On the road again – 29 January 2021

 

Our Airbnb amongst the vines

It rained heavily overnight but by the time we emerged, the sun was out, although it was very cold outside with a brisk wind adding to the temperature drop. 

 

We had a very leisurely start with Bev’s niece coming around to introduce her two delightful young children. 

 

Then it was back on the road again heading for Blenheim where we were going to spend a couple of nights.  The last time I  stayed in Blenheim was when I was a child. I was being cared for by my parents’ friends  while Mum gave birth to one of my sisters.  Those were the days when a mother stayed in hospital for two weeks and the only way we could see the new born baby was if Mum brought the baby to the hospital window. 

 

We called into Greystone on the way through Waipara, hoping to have a light meal but they were anything but light.  Instead we chatted about wine and I got a couple bottles to take with us.  I also enquired about the Seastar Riesling which for me was a wonderful wine but discovered there is no longer a market for dryish Rieslings so they are no longer making them. 

 

Our next stop was for a coffee in Kaikoura.  I have never quite known where to stop there for a coffee and it wasn’t until we left the township, that we saw a couple of places where I think we could have bought something  decent.  

 

On the way up we noticed that there was recent snow on the foothills of Canterbury and on the Kaikouras, so it must have been quite a temperature drop overnight. 

 

We are staying in a little studio on a working vineyard a few kilometres out of Blenheim.  The room is basic but it had enough for us to be able to cook a simple but tasty meal. 

 

The hosts had provided a couple of bottles of wine for us to try and we did consume one of them with our drawn out meal.  It was very nice, and also exceptionally cheap, with the Riesling being $10 a bottle and reasonable Pinot Noir being $12.

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