Wellington & Martinborough

View from Cape Paliser - cool clouds hung up in the mountains reminded us of a blanket of snow
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Enough with the wine already is what Scotty is thinking after all the winery stops in Hawkes Bay. So on the way to Martinborough, we stopped in at the Tui brewery. Good stuff and an interesting brewery out in the middle of nowhere really.

Unfortunately, or fortunately for me, this is the land of Pinot Noirs which are among my favorites, so we at least hit one winery as we made our way into town – Palliser. Very good indeed. We left armed with yet another bottle of wine (this makes only four however thus far).

Enough of the wineries already!

Friendly fur seals along the Cape
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Martinborough is such a small town (only 600 we’re told), but serves many who come for the holiday homes on the weekends from Wellington and we found a number of folks that had made the move from Wellington for the lifestyle change, cost of living, sense of community. It’s quite charming and we sense that it will continue to grow. Despite its size, it has a number of good restaurants.

The Rough Guide mentioned a micro brewery in Martinborough, but unfortunately the partners had a falling out so they closed. The new proprietor was great and had good local brews available so we took a break on the patio with vineyard views and relaxed for a moment.

249 steps to the top
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We had a self catered home called the Mouse House which had a great patio in the back yard where we sat for another break before getting some dinner takeaway to have “at home”.

The following day we planned on making our way to Wellington, but decided first to head south to Cape Palliser – the southernmost point on the north island. We loved it. The ruggedness and remoteness of it was beautiful, not to mention the ocean waters. We made friends with the local fur seals and had a great walk/hike to the Pinnacles in the area – formed in the same way as those in Bryce Canyon back home, but with a gray color rather than the pink sandstone at Bryce. The hike itself was great both through the bush and then back along a streambed. Also, there was a nine hole golf course right on the cape. Talk about links style. You wouldn’t have even known it was there if it hadn’t been for the sign and the occasional yellow flag sticking up in the grass.

Fore!
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After our hike, we made our way into Wellingon for just a day. One day was sufficient in this very windy city. We hit the Te Papa museum which was free and well worth it, walked through the botanical gardens, and strolled Cuba and Courtney street. Unfortunately, time had to be taken out to get Nancy a haircut as she’d been putting this off for long enough (over three months which is a definite record!).

Next we take the interisland ferry to the south island. It’s a three hour journey, but thankfully we keep the rental car and heavens knows we wouldn’t want to repack the trunk of that vehicle now that it’s our second home!

Now that's a golf cart!
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Tip of the day:

If you want to fit in with the locals, here are a few key words or phrases:

· Good on ya – similar to saying way to go or kudos

· Heaps – similar to lots as in “we’re having heaps of fun”

The pinnacles (New Zealand hoodoos)
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· Jandals – the word for flip flops

· Chilly bin – the term for a cooler

Tidbit of the day:

Wellington sits in the “roaring 40s” (as sailors called it) which is between 40 and 50 degrees south latitude. The prevailing westerly winds are especially strong as there is less landmass in the Southern Hemisphere to slow them down.