut, which houses the cellar door, made by using re-claimed materials to create a rustic front façade which surprisingly opens into a cosy, modern tasting room".

"Designed by Brian Massey, art director of The Hobbit trilogy, this facility reflects the Jackson Estate ethos of being modern pioneers of the wine industry and a nod to their  history, the 1850’s style settlers hut structures that occupied the region in the past".

This was Marlborough at its best: with yet another world class vineyard producing world class wines which were all exquisite and wonderful in their own distinctive ways.

The 2016 Grey Ghost Barrique Sauvignon Blanc may have been my favourite but I also loved the Homestead Dry Riesling and the Homestead Pinot Noir. 

We had so many favourites that we ended up buying far more bottles than we thought we would. 

Fortunately for us we would be in New Zealand for a while longer so we would certainly have time to drink it all.

What made this vineyard stand out for us was our tour of the vines themselves.

Acres and acres of vineyard with plump, juicy grapes just a few weeks from harvest. 

Definitely one to visit if you decide on a Marlborough vineyard tour

Brancott Estate

https://www.brancottestate.com/en-gb/our-perspective/our-place

The final Marlborough vineyard we visited that day was the Brancott Estate. 

This was one I was particularly keen to see as Brancott wines have been favourites of mine in the UK for a while now.

There is a wonderful restaurant at Brancott with a large picture window strategically situated to provide the most optimal views of the vineyards below.

I had hoped to treat everyone to a late lunch there but as we had spent so long enjoying the first three we visited, by the time we got to Brancott it was almost 4:00 pm so lunch was no longer being served.

We were still in time for the wine tastings though which we were able to enjoy on the terrace whilst admiring the acres and acres of vineyard below us.

It really was the most spectacular sight.

As explained in the history section of this vineyard's website, "until the 1970s, Marlborough was considered too cold for anything but sheep grazing".

"But the founders of Brancott Estate enjoyed the challenge of proving everyone wrong".

"They went against the grain to create Marlborough's first ever Sauvignon Blanc, changing the face of the region forever".

"It all started in 1973, when the first seedlings were planted at the Brancott Estate Vineyard".

"After two years of mixed success, they rethought tradition to take their vines in a new direction".

"Thanks to the region's sunny days and crisp nights, the grapes developed a unique and fresh flavour profile, and by 1979 Marlborough's first ever Sauvignon Blanc was born".

"The eighties got off to a good start for Brancott with their first release Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc winning Gold at the 1980 New Zealand Easter Show".

"In 1982, their first shipment of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc was shared beyond New Zealand's borders, as it took the UK by storm".

"By the end of the decade, their Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc was selected from more than 1100 competitors to win the prestigious Marquis de Goulaine trophy at the 21st International Wine & Spirit Competition".

"By 1990 the wine industry in Marlborough had become significant enough to welcome a visit from Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, who planted a vine on Festival Block, home of the Marlborough Food and Wine Festival since 1987".

"That same year saw the appointment of a new cellar hand, Patrick Materman, who would go on to become Chief Winemaker and lead the exploration into new expressions of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc".

"Their 1996 Marlborough Chardonnay was voted International Wine of the Year and winemaker Andy Frost was named White Winemaker of the Year at the London International Wine Challenge".

"Today, Andy heads up the Brancott  Wine Innovation programme, drawing on his vast experience to develop new expressions of Marlborough".

"Eleven years after joining as a cellar hand, Patrick Materman was named New Zealand Winemaker of the Year by Winestate Magazine".

"In 2006, Brancott Estate planted the first Sauvignon Gris vines in Marlborough, an ancient varietal that had faded into obscurity until a few vines were found and transplanted to New Zealand".

"Proving to be as well adapted to Marlborough as its near cousin, Sauvignon Blanc, the first Sauvignon Gris was released in 2009".

"The following year, Brancott Estate released its organic range, Living Land, and in 2011, the Brancott Estate Cellar Door and Restaurant opened its doors".

"After releasing the first ever vintage of Marlborough Sauvignon Gris, they launched Brancott Estate Chosen Rows, their finest age-worthy Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc".

"They also released the first vintage of Flight, a fresh take on Sauvignon Blanc that's naturally lighter in alcohol".

"Their range of Sauvignon Blanc wines now includes sparkling, organic, oak-influenced, naturally low-alcohol, age-worthy and late-harvest wines".

"All the while, their signature Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc continues to hold its own, with a constant stream of awards and accolades from around the world".

When we were there in February 2020, we sampled the Sauvignon Gris, an excellent sparkling wine, a wonderful rosé and, of course, their iconic Sauvignon Blanc.

It was all superb and we couldn't choose between them so we ended up buying a case full to take away with us and consume during our time in Wellington and on our North Island road trip.

MARLBOROUGH FALCON TRUST

"The Marlborough Falcon Trust was established in 2009, with an aim to increase numbers of the New Zealand Falcon (Kārearea) in the Marlborough region".

"The Kārearea is rarer than the Kiwi bird and is New Zealand’s most endangered bird of prey".

"These natural predators are an excellent resource in the vineyard, deterring other birds from damaging grape crops".

We saw them do just that on several occasions and we like to think that they simply chase the little birds away though I fear that these avid hunters may consider the smaller birds as prey and as tasty morsels between meals.

"From 2008 onwards, the Brancott Estate has supported the Marlborough Falcon Trust’s efforts to protect and restore the falcon population in Marlborough by donating $1 from the sale of every bottle of Brancott Estate Living Land, their organic range of wines".

"Their vineyard is also home to a conservation and breeding aviary, providing a safe haven for injured and rescued native birds".

When we were there we were able to see the rare New Zealand falcon up close in the aviary and later in flight surveying its vineyards, whilst we enjoyed a sublime Brancott Estate Sauvignon Blanc from the tasting room terrace. 

Now that is definitely not something we expect to ever see again.

Only in New Zealand 

Picton

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picton,_New_Zealand

It had been a unique and truly memorable beer and wine tasting day in magical Marlborough.

Sadly cellar doors in New Zealand tend to close at 5:00 pm as they do in Australia so when we eventually tore ourselves away from Brancott's picturesque tasting terrace we set course for Picton, our final destination on South Island.

The journey from Blenheim to Picton was not a long one, just 20 minutes if traffic is amenable, but it did mean that we had to return to the 'lorry dodgems' Highway which I was not happy with at all as I would be sole driver this time.

The Nelson Highway to Picton was certainly busy with lorry and road-train traffic as it was before, but I am pleased to report that on this occasion the drivers were far better behaved.

There was no tailgating, no flashing or glaring headlights, no hooting of noisy horns, no speeding and no rude hand gestures.

We had, of course, experienced all of the above on our drive from Kaikoura to Blenheim late on our arrival night, so we were totally nonplussed to find that on that early evening drive to Picton the drivers couldn't have been more law abiding.

We put it down to no imminent ferry departures to Wellington at that time and / or the fact that there were far more cars on the road in late afternoon compared to late at night so it would attract too much attention to bully them all. 

Whatever the reason we had the most wonderful drive through rolling hills of sunny vineyards with sea views on one side and distant mountain vistas on the other. 

On our original schedule we had planned a day trip to Nelson prior to setting off for North Island but sadly it was too far away to fit it in on the amended itinerary.

I was sorry not to visit Nelson as I had a connection with it through a friend in the late 1980s and I was very keen to see it for myself.

In the summer of 1987, a good friend of mine was offered a place on a New Zealand outward bound course for PE teachers from all over the world.

She was lucky to have qualified for a teacher scholarship for it, paid for by the UK and New Zealand governments so she was very happy to accept.

She loved it so much that she ended up accepting a temporary job in a local school there at the end of that summer which eventually became permanent so she never returned to the UK at all.

It was a shame for me as she was a very good friend..

We stayed in touch for a while and she kept inviting me to go and stay with her in Nelson, even encouraging me to apply for a teaching position at her school; I would have so loved to visit her there especially when she sent me photos of all the lovely places we would see on my arrival; I came very close to booking a flight at one point but financial constraints and friend and family commitments in the UK rendered it impossible sadly, which is such a shame.

After a few years and several address changes later on both our parts, we eventually lost touch. 

The last I heard was that she married a local chap who was also a PE teacher as she was, and they went onto have two little girls, but I heard no more after that.

The last address I had for her was actually in Wellington but I have no idea at all if they are still there now.

I still have some of her furniture in my loft in the UK which I agreed to store for her whilst she was in New Zealand for that first summer break back in 1987.

Considering that was over 30 years ago, I doubt she will ever return to the UK to claim it now.

Seeing those signs to Nelson on the Picton road that afternoon reminded me of her and of the lovely moments we had spent together all those years ago.

It's always good to stay in touch with old friends wherever they end up as you never know where life leads you. 

It would have been lovely to have been able to meet up with her in Nelson or Wellington or Auckland or wherever else she may be living now. 

Sadly it was not to be. I tried to locate her via a variety of sources both in the UK and in New Zealand  but as I do not even know her married name my search bore no fruit.  

Of course it is much easier to stay in touch with people now than it was then what with social media sites and internet. 

While I was driving through that idyllically beautiful countryside, I couldn't help but wonder if I too would have been tempted to stay in Nelson had I visited her there at that time.

It would have certainly been very difficult to leave that extraordinarily, beautiful land.

We met so many young British travellers who arrived in New Zealand on their statutory working visas but had managed to find ways to stay there longer if not forever.

My life could have been very different had I booked those plane tickets all those years ago.

When we arrived in Picton barely half an hour after our departure from Blenheim, we were more than pleasantly surprised. 

Picton is a delightful coastal town located near the head of Queen Charlotte Sound which is where we would be crossing by ferry the following day to Wellington on North Island via the Cook Straits.

Although relatively unknown abroad compared to other New Zealand towns and cities, "Picton is actually a major hub in New Zealand's transport network, connecting the South Island road and rail network with ferries across Cook Strait to Wellington and the North Island".

"The Picton urban area has a population of around 4,730, making it the second-largest town in the Marlborough Region behind Blenheim".

"It is the easternmost town in the South Island with a population of at least 1,000 people".

"The town is named after Sir Thomas Picton, the Welsh military associate of the Duke of Wellington, who was killed at the Battle of Waterloo".

I hadn't heard of Thomas Picton prior to visiting Picton, but according to Wikipedia "Thomas Picton's connection to the slave trade and controversial governorship of Trinidad has resulted in calls for places named after him to be renamed".

Whether the town will change its name or not, I do not know but I must say that I was surprised that it should be named after a British military man with little or no connection at all with New Zealand or with anywhere else in the Southern Hemisphere.

For this last night on South Island we had booked another low-cost Airbnb apartment which was within view of the port for easy access in the morning and next door to a charming gastro pub where we could continue to savour the best of Marlborough. 

Most of the pubs we encountered  in Picton that evening were offering competitively priced wine-tasting experiences often for less than you would pay in the vineyard itself.

Although on this occasion we didn't have an entire three bedroom house to ourselves, we did have a charming apartment with two double bedrooms, kitchenette, living area and parking space.

A parking space is always a bonus when travelling by car.

Our evening in Picton was perfect.

We went for a lovely walk around the entire town and enjoyed a spectacular sunset over the sound.

We then enjoyed two full wine-tastings for the price of one as our aperitivo, followed by another excellent fish supper at the gastro pub next door to our accommodation accompanied by an exquisite Waihopai Valley Sauvignon Blanc. 

We also appear to have thoroughly diverted a middle aged couple sitting at the table next to ours who spent the entire evening staring in our direction.

We did wonder if our 'British' accents amused or irritated them in some way but we then realised that what was really strange is that we never saw them speak to each other at all.

As enjoyable as scowling at us may have been, it is odd to go out to a restaurant if you have no interest in speaking to or even looking at the person you are actually with. 

But in spite of that our excellent  fish meals were superb and the atmosphere in that pub was friendly and lively.

A wonderful memory of how life used to be before Covid 19.