Another early morning start for Andy as he continues with his NZ 10k addiction. Fortunately for him he managed to avoid the impending heavy rain that descended as we made our way out of Westport.

The plan had been to stop a few times as we traversed across the country from West to East.

We made a brief lunch time stop at a place called Murchison, where we came across the largest meat pies and sausage rolls we’ve seen to date in NZ, however aside from this there wasn’t much else to report about the place.

We did meet a lovely black Labrador which too seemed exceedingly large, but the two might not necessarily be linked!

The scenery remained stunning and the roads nigh on deserted, making it an enjoyable driving experience too. After a 3.5hr journey, we eventually arrived on the outskirts of Blenheim and went in search of a ‘cellar door’ vineyard open on a Sunday afternoon. Thankfully we found Waitau River, nestled on the edge of a large vineyard estate with wonderful views of both the vines but also the mountains out in the distance.

We (Andy) quickly got to the task in hand and made our selection of a 4 glass taster. As ever we (Andy) started with the Sav Blanc, followed by Pinot Gris, then the Chardonnay and ending with a Cab Sav. All very delicious in their way, but on a warming summer day (we wish) the Sav Blanc won the day. The prices for the house bottles were very reasonable, a mere 20 dollars, almost the same price you pay for a glass in most bars here.

Sadly as we were driving, one person had to abstain from drinking and on this occasion Michelle put her hand up to drive!

The vineyard, like many others we’ve visited both in NZ and Oz are more like restaurants serving incredible food wedded to the wines on offer, which kind of makes sense. And of course the settings aren’t bad either.

Next stop was a family affair, Allan Scott Wines which proved to be a real winner. The wines were distilled via an automated wine pourer, with more generous servings than we experienced at the first cellar door. Needless to say Andy took full advantage and made his way through 4 glasses, including a sparkling Rose, Merlot, Sav Blanc and another Chardonnay. All very good and well worth the visit.

After the success of the wine tasting, it was then time for dinner and a visit to the local Woolworths for our home made dinner. We can report that the salads and breads are well priced and decent helpings. Along with a couple of drinks from a previous visit, we made our way to the coast at Rarangi for some beach dinning. Whilst the sun was doing its best to improve the late afternoon heat, the wind and the light rain made it less appealing to eat alfresco so instead we enjoyed the views of the ocean from the inside of the car.

After returning to tonights B&B we settled in for a watch or the new Netflix series Black Doves and managed 4 episodes back to back.

Tomorrow we are remaining in Blenheim and will be meeting up with Andy’s mum and dad who are coincidentally also touring NZ and arrive from the North Island by ferry midafternoon. It’s going to be strange to meet up after over a year and also so far from their home in Bolton. We have two days together so there’s a strong chance we might make a return visit to one of the cellar doors!