NEW ZEALAND FOR CHRISTMAS
NEW ZEALAND FOR CHRISTMAS
We flew into the quaint airport at Wellington. You'd never know Wellington was a capital city from the size of its airport. After a short wait, we boarded the 20 seater Air New Zealand prop plane for the 20 minute flight to Blenheim. Initially, there was a problem with two suitcases that had gone missing, which caused a minor delay, but that was resolved and we were off. Debbie, husband Mark and soldier Will were there to meet us and then our luggage arrived on a wagon - very high tech!
We went straight from the airport to a restaurant recommended to Debbie for dinner, where we caught up with all of the family news and plans for our trip after Christmas. We had a very nice meal, washed down with a bottle of Fromm (more about this label later) Pinot Noir. It was so lovely to see our Kiwi family and it was very special staying at their new home in Blenheim. The dogs, Harley and Flecker, had certainly grown up since we last saw them (9 years on) and they were less boisterous than we remembered them, although Flecker still loves to play ball, very much like our next door neighbour's dog, Bella.
On Christmas Eve, we went to the Fromm winery (I said you'd hear more about it), which is a client of Debbie and where she goes to work every Monday on their cash flows and payroll. Debbie had arranged a tasting of their various wines together with a tour of the wine operations. Fromm is an organic winery and they have gained a very good reputation, largely due to their winemaker, Hatch. His 'Cuvee H' is very special. We tasted the full range of Fromm wines and had a very extensive tasting plate of meats and cheeses. It was all delicious and all the wines were top class.
Debbie is a great hostess and Mark helps out as well, but he does not barbecue. We had New Zealand lamb for Christmas lunch from a recipe supplied by Kevin and we helped out with the vegetables. and provided the Cloudy Bay Pelorus bubbles to toast the family back home. Everybody put on their Christmas hats (see picture right) and then we got stuck into to some more Fromm wines with the meal.
While we were in Blenheim, we visited Debbie and Mark's friends Chris and Liz, who we had seen 9 years previously and it felt like no time had passed at all.
Then we were on the road. Mark had organised a tiki tour for the four of us, which took us first to Kaikoura, where the earthquake had been 4 years ago and where a considerable amount of new land had risen up (see picture left). Then on to Hanmer Springs where we stayed for two nights. We arrived at the Settlers Motel late afternoon, still early enough for the Hot Pools which Linda had really been looking forward to.. There were various pools of differing temperatures, ranging from 32C to 42C, where you could relax in the geo-thermal heat or ride on a flotation pad on the lazy river. We stayed there for nearly 2 hours, before going to eat.
Next day was a significant day for us because on that day we became 'Kiwis'. Mark had suggested that we ride the jet boat and we said that we were up for it. What an adrenaline rush especially on the 360 degree turns!! (see picture above right). We also saw somebody bungy jumping, but we were not ready for that just yet. After the jet boat, we needed to calm down so it was back to the hot pools for another relaxing soak. Mark decided he want to do the water slides so we left him to it. That night we all agreed that we wanted a curry and one had just opened, tucked away a little, it was delicious. After the curry, we went to the Irish Bar, called Paddys, which was already in full swing.
Next day, Debbie and Mark wanted us to go to the west coast so that we could see the difference in scenery. On the way, we went to Murchison, an old gold rush town, specifically to visit a shop called 'Dust & Rust (see picture above right)'. This was one Mark's favourite shops as he was always looking to pick up some interesting items. We were able to buy him a 'plane' (for carpentry not international jet setting) for his upcoming special birthday.
Then we were off to the wild west coast. First stop, Cape Foulwind.
We flew into the quaint airport at Wellington. You'd never know Wellington was a capital city from the size of its airport. After a short wait, we boarded the 20 seater Air New Zealand prop plane for the 20 minute flight to Blenheim. Initially, there was a problem with two suitcases that had gone missing, which caused a minor delay, but that was resolved and we were off. Debbie, husband Mark and soldier Will were there to meet us and then our luggage arrived on a wagon - very high tech!
We went straight from the airport to a restaurant recommended to Debbie for dinner, where we caught up with all of the family news and plans for our trip after Christmas. We had a very nice meal, washed down with a bottle of Fromm (more about this label later) Pinot Noir. It was so lovely to see our Kiwi family and it was very special staying at their new home in Blenheim. The dogs, Harley and Flecker, had certainly grown up since we last saw them (9 years on) and they were less boisterous than we remembered them, although Flecker still loves to play ball, very much like our next door neighbour's dog, Bella.
On Christmas Eve, we went to the Fromm winery (I said you'd hear more about it), which is a client of Debbie and where she goes to work every Monday on their cash flows and payroll. Debbie had arranged a tasting of their various wines together with a tour of the wine operations. Fromm is an organic winery and they have gained a very good reputation, largely due to their winemaker, Hatch. His 'Cuvee H' is very special. We tasted the full range of Fromm wines and had a very extensive tasting plate of meats and cheeses. It was all delicious and all the wines were top class.
Debbie is a great hostess and Mark helps out as well, but he does not barbecue. We had New Zealand lamb for Christmas lunch from a recipe supplied by Kevin and we helped out with the vegetables. and provided the Cloudy Bay Pelorus bubbles to toast the family back home. Everybody put on their Christmas hats (see picture right) and then we got stuck into to some more Fromm wines with the meal.While we were in Blenheim, we visited Debbie and Mark's friends Chris and Liz, who we had seen 9 years previously and it felt like no time had passed at all.
Then we were on the road. Mark had organised a tiki tour for the four of us, which took us first to Kaikoura, where the earthquake had been 4 years ago and where a considerable amount of new land had risen up (see picture left). Then on to Hanmer Springs where we stayed for two nights. We arrived at the Settlers Motel late afternoon, still early enough for the Hot Pools which Linda had really been looking forward to.. There were various pools of differing temperatures, ranging from 32C to 42C, where you could relax in the geo-thermal heat or ride on a flotation pad on the lazy river. We stayed there for nearly 2 hours, before going to eat.
Next day was a significant day for us because on that day we became 'Kiwis'. Mark had suggested that we ride the jet boat and we said that we were up for it. What an adrenaline rush especially on the 360 degree turns!! (see picture above right). We also saw somebody bungy jumping, but we were not ready for that just yet. After the jet boat, we needed to calm down so it was back to the hot pools for another relaxing soak. Mark decided he want to do the water slides so we left him to it. That night we all agreed that we wanted a curry and one had just opened, tucked away a little, it was delicious. After the curry, we went to the Irish Bar, called Paddys, which was already in full swing.Next day, Debbie and Mark wanted us to go to the west coast so that we could see the difference in scenery. On the way, we went to Murchison, an old gold rush town, specifically to visit a shop called 'Dust & Rust (see picture above right)'. This was one Mark's favourite shops as he was always looking to pick up some interesting items. We were able to buy him a 'plane' (for carpentry not international jet setting) for his upcoming special birthday.
Then we were off to the wild west coast. First stop, Cape Foulwind.
A little bit jealous about the boat ride :) Looking good and happy to see you enjoying the sunshine
ReplyDeleteVery nice post, for more details about Christchurch please visit at Luxury Hotels Christchurch
ReplyDelete