Blenheim and environs – 30 January 2021

 

The sun was shining when we got up and it provided a false sense of warmth, as when we emerged from the room it was quite chilly, although the wind was quite light. 

 

We went to Picton motivated by some nostalgia and also to visit my mother and father’s grave.  It was even cooler in Picton with cloud obscuring the sky.  The town was very busy when we arrived and then all of a sudden it was quiet.  I suspect it was because people were about to get on a boat and head back to Wellington. 

 

We had a lovely coffee at Le Café, a place that was a favourite haunt of mine when I visited my mother.  It has a great view of the harbour and the people walking past.  We wandered around the town before visiting my parents’ grave and then going out to see Mum’s former residence. 

 

We returned to Blenheim and went for a coffee by the Taylor River and then went for a walk on a shared pathway alongside the river.  When I was a child we had gone to Pollard Park which was nearby.   I have always wanted to visit it again to see if it matched my childhood memories.  It did and it didn’t. 

 

Part of Pollard Park
That night we had a superb meal at Arbour, the only two hat restaurant in Marlborough.  It is in the midst of vineyards and was a superb venue in which to dine.  The food and ambience matched the venue.  We would recommend it to anyone who enjoys good food and wine. 

 

We tried a couple Pinot Noirs. One was from Folium and was really nice and the other was a brand I had never heard of but looked them up and they are a boutique vineyard who only make Pinot Noir.  We had the 2012 and it was delicious.  Almost French in character.

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