April 9, 2010
“The coldest winter I ever spent was the summer in San Francisco” – Mark Twain
The words aren’t coming to me today so everyone is getting the Cliff Notes version of a blog entry.
5 days ago I arrived in Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. Wellington is like a 1/5 scale model of San Francisco. Geographically, they are both hilly and surround a protected bay. Both have crappy weather and cold, biting winds. Both have a strong affinity for culture, arts, cafes, museums and nightlife. And both have the little brother complex from having to deal with their better known and larger neighbor (Auckland/Los Angeles). I had fun in the city and it was a welcomed but expensive change from the isolation of the tiny beach hovels on the East Coast.
After 3 days in the city I took the ferry across the Cook Strait, through the Marlborough Sounds to Picton and drove to Blenheim. This is the heart of the Marlborough region and its famous wineries. In Blenheim I picked up Sally, the English surfer that I met about 6 weeks ago in Mt. Maunganui. She has been hanging out and working for a friend in Christchurch and was looking to do some camping and surfing before she flies back to England in a week.
Yesterday we did a bus wine tour that took most of the day. The Marlborough region is famous for its white wines—Sauvignon Blanc in particular. In addition to Sauvignon Blanc we also tried quite a few Reisling, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay samples. Supposedly, the mild climate is perfectly suited for the subtle and softer white wine varietals, but too cold for heavier reds. We went to 7 wineries (Lawson’s Dry Hills, Villa Maria, Highfield, Mahi, Seresin, Farmingham and Wairau River) and had lunch at Highfield before we returned home. My favorites were Seresin, Mahi, Framingham and Wairau so if anyone comes across any of their wines, go ahead and buy a bottle and you can blame me if it sucks. After the wine tour we returned to the campsite where I power-napped while she set up the tent. Who says chivalry is dead?
We’re leaving today for Kaikura, a beach town half way between Blenheim and Christchurch. Hopefully there is some surf.
