Wine, Crayfish & Massage

So here we are in the South Island, after a very smooth crossing of the Cook Strait. Fabulous coastal scenery along the way, and the sun is still shining.

We went straight to the wine-growing area around Blenheim (Marlborough Country). There are vines as far as the eye can see. The grapes are still on the vines, since the harvest will not take place until April. In the end we visited three wineries, and bought six bottles which cost us at least twice as much as we would have paid in the local supermarket. Never mind: it all came from the Saint Clair winery, particularly appropriate since we had our honeymoon 33 years ago at Saint Clair on the south coast of France. We now have four bottles of Chardonnay and two of Merlot; how long will they last?

The following day we drove down the east coast to Kaikoura, renowned for its crayfish, although they are really lobsters. We had crayfish for lunch at a roadside stall, and it was delicious. We visited a seal colony further down the coast, and then had a fabulous clifftop walk round the peninsula. The weather was hot and sunny, and the views quite spectacular. After the walk we were hungry again, so we had some more crayfish for tea with some of our overpriced wine. Yum Yum! In the evening we had a crayfish pizza. Even Yummier!

Local food and wine appear to assume increasing importance for us. How deliciously sinful. And since it’s all about bodily well-being, we headed off to Hanmer Springs, South Island’s foremost alpine spa town. We were persuaded to “experience the ultimate in pampering”. That means thermal pools of various temperatures, followed by a massage. Very wicked.

We are quite high up at the northern end of the Southern Alps, and the scenery is quite stunning. We had a walk in the afternoon through thick forests. 

The following day we crossed the Southern Alps via the Lewis Pass, to the west coast, which was quite spectacular. Alpine scenery with wide flat valleys between the mountain ranges, interspersed with high plateaux. But as soon as we went over the watershed, it started to rain. “West-land = Wet-land”

On the way we stopped at Reefton, which describes itself as “the town of light” because it was the first town in New Zealand to have electric lighting. In fact it is now little more than a ghost town. The gold and coal mines that brought it prosperity over a century ago are now long gone. But the single street with its nineteenth century frontage is still there like something out of a wild-west film. A depressing place, and to make it worse, it was raining. Not even Clint Eastwood would bother to ride into this particular town of light.

The expensive wine is disappearing fast. Will there be any left for the next episode? Don’t forget to tune in to find out.