Finally on the south island

We bid farewell to Wellington, which was a beautiful city - it reminded us a lot of San Francisco and Marin County, and we would have been perfectly happy to have stayed for another night....but we were anxious to hit the south island. So after a short and slightly scary 20 minute flight across Cook Strait at a mere 2,000 feet, our little Cessna landed in the picturesque harbor town of Picton. We set out to visit a couple of wineries - our first of the Marlborough region, which is known for excellent Sauvignon Blancs - before settling into our cute little motel room with the amazing harbor view.

Click to enlarge

The following day we headed further south to Kaikoura, hitting a few more Marlborough wineries along the way. It was a gorgeous drive all the way down, with desolate beaches on one side and snow capped mountains on the other. After checking into the Hapuku Lodge, we settled in for a game of Scrabble, some wine and cheese, and took in the breathtaking views (and the sounds of talkative sheep!) that surrounded us. We loved this lodge, and we really wish that we could have stayed for another night.


As we were leaving the following day we started talking to Stanley, the managing partner of the lodge, and found out that he was from San Francisco....and that we have a mutual friend in common...and that Stanley and Alex used to live in the same building in SF - it's such a small world!!



From Kaikoura we continued south to Christchurch, stopping along the way for lunch at the Pegasus Bay Winery, located in the Waipara wine region. Stanley from Hapuku Lodge recommended this place to us, and we are so glad he did! The winery grounds were gorgeous, with rolling hills, lakes and tons of lavender....and, of course, plenty of wine!


Once in Christchurch, we settled into our hotel and started our own little New Year's Eve celebration...a full day earlier than if we were still in the U.S....just one of many reasons why it's great to be ringing in the new year in the southern hemisphere!