After lunch, we drove the 1.5 hours to our next destination, Martinborough, not to be confused with Marlborough, which is the primary wine country of the South Island.....where we just were!...However, Martinborough is also a wine region in the southern North Island.
The Aylstone Retreat has only 6 rooms, but well secluded one from another...
A dolly also called a trolley in NZ (as opposed to a cart in Golden Bay....these gravel (shingle) paths require "help") is provided for luggage transport. What a pretty path....when you have shoes on! Shingle paths are pretty, but a royal pain with sandals.
Aaaaah, yes, RELAX....and how happy we are to do so in these conducive digs....by the way, same price as that piece of ____ in Wellington.....Unbelievable!!
A tranquil view, serene and inviting.......as the sun set, we meandered to the small downtown, happy that we were in "small town", out of Wellington....we met a woman at dinner from the UK who has been traveling in NZ for the past 5 weeks, staying in hotels, hostels, backpacker places (reserving a private room, sharing the communal baths, lower cost alternative)....76 yrs old and lovin' it....what an inspiration!
Blogging the next a.m. in the common area provided for guests. This was the best internet since we left SC....perhaps better than we have at home....so we took advantage of it and spent hours uploading pictures to the blog..
After a morning of "work", we take off on the bikes provided by the inn, and go wine tasting...just a glimpse of the small town Martinborough....a residential area with the pretty tree lined streets
One of the first vineyards in this area, Te Kairanga was recently purchased by the Foley Family Enterprises, an American private company....
Talk about a HEDGE!!! These hedgerow "fences" are enormous and so much more attractive than a fence.
As do many wineries worldwide, an attractive dining area is conducive to tasting and purchasing the product.
The original homesite of the Te Kairanga owners is still intact in the midst of a corn field.
Our second (and final) stop .....lunch at Tirohana Vineyard....Many vineyards were closed during the week.....it is off season for tourists and the beginning/middle of harvest season. Most of the tasting rooms are only open during the weekend.....hence, our final....that and we have plans for the evening....trying to "pace" ourselves"
This symbol, created in France, the capital of gastronome....bodes well for a good lunch.
Another spectacular day in NZ, the weather is blue skies, 70 degree days with a gentle breeze, about 55 at night....fairly dry...perfect! Kathy ordered a salad, just juicy iceberg, crisp and perfect with a savory champagne dressing..Tom has the "platter"....the usual with meat, cheeses, olives, bread, crackers, and a "sweet"
Our view while having lunch
Another remote winery as we bicycled "home"
We returned to town after a shower, this time by car....to explore and eat. This is the town square....EVERY town in NZ has a "town square" as do many towns/cities in the world....what distinguished NZ is the prevalence of WWI monuments.......not so much WWII for a variety of reasons...I wish that I had captured all of them on film....stirring, respectful, loyal and beyond patriotic....Thank you, vets, one and all.
At the advice of our host, we went to Cool Change for a drink/dinner/or whatever....very popular, local hangout....name for the song by the "Little River Band" in the 60's, soft rock about being alone, sailing on the ocean.....it's nearly always time for a "cool change". Bar is covered with pictures of old rock stars, owner was 40 yrs old with longish blond hair and drove a l960ish VW bus with surf boards on top....almost like a Margaritaville!
The plush, comfortable outdoor seating at Cool Change...
This is where we ate last night and met the exciting lady from the UK traveling along. Returned there tonight to kill time before our movie started....Seems like a fun place, filled with young and old, just hangin' out...few more tourists here than across the street at Cool Change....tonight's draw is the rugby game....
Sports fans in any nation gather to support their fav team....tonight it was Auckland playing Wellingfton.....in the beginning of the super rugby competition...very compelling for us to watch!
At Circus, our final destination for the evening.....you can eat a fine meal, hang at the bar or combine both with a film....We watched "Tu sears mon fils" (You will be my son)....a story of an aging father and his son in the wine business....what the reviews did NOT say is that the father's partner kills his own partner so that the partner's son will not be adopted by the now dead partner.....very involved....we thought it would be a story about the son not measuring up to what h is father wished, which it surely was.....just went about 20 steps further with the whole idea.
Blanche, gratefully, is always waiting for us!
