Southern Comfort

Clifford Bay with Nana
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More familiar turf. More family. And it doesn't hurt if there are also home-cooked meals, plentiful baked goods, a spa tub under the stars, and a laundry machine. We got quite comfortable with Ben's aunt Jill and uncle Jock, so much so that we didn't feel pressure to do much (at least in terms of touristy stuff). We did get our fair share of touring the vineyards though - you can't throw a Marmite jar without hitting a grape vine around these parts - and enjoyed the sauvignon blanc. We also saw a big pile of salt. And we did our taxes. (Okay, we signed some forms - thanks mum and dad.)

Mousehead at salt works
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More importantly, we got another great big dose of Ben's kiwi family. Jenny found it a bit amusing to watch Ben interact with his aunt who is so similar to - and yet decidedly not - his mum. We visited Nana several times and enjoyed the formality of stopping in to see someone for morning or afternoon tea (biscuits? yes, please!). We saw cousin Tim who is in the process of transforming from pig hunter/farm manager to grapie. He can now talk his way around vini- and viticulture, but that doesn't mean he can't still battle a wild boar with his bare hands. And he hates wine. Not a problem, more for us.