One more full day to see New Zealand.
We decided to spend it on the Queen Charlotte Drive from Havelock to Picton, and take in the beauty of the Marlborough Sounds one last time. It might be a little cooler up there, and at 10AM Blenheim was well on the way to its forecasted high of over 84 degrees. Not big fans of the heat, but well aware of the weather we will be going home to, we have no complaints!
Cullen Point was our first stop and this time we did the short walk to the viewpoint. A couple of other pretty viewpoint pulloffs and we were already back in Picton. Why not revisit Motuara Island on such a stunning day? Last time it was a bit dreary. So we parked the car and arrived just in time for the afternoon cruise. Under the cloudless sky, the Sounds were absolutely brilliant and we relished this opportunity to get a last fix of blue green hues that would not be part of the Colorado landscape.
What luck! On Motuara Island our guide found a South Island Saddleback one or two minutes after we started up the trail! While most of the others in our group headed for the island's summit, we opted to spend the balance of our time at the little pool near the shore. It has been hot and dry for several days, so today the pool, the only source of water on the island, was visited by an almost steady stream of bathing bellbirds. Finally, after almost 3 months of hearing the melodious bellbirds, we had the chance to observe them at close range and get a decent photograph of them! Yellow-crowned Parakeets flew overhead and stopped by a couple of times and another Saddleback made an appearance as well.
Both to and from the island we saw many Fluttering Shearwaters and Australasian Gannets both on the water and in the air. Having just seen the gannets at Farewell Spit, it was fun to see them just sitting on the water, but even better to see them fishing -- diving straight into the water, sending up a 10 foot splash of water as they went in.
But on the way back our crew was struggling to find dolphins. Often birds are seen near the dolphins, as they take advantage of the dolphin's work "herding" the fish into tight balls. We had gone into a number of quiet little coves looking for dolphins and had already exceeded the time allotted for the trip by half an hour. Finally we found a large pod of Dusky Dolphins -- our guide reckoned there were around 30 -- signaled by many gannets and shearwaters overhead. The dolphins were swimming by all around us and under the boat. They couldn't have been any closer without jumping on board!
As we drove back home from Picton, we both started paying more attention to some of the things we'll be seeing for the last time (on this trip). Tomorrow we start preparations to go home. It is a good thing the airlines don't charge for extra memories. We'd owe a fortune!
Click here for larger images with captions.
New Zealand 2010
Mike and Susan's kiwi home-swapping adventure!
Marlborough Wine Trail
While there are other grape producing areas, 52% of the wines in New Zealand come from Marlborough. Not surprising then that tasting wine is a major tourist draw to this area and as November draws to an end we are seeing people arriving in much greater numbers, especially Americans. Brown "point of interest" Marlborough Wine Trail signs are all around between Blenheim and Renwick. Paper maps are readily available as well.
We've often remarked that the region reminds us of California -- vineyards with a backdrop of grassy rolling green hills that turn brown in the summer -- a compelling landscape for an afternoon drive. Wine tour vans transport from winery to winery for responsibility-free tasting. Bicycle touring is another way to see the wineries and vineyards, but is one of those activities that sounded good before we got here. With no bike paths and with tourists still learning which side of the road to be on, we don't see how this could be safe or fun, especially after a drink or two. It is also seems a bit overwhelming to attempt to seriously evaluate wines by spending the entire day tasting. Our biggest tasting day included just three wineries, and we preferred to visit just one per day. In any case, a tasting day will conclude in the late afternoon as the vineyards close between 4-5PM. We tasted at about a baker's dozen of vineyards in the Marlborough region.
Without exception, the Cellar Doors have been great with attractive but simple decor using lots of wood and stone. Most of the vintners do not charge for tastings, and some only charge if you do not make a purchase. Our undereducated but eager to learn palates were never made to feel inadequate, but of course cellar doors are there to sell wine.
Click here for larger images with captions.
Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir are the region's best grapes, although most vintners also make Chardonnay and many have Gewurtztraminer, Riesling, Merlot and Syrah. Experimenting with new varieties is ongoing and the most interesting new red wine for us was a Tempranillo. Some even make sparkling wines, known as "bubbles" here.
Auntsfield Estate was the first vineyard, a Scotsman planting a few vines to make his port back in the 1800s, although the vineyard did not survive prohibition. Montana, or Brancott as it will soon be known as to prevent confusion with the US state, is the largest and led the way planting Sauvignon Blanc back in the early 1970s, which was the real start of the New Zealand wine industry. Production has exploded in recent years, and the current recession has burst the wine bubble. We've seen several vineyards for sale and some have gone up for auction. Also, many of the wineries are no longer New Zealand owned.
New Zealand has fairly recently almost totally moved to screw caps in lieu of either natural or synthetic corks. We didn't visit a single vineyard using cork. The entire industry moved towards screw caps starting in about 2001 and all but a few small boutique vineyards use screw caps. Vineyard staff we talked to said that the cork-tainting problem has completely gone away and that screw-capped New Zealand wines are being universally well-received around the world.
It was also interesting to note some of the vineyards moving towards sustainable practices. Yealands Estate vineyard in the Awatere Valley is fully sustainable and carbon-neutral, as are about 6 other vineyards in New Zealand. (There are over 40 vineyards in the Marlbourough region.) When we tasted at Yealands, we expected the sustainable "badge" to be accompanied by higher prices. Not only was this not the case, the Yealands wines were some of the very best we had sampled.
Another trend that may be emerging in the New Zealand wine industry is biodynamic viticulture. The Seresin Estate vineyard was one where we tasted wine produced using biodynamic techniques, some of which seem to have a spiritual or even mystical orientation. They claim that other vineyards are starting to embrace this practice. We were not as impressed with the Seresin wines as with some others, but they were certainly very good. Unlike Yealands, the Seresin wines were quite pricey, and are only exported internationally to restaurants, not retail distributors.
Another aspect of the business we found especially interesting was the use of the endangered New Zealand Falcon to "patrol" vineyards and keep away grape eating birds. In 2005 the Falcons for Grapes program reintroduced the raptors with the assistance of some vineyards in feeding chicks and monitoring nests. The jury still seems to be out as to the success of the program, and we did not observe any Falcons while in Marlborough, although one of the owners at Auntsfield sees them regularly near the south end of their property.
Our "immersion" in Marlborough wines was enjoyable and educational. Not only did we learn a lot about local vineyards and terroir, but a good deal about viticulture and winemaking. Our eyes were opened to some extremely good white wines, especially sauvignon blancs and pinot gris. Riesling varieties are very good here, too, and dry compared to German rieslings we've had before. We'd heard that some of the best New Zealand wines weren't being exported, but that's probably only for smaller vineyards. Most wines we tasted are available internationally and we're sure to be looking for New Zealand wines on US shelves.
We've often remarked that the region reminds us of California -- vineyards with a backdrop of grassy rolling green hills that turn brown in the summer -- a compelling landscape for an afternoon drive. Wine tour vans transport from winery to winery for responsibility-free tasting. Bicycle touring is another way to see the wineries and vineyards, but is one of those activities that sounded good before we got here. With no bike paths and with tourists still learning which side of the road to be on, we don't see how this could be safe or fun, especially after a drink or two. It is also seems a bit overwhelming to attempt to seriously evaluate wines by spending the entire day tasting. Our biggest tasting day included just three wineries, and we preferred to visit just one per day. In any case, a tasting day will conclude in the late afternoon as the vineyards close between 4-5PM. We tasted at about a baker's dozen of vineyards in the Marlborough region.
Without exception, the Cellar Doors have been great with attractive but simple decor using lots of wood and stone. Most of the vintners do not charge for tastings, and some only charge if you do not make a purchase. Our undereducated but eager to learn palates were never made to feel inadequate, but of course cellar doors are there to sell wine.
Click here for larger images with captions.
Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir are the region's best grapes, although most vintners also make Chardonnay and many have Gewurtztraminer, Riesling, Merlot and Syrah. Experimenting with new varieties is ongoing and the most interesting new red wine for us was a Tempranillo. Some even make sparkling wines, known as "bubbles" here.
Auntsfield's original cellar |
New Zealand has fairly recently almost totally moved to screw caps in lieu of either natural or synthetic corks. We didn't visit a single vineyard using cork. The entire industry moved towards screw caps starting in about 2001 and all but a few small boutique vineyards use screw caps. Vineyard staff we talked to said that the cork-tainting problem has completely gone away and that screw-capped New Zealand wines are being universally well-received around the world.
It was also interesting to note some of the vineyards moving towards sustainable practices. Yealands Estate vineyard in the Awatere Valley is fully sustainable and carbon-neutral, as are about 6 other vineyards in New Zealand. (There are over 40 vineyards in the Marlbourough region.) When we tasted at Yealands, we expected the sustainable "badge" to be accompanied by higher prices. Not only was this not the case, the Yealands wines were some of the very best we had sampled.
Vines at Seresin |
Another aspect of the business we found especially interesting was the use of the endangered New Zealand Falcon to "patrol" vineyards and keep away grape eating birds. In 2005 the Falcons for Grapes program reintroduced the raptors with the assistance of some vineyards in feeding chicks and monitoring nests. The jury still seems to be out as to the success of the program, and we did not observe any Falcons while in Marlborough, although one of the owners at Auntsfield sees them regularly near the south end of their property.
Our "immersion" in Marlborough wines was enjoyable and educational. Not only did we learn a lot about local vineyards and terroir, but a good deal about viticulture and winemaking. Our eyes were opened to some extremely good white wines, especially sauvignon blancs and pinot gris. Riesling varieties are very good here, too, and dry compared to German rieslings we've had before. We'd heard that some of the best New Zealand wines weren't being exported, but that's probably only for smaller vineyards. Most wines we tasted are available internationally and we're sure to be looking for New Zealand wines on US shelves.
Keeping it Local
Roses blooming at our home in Blenheim |
We've been to the movies which was not remarkably different than back home. A stroll in Pollard Park and Centennial Rose Garden was a lovely way to spend the afternoon. In fact, roses are in full bloom all over town and at our front door.
NZ flag at half mast |
Right after we returned from our trip we were very saddened to watch the Pike River coal mine disaster unfold. This happened in Greymouth, the small coastal town we visited on our first day in Westland. Our sympathies go out to the families of these victims and to all New Zealanders for their loss.
One night our neighbor invited us to attend the Marlborough Camera Club meeting at which everyone shared two pictures for consideration by the group and ultimately the group leader. The focus of the group leaned heavily toward competing in photography contests, and we came away with a few new insights and it was fun to meet some new people.
You might be shocked to learn that we ate at McDonalds one night. We never eat there back home, but just wanted to have a kiwi Micky D's experience to compare. Our Quarter Pounder and Filet 'O Fish were just like in the States, although the inside of the fish box said that the fish came from local waters. Adjacent to the fast food counter was the "McCafe" counter -- their fare was nothing like McDonalds. With spinach quiche, deli sandwiches, Lamingtons and slices in a standard kiwi refrigerated display case, it looked like an earthquake had bumped a small local cafe against a McDonalds!
Susan was thrilled to finally visit Elite Pavlova, the Pav and Pie shop that we had driven past frequently, and enjoyed eating Pavlova on Thanksgiving. It was a bit strange to be in a land where Thanksgiving is not observed. But if you have Turkey Day with us next year, don't be surprised if the dessert it Pumpkin Pavlova!
We visited the well done Marlborough Museum. Displays of Maori and early European settler life are overshadowed by the Wine Exhibit, funded by local vintners. Also along these lines, we have done considerable catching up on our wine tasting outings, the subject of our next post.
Click here for larger photos with captions.
Ward Beach and White's Bay (November 28)
Surf at Ward Beach |
The road took us through rolling hills, past a limestone quarry and ended at a large car park with signs warning to place nets in a manner that would not endanger any Hector's Dolphins in the area. We didn't spot any dolphins, but it was a great day for birding and the beauty of nature.
Susan at Ward Beach |
Soon a Banded dotterel caught our attention and Susan stopped to observe him while Mike was drawn ahead towards a whole dotterel family -- seven birds in all. Meanwhile, Susan's dotterel continued to attract her attention by vocalizing loudly as he raised up tall and straight with chest puffed up big. It became clear that he wanted to draw her attention away from a nest, so Susan took the bait and followed him to a pile of leaves and bull kelp. As he flew away, Susan stood still and watched as he revealed the nest site. A lone stick in a sea of gray stones marked the spot where three little pale green speckled eggs lay.
Banded Dotterel at nest with 3 eggs |
Click here for larger images with captions.
On our return, the Oystercatcher pair were still excitedly running around and squawking. Curious about their eggs, we lingered longer, stepping carefully while observing the birds, hoping to have a peek at the nest. We had just about given up when Susan looked over at a small pile of kelp, and noticed the two mottled eggs. The oystercatchers fell uncharacteristically silent as we approached the nest. We took our quick peek, snapped a photo, then left. Looking back, we noticed the nest was surrounded by our footprints in the sand. How could we have missed seeing it before!
Closer to the car park, we watched the dotterels again, and this time we both saw one getting up from a spot which we noted. Slowly we approached this spot from two angles and sure enough, Mike spotted our second little 3-egg nest. This one had a few twigs around as well as a tree branch, but still very little effort had gone into its making.
Whites Bay |
On our way home, we decided to head up to White's Bay on this still cloudless afternoon. The area was much transformed since our last visit in chilly September. Today the car park was almost full and people played all over the beach -- surfboards, kayaks and picnics said "summer is here!" It was low tide so we we able to walk around to the southernmost part of the beach and scramble up the rocks for a view of the Wairau Valley. We stopped at a couple other viewpoints on the road back home, appreciating the vastness of this rich valley.
Rarangi Beach panorama |
Farewell Spit (Nov 17-19)
View of Nelson, across Tasman Bay |
We stayed at the Heron's Rest, a cozy B&B with views of Golden Bay from our room and the deck. We arrived to find an an envelope with our names on it taped to the front door. The note inside invited us to could come in and get settled, explaining that our hostess, Maureen, had forgotten about her hair appointment in Takaka. Maureen only knew that a couple named Mike and Susan were driving in from Blenheim -- she didn't even need a credit card to hold our room. This all seemed very normal to us, but we reflected back on how surprised we would have been to find this level of trust at the beginning of our trip.
Click here for larger images with captions.
View from the deck off our room |
The note further invited us to join Maureen for a glass of wine at 5:15PM, so we took advantage of the down time to take a little snooze before heading outside to the garden. Soon another couple arrived and we extended our hands greeted our British ex-pat hosts Angus and Maureen. They looked at us oddly -- we had the wrong Brits -- the couple was actually Trevor and Hilly, who were staying at the Heron's Rest Cottage next door. Maureen arrived soon enough but we didn't get to meet Angus as he was back in the UK visiting his mum. The five of us had a jolly chat before dinner. We were particularly interested in hearing about T&H's recent adventure to Antartica. (Penguins!)
Collingwood village was a handy 5 minute private bush walk from Heron's Rest and we didn't need to drive anywhere. We ate at the Collingwood Tavern, known as Tinky's by the locals, where we met up again with Trevor and Hilly and watched the sun setting over the bay through dinner in the back yard.
Mike about to board "The Gypsy" |
Australasian Gannets |
Australasian Gannet |
Our return trip included a lunch stop at a lighthouse keeper's house, a little green oasis surrounded by tall trees the workers had painstakingly planted a century ago by carrying soil back from Collingwood, saddlebag by saddlebag. We passed some of the same sea lions on the way back and also stopped to watch an Oystercatcher open and extract the good stuff out of a mussel. The last stop was to climb around on a barchan dune, one of many huge crescent shaped-shifting dunes on the spit. Hiking up was tough from the side, but we had fun running back down the steepest slope of powdery sand.
Mike and Susan at the Mussel Inn |
Quiz Night at the Mussel Inn |
Wharariki Beach |
On the way home we stopped at Waikoropupu Springs, generally known simply as Pupu Springs, known for the volume and clarity of the waters flowing from its several vents. Fresh water comes from 8 different vents at the rate of 14,000 liters/second! Signage warns visitors to make no contact with the pristine water. A few minutes from the springs, we stopped for afternoon tea at the Wholemeal Cafe in Takaka and felt transported to home to Boulder in the hippie organic brightly colored surrounds. Their Carbonara, a pasta with bacon and mushroom cream sauce, is Susan's favorite New Zealand meal yet. Unless you ask for "streaky bacon", the bacon here is more like ham. On the way home again, one more side trip to see the pretty beach holiday town of Kaikerikeri, but it was quite hot, clouds were rolling in and we were pretty much beached out so we headed straight for Blenheim without taking as much as one photo, if you can believe that!
OK, well there was that one shot of hops fields outside of Motueka we took thinking of Mike's homebrew enthusiast son, Tony.
Glenorchy & Arrowtown (Nov 14-15)
Lake Wakatipu on the way to north to Glenorchy |
Click here for larger images with captions.
New Zealand Falcon |
Down the gravel road to the north is the start of the famous Routeburn Track which leads to Milford Sound. We did the start of the Track via the nature walk, where we hoped to see Yellowheads, as this area contains 25% of their population. We saw many birds, but they were difficult to photograph in the deep shady bush. We're sure of sighting Yellow-crowned Parakeets and Yellowheads, also saw a group of Riflemen in better light foraging for insects on the big trees' bark.
Rifleman |
Only our calendar drove our decision us to leave the Glenorchy area that afternoon, and we spent the night back in Queenstown.
Australasian crested grebe |
We continued via Cromwell ("Fruitbowl of the South") where Susan snagged a chocolate coconut bar for the road while Mike got diesel. Down the road at the glacier lakes we'd seen in October, with low clouds providing uninspiring light for photography, and most of our clothes in the dirty laundry bag, we decided fifteen days was long enough to be gone and headed "home" for Blenheim.
Stewart Island (Nov 11-13)
Obligatory photo |
Stewart Island/Rakiura, home to Rakiura National Park, is the third largest island of New Zealand with a permanent population around 400. The island's Maori name, Rakiura, translates to 'glowing skies,' a reference to the long twilight sunsets or southern lights.
We'd heard stories about the ride across the Foveaux Strait being rough going, but the little white bags tucked in near every seat were not needed today as the sea was calm. We saw a few pelagic birds en route including albatross, and our captain also pointed out a shark diving vessel. There is some talk of allowing tourists to swim with the Great Whites in cages previously used to study the sharks, but there is considerable resistance to the idea.
Click here for larger images with captions.
A petite woman holding a handwritten sign that read "Molloy" greeted us at the dock. Iris and her husband Peter would be our hosts and guides as owners of the B&B we had selected. After loading our bags in the van, she gave us the tour of the only town on Stewart Island, Oban. This took all of 5 minutes. She then drove us up to our accommodation on Kowhai Lane. The home had a birds-eye view of Horseshoe Bay, even from our bedroom dubbed the "Tui Room," and attractive gardens in the back.
Iris showed us around the home, which we had to ourselves for the two night stay. As part of the overview of the home and how things worked, she asked us to put our food scraps into a separate bucket under the sink for the worm farm. This was a first for us. After she left, Susan checked and happily noted that the worms were not actually in the bucket.
Kaka |
The next morning, Peter stopped by early to meet us and offered to give us a ride to and from Lee Bay from where we could do the 9km return hike Maori Beach, the first leg of the 30km Rakiura Track. It was a much more difficult walk than we had anticipated with lots of ups and downs at the various beaches and streams along the way. And even though we were as close to the South Pole as we would ever be, it was quite warm, and of course humid. Finally arriving at Maori Beach, our path crossed too close to an Oystercatcher's nest. The squawking future parent was quick to defend her nest and came after Susan from above. You have to have respect for a such a long bill!
Green-hooded orchid |
One of our main goals for traveling to Stewart Island/Rakiura was to visit Ulva Island, an even smaller island just off Stewart. Introduced mammals have been eradicated from Ulva, and thus bird life flourishes. But it is an ongoing challenge to keep the predators off of Ulva because, by stowing onto vessels or surprisingly, by swimming, animals, particularly rats, find their way back to Ulva again. Vigilant residents monitor traps on both islands, trying to keep the problem under control. Peter explained that 30 years ago when he was a ranger on Stewart Island, they applied 1080 poison to the back side of individual leaves in target locations where the predators were most likely to find it, with minimal impact on birdlife. Quite a change of policy from today's GPS-targeted aerial drops of the pesticide.
As part of our accommodation package, Peter took us to Ulva on his boat and guided us around the island. We were joined by a couple from London and, coincidentally, Alice and her husband John were there, too. We started out at the old post office and home of settler Charles Traill. Peter was full of historical and forest facts and pointed out all sorts of things from the tiniest Spider Orchids to the giant Rimu trees, that drop their fruit in random years. We saw ferns that cloned themselves with tiny mini-plants growing on the parent plant leaves, and hairlike strands of sweet liquid secreted by insects along tree bark.
juvenile Stewart Island Robin |
Hooker's Sea Lion |
At one point, a young Hooker's Sea Lion began approaching us from the surf, noisily and somewhat aggressively. He was barking loudly and moving toward our group. Each time he got too close to any of our group, Peter talked to him firmly and then calmly reached down and picked up a handful of sand and threw it at his face and he would immediately run away! He would go back out into the water, swimming and either popping up or porpoising out of the water to keep an eye on us. We kept walking on and he seemed to lose interest in us. So, lesson learned -- if you're every getting hassled by a Hooker's Sea Lion, just throw sand at him!
After getting past the sea lion, Peter hoped to be able to get the oystercatcher off her nest so that he could count the eggs. Unlike the oystercatcher who left the nest to dive-bomb Susan, this one would not budge without undue stress, so Peter backed off. The nest happened to be the southernmost point of our journey at 46 degrees, 50 minutes, South.
Devil's Staircase overlook on the way back to Queenstown |
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