On our drive northward Picton (for the ferry back to the North Island), we stopped for the night at Blenheim, New Zealand’s famous wine region. As always, the drive was gorgeous. We drove mostly along the east coast from Christchurch.
For a one-day drive, we saw all kinds of topography: First these golden rolling hills (with sheep), then some big rocky cliffs, and then some huge green mountains that were at once huge and pointed, and lush.
And that’s before we got to the coast. We stopped in the (windy) town of Kaikora to eat a picnic lunch:
Nearby, we found a happy (and itchy) sea lion:
More coastal driving, and we came across the Ohau seal colony. This was fun to watch because there’s a natural “kiddie pool” that the little seals jumped in & out of, while the big seals laid around unmoving.
Another stop because we could see the unusual color of the water from the road – this sand was dark silver (some might say “pewter” or “gunmetal”), and the grading of the aqua from light to dark was quite striking:
Finally, in Blenheim! Our first stop was Brancott Estate, where we had a great tasting and purchased a lovely sauvignon gris (not a blend) – it’s from a grape grown only in New Zealand.
Next stop was Villa Maria, where we had another tasting, bought a bottle of cab, and enjoyed a stroll on the grounds.
Back in town, we took a stroll in the park (with a clock tower and fountain), before picking up carry-out dinner.
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