Marlboro(ugh) – unfiltered

You probably all know Marlboro, the cigarette brand. Well, the Marlborough I’m posting about doesn’t kill you, but definitely is addictive and can make you smell I’m of course talking about both the Marlborough Wine Trail and the Marlborough Sounds. The first is an area around Blenheim and Renwick a bit north of Kaikoura and is famous for its wines. The second is a beautiful area in the upper northeast of the South Island and is famous for its scenery and the Queen Charlotte Track, a 71 km long tramping track winding through one of the most beautiful parts of New Zealand.

Let’s get this partypost going with the Marlborough Wine Trail.

John and I borrowed some bikes from the motor lodge we were staying at in Blenheim and headed out early in the morning to our first stop on our wine tasting trip. This meant that a bit after 9 o’clock we were gulping down our first 4 wines at Saint Clair Vineyards. A multiple award winning vineyard with a devastating Pinot Gris which we of course bought to consume later on! Our motto for the day was: don’t spit it out unless it is really really really really really really tasting like crap.

After Saint Clair we continued cycling, this time a bit more unstable, until we came to the Wairau River Vineyard. Another tasting and we added a Sauvignon Blanc 2009 to the load in our backpacks. We figured it isn’t a sin to be an alcoholic as long as you drink organic wines. So we continued cycling, this time a bit more slow, until we came to Seresin Vineyard. They grow their grapes and produce their wines totally organic. We did another tasting, this time of 6 wines, under the guidance of a beautiful Argentinian girl (flirt flirt) who left her country to live in New Zealand. According to her it was like ‘finally coming home’. I wonder whether someday I will experience something similar during one of my travels. Who knows, only time can tell. We finally bought a brilliant Pinot Noir and a Gewürztraminer at Seresin. Besides the wines they also sold organically made olive oils. Since John was planning on some callanetics in the kitchen, we bought two small bottles of them as well. After this shopping spree we decided to chill out at the Highfield Estate, a winery beautifully set on a low hill (high field). After a lovely lunch, no more wines (burp), we slowly made our way back to our motel to sleep off our stupor.

The next day we drove to Anakiwa, a small village at the end of the famous Queen Charlotte Track in the Marlborough Sounds. We stayed there at the YHA. A small place but with a nice deck all around the lodge, a big kitchen and a spa for relaxing after strenuous hikes. And hiking is what we did. After a short boat tour of the various inlets en bays of the Marlborough Sounds we were dropped off at Torea Bay, a passing point along the Queen Charlotte Track. From there we hiked via Mistletoe Bay back to Anakiwa. In total about 21 km which, according to the signposts, should take about 8 hours. John and I figured we’d make it in 4. And we were more or less right. We finally arrived back in Anakiwa 5 hours after starting out at Torea Bay. The reason that we didn’t make it in 4 hours… we got lost along the way. For those who know the Queen Charlotte Track probably think that’s an impossible feat, but trust me, we did it We got lost around Mistletoe Bay, because we missed one of the sign posts. As a result we ended up walking on the Jacob Vogel Trail and had a strenuous hike up a hill and afterwards ended back on the Queen Charlotte Track, at a point we passed more than an hour earlier. Pffffffff.

Nevertheless it was a great hike!

I can’t remember exactly which day it was, but at one of the evenings in Anakiwa John got all haute-cuisine on me and made an exquisite meal. You can see more of the mealmaking in the movie I posted previously.

After Anakiwa we drove on to Nelson, which is known as a hippy-city.  It was ok, but nothing special. As usual when we get bored in a place, John and I went to the movies. We watched some Mel Gibson movie in which he pretty much killed everyone he met. I guess he’s come a long way from Braveheart

More photos of the Marlborough Wine Trail, the Marlborough Sounds and Nelson:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_dude_in/sets/72157623386239958/

John’s blogpost on everything Marlborough:
http://www.oldenhuizing.com/2010/02/11/nz-blenheim-marlborough-sounds/

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