ms_go

It was. A bit of a splurge, but another benefit of traveling off-season is lower rates.

Wine touring – on two wheels
Marlborough is best known for Sauvignon Blanc, but the region’s producers have much more to offer. One winery we visited grows a few dozen different varietals, all locally.

The proprietors of Wine Tours by Bike offer a self-guided tour package that includes pick up from/drop off to nearby accommodations. They provide detailed information and maps for planning visits to various cellar doors throughout the Renwick area, as well as quality bikes and helmets.

Over about 5.5 hours, we enjoyed the scenery, some exercise and also a few carefully spaced sips at several cellar doors – including lunch at one of them. The bikes have saddlebags for carrying purchases, and the bike tour service will also pick up purchases for you. Due to our short time in the area and limited ability to carry wine onwards with us, we bought only one bottle.

Riding on some of the roads is a little unnerving, as there’s a lot of truck traffic in the area. But there is a nice network of dedicated bike trails that will take you close to a number of wineries. We were only on the “busy” road for a few hundred feet.

It was fun to do this by bike. The terrain is flat, and we happened to be there on a dry day with relatively light wind. We booked our tour the evening before, once we were pretty sure of the weather (not sure how far in advance one needs to book in a busier season). There was only one other couple starting at the same time we did, and we did not see them again once we set out on our ride.
https://www.winetoursbybike.co.nz

Of course, you can drive to various cellar doors, too. Some wineries were closed or on limited hours/days until higher season. Some require reservations. Many have some sort of cheese/charcuterie or other snacks available. There are a few that have a broader lunch menu. Best to do some research and have a bit of a plan before setting out.


Off on the bikes - there are some great bike-only trails through the vineyards that get you close to various cellar doors


Spring flowers in the vineyards


Hans Herzog - one of our favorites


Part of our lunch at Whitehaven


One final taste of rose at Nautilus before turning in the bikes

ms_go

A taste of the Queen Charlotte Track
On our second full day, we drove about 30 minutes north to Picton, where we took a 1.5-hour ferry with Cougar Lines through the beautiful Marlborough Sounds to hike a 13-kilometer portion of the Queen Charlotte Track from Furneaux Lodge to Punga Cove.

The Queen Charlotte Track stretches for 74 kilometers starting at Ship Cove. Like some of the other Great Walks, it has lodges and campgrounds at various points for those walking the whole track. Some portions of the track are on private land and require a permit. The portion we walked did not.

It was a great walk – some elevation gains/descents, but not as steep as the walk a few days before. We were a little concerned about the clouds on the boat ride out, but the sun gradually came out and we had nice, sunny weather for our walk. We saw almost no one on the track except one woman mowing an adjacent property and a young couple from Zurich towards the end. The lodges, by the way, looked very nice and would be great retreats for a few days.

We booked our trip online two days in advance. The boat made about 10 stops on the way out to Furneaux Lodge. In addition to dropping passengers at designated points on the track (according to reservations), the boat also dropped residents or deliveries personal piers. The ride back from Punga Cove was faster, with only one stop along the way.


It was cloudy when we arrived in Picton for our 1.5 hour cruise out the sound.


When we arrived at Furneaux Lodge, the sun was breaking out.


Entry point for the Queen Charlotte Track at Furneaux Lodge.


One of many views along the way. The scenery is different than Abel Tasman due to being in the sounds rather than on the ocean coast.


One swing bridge


Almost the only sign of life we saw in 3.5 hours of walking


Some of the track borders people's yards


Nearing the end


The jetty near Punga Cove


Refreshments at Punga Cove lodge while waiting for the water taxi


The ride back - no clouds now

Parking always makes me a little anxious. We did some research the night before to identify a public parking lot near the docks in Picton, as well as the parking app we would need to use to pay for it. That way, I had the app loaded and ready when arrived the next morning - the latest in what must be a dozen or more parking apps on my phone now for destinations all over the world. By the way, we had a much more interesting time driving into Picton the next morning. More on that later.

Melnq8

Just drinks at Punga Cove right?

We stayed there many moons ago and it was awful. Curious what you thought about what you saw there. Other than the spectacular location that is.

KarenWoo

Your report on Abel Tasman NP and Marlborough Sounds is very helpful to me as we will be staying in both places. Your lodgings in both places look great! Do you remember what your oceanside apartment cost in Kaiteriteri? Did it have laundry facilities? I notice that you booked your boat trip 2 days in advance. So it sounds like it's not necessary to book these sightseeing trips months or even weeks in advance, especially at this time of year.

ms_go

The location is spectacular. Yes, we just had a quick drink. We finished early and had about 30 minutes to kill before our water taxi arrived, so we walked up the hill and happened upon the restaurant/bar. We were the only people there (~3:30 in the afternoon). It seemed like the grounds were well maintained and those bungalows must have amazing views - but no clue what they're like inside. There looked to be several different types/levels of accommodation.

Melnq8

I've kept an eye on their reviews since we stayed there, hoping they'll improve, but it seems they still have some issues.

We loved our stay at Bay of Many Coves several years ago, shame they've gotten so expensive.

ms_go

I looked at the website today - definitely paying for that view! I do understand the challenges of operating a hotel in a remote location.

Marlborough wrap-up
Our accommodation was several miles outside Blenheim, and we really only ventured into town once for dinner. It was raining that evening, so we didn’t get a chance to look around much. Thai food sounded good at that point in the trip, and our dinner at Eat Thai was excellent! Nice and spicy the way we like it.

Our other notable meal was on the last night, at The WineKitchen at Rock Ferry Vineyard. The cellar door is currently closed, but the kitchen is open a few days a week. It came highly recommended by our proprietors, and we made the reservation about a week before. You can almost see it from the cottage, and our proprietor insisted we could and should walk there through the vineyard rather than driving. We did, assisted by iPhone flashlights to get us home later in the dark. There were no cars in the parking lot, so we weren’t sure we were in the right place – but the door was open, and in we went. We were the only people there, along with the owner/chef and one server. We kept expecting other diners to arrive, but no one did. Having our own private meal was kind of a unique experience – and we quite enjoyed our dinner. Still thinking about that tuna…





Our time in Marlborough was too short. We didn’t get to the highly regarded Omaka Aviation Heritage Center. In hindsight, we should have done so on our arrival day before checking in at the cottage. We also would have liked time to drive down the coast toward Kaikoura. There will just have to be a next visit!

Next up, an adventure trying to get on the Picton-Wellington ferry.

ms_go

Thanks, KarenWoo. I'm glad it's helpful. Our apartment in Kaiteriteri was about $250/night, which is high for us (most expensive lodging of the trip). But we booked fairly late in the going, as we'd originally planned to stay somewhere else - so we took the best of what we found at the time, considering view and other factors. I found it through Booking dot com. Our unit was larger than we needed with two bedrooms, but it did have a washer and dryer. There are one-bedroom units in that complex.

The boats we were on or saw were far from full in October. I expect November is busier but still not peak season, so I doubt you have to worry about booking too far in advance.

margo_oz

Thanks for this report.

I'm hoping to check out that part of the SI next year. I have friends who live near Motueka (in summer) but I've not been to the eastern side.

ms_go

Thanks for following, margo_oz. There is so much to do in the areas we visited. We only scratched the surface.

From south to north by ferry
For months, we debated about whether to keep our car and take it to the North Island with us – and, if so, where to spend one extra night before heading back to Auckland. Ultimately, we decided to simplify things: add a night to the three already booked in Wellington and turn the car in at the Picton ferry terminal. We booked the ferry tickets about six weeks in advance.

We already knew the drive to Picton from the day before. So, we programmed “Avis” into Apple maps. Siri led us toward the port, through some road construction and right to…well, a dead end that appeared to be staging area for construction equipment. We retraced our route out of there and made a turn that we assumed we’d missed earlier. Soon, we were at a guard gate for a freight yard. The nice man there explained that we weren’t allowed in and would have to turn around and go back the way we came. As we exited, he hollered to us, “Try putting Subway in your GPS!” OK, then.

More confusion. Siri told us to turn onto a road that was closed for construction. By some miracle, we circled around for about a mile and finally had the ferry terminal in our sights. We saw the Subway. Then, we spotted a building with what appeared to be a row of rental car offices – except when we got closer, we saw it was all enclosed by a chain-link fence and the parking lot was unpaved. It was a row of future rental car offices. We parked in the first lot we could find, which happened to be the tourist information office. There, we learned our experience was not uncommon and that we could find rental car agents inside the ferry terminal. Even that was easier said than done. We’ve never been so happy to hand over the keys. We hoped they’d eventually find our vehicle in the lot across and down the street.

Our ferry reservation specified that we had to check in no later than one hour prior to sailing, which we did – barely, due to the rental car return issue. We were then directed to wait with other on-foot passengers for the call to board, which would be shortly. Forty-five minutes later, the call finally came. About 75 us trudged out in a line and boarded some buses a block or two away. The buses then (very slowly) drove us up a long ramp on onto the ferry just as it began to sail. We were then free to head to the passenger seating areas, where we chose a window seat and settled in for 3.5 hours.

The scenery was nice heading out through the sounds, kind of like the day before. Apparently, there’s a theater, and you can pay to see a movie (we didn’t). The free internet has a usage limit that, for one of us, ran out quickly (uploading photos to Facebook will do that). We packed lunch but could have purchased something from the bar/restaurant. We wondered about motion – would wind or rough seas be a factor? We barely felt a thing.

Eventually, we docked in Wellington. All foot passengers had to wait for those with cars to exit, then we could walk off the boat and head to baggage claim to get our luggage (only hand luggage allowed as carry-ons). There is a free shuttle from the dock to Wellington train station, although that was not clear; we had to ask what to do. From the train station, it was then a short taxi ride to our home for the next four nights.

That reminds me to mention cash. We got the equivalent of about US$100 from an ATM when we arrived at Auckland. We didn’t spend any of it until 9 days into our trip – NZ$20 to our proprietor for a bottle of wine, and then our taxi fare in Wellington. Those transactions could have been by card if we’d wanted, but by now we felt we should start using up the cash. I’m pretty sure we could have gone the entire trip completely cashless.

Now, back to the more interesting portion of our travels.

ms_go

Wellington
We spent about 3.5 days in Wellington, New Zealand’s capital city. I won’t go day-by-day here, but I will share a few posts with things that we particularly enjoyed.

Te Papa Tongarewa (The National Museum of New Zealand) is a fascinating place and must see. Its six floors are each divided into discrete exhibits (some rotating, some more permanent) that cover everything from geology, nature and ecology to history, culture and the arts. There’s also a viewing platform on the top floor and a bush walk outside the main floor. A number of the exhibits are interactive or immersive in some way.

Entry is free. At times, there may be exhibits that have a fee, but that wasn’t the case while we were visiting. We happened to be staying just two short blocks away, so we visited twice. The first visit, we started on the top floor and worked our way down over a few hours, then left when it began to get more crowded. The second visit, we went later on a different day to finish the bottom two floors.


Museum entrance - it's big!


This interactive display lets you select one of the works on the wall and learn more about it


Art studio


In one of the art exhibits - symbolizes colonization and the alienation of Maori people from the land


Part of the meeting house exhibit


Waka exhibit – photos and stories from the waka fleet that gathered in 2020 to commemorate the ancestral waka that made the voyage from Hawaiki to Aotearoa.


The Gallipoli exhibit tells the stories of eight New Zealanders in World War I, with larger-than-life figures produced by Wētā Workshop (prop and special effects company that works with the film industry – think Lord of the Rings)

KarenWoo

The museum looks very, very interesting! The man in the Gallipoli exhibit looks very, very real.

Why did you have to take a bus to get on to the ferry? It looks like you weren't allowed to walk on to the ferry but that is very odd, isn't it?

ms_go

I expect it was because of the extensive construction going on at the port right now. This didn't feel like a "permanent" process, but maybe safer than walking through a construction site.

The city of Wellington is ringed by green hills, which is great for walking and exploring. One of the primary sites “up the hill” in the suburb of Kelburn is the Wellington Botanic Garden – which has various international and native collections, as well as nice views of the city and harbor.

To get to the garden, you can walk up the hill, or you can take the historic Wellington Cable Car, a funicular that runs up to one of the garden’s entrances from the city’s main shopping street. The original cable car opened in 1902 and was replaced by a new system in 1979.

We took the cable car up and then spend the better part of an afternoon meandering through the grounds of the botanic garden to the rose garden at the bottom, and then back down into the city via the Bolton Street Cemetery. The cemetery dates to the 1840s, and there are many early residents and notable historical figures buried there.


Wellington cable car - this is actually a mural on the wall along the ride to the top


Wellington cable car tunnel


Views of the city and harbor from the top of the hill (not a sunny day, but at least dry)


Wellington Botanic Garden


Wellington Botanic Garden tree fern (we saw a lot of these while hiking earlier in the trip)


Wellington Botanic Garden


Lots of memorial benches in the garden, including this one for Basil the cat who previously patrolled the grounds


Tulip garden


Statue in the rose garden - we also admired the nice homes beyond the garden


Look closely - you can see mama is protecting a couple of babies under her wing


Bolton St. Cemetery


Bolton St. Cemetery


Bolton St. Cemetery

ms_go

Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne is the world’s first fully fenced urban ecosanctuary. With more than 500 acres in the hills above Wellington, it is reintroducing native species back into the area. We again took the cable car to Kelburn and then the free Zealandia shuttle to the park. It was a cloudy day with some drizzle, but not so bad that we didn’t enjoy the various trails – some paved for gentle walking and some a little a little steeper and rockier. There’s informative signage around the park to help you spot various birds and other species, as well as foliage. We saw a nice variety, including some parrots. Armed with only an iPhone, I was certainly not on the dcd level of bird photography – although he gets all the credit for recommending this destination to us!

We visited on a Sunday and were afraid it might be too crowded. With an expansive trail system, people spread out pretty quickly.

We could have taken the shuttle back to the central city, but instead we caught the one to Kelburn and then walked down again via a different route through a very nice residential area.


One of many diverse walking trails


One view over the large lagoon




The only bird I photographed clearly with an iPhone!


View of the lagoon from the other end - with the harbor in the distance


A few spring blooms


Our walk down to the city took us through a nice residential neighborhood

ms_go

Botanic garden and ecosanctuary aside, there’s still plenty to explore up in the hills above Wellington, including an extensive network of trails. Our third full day in the city was Labour Day, a national holiday. Unlike the two previous days, it was gloriously sunny and not all that windy. We walked up our street, turned the corner and then followed the road all the way up to the beginning of the trail to Mount Victoria – a popular lookout over the city, the harbor, the airport and beyond. From there, we followed a long track down through a mix of woods and residential areas to the harbor and then the waterfront parade back into the center city. It was nice to see families out enjoying the holiday, whether hiking on the trails or playing on the beach.


The trails to Mount Victoria start at the top of Majorbanks Street


Soon, we were in the tall trees - trails are well signed


Further up the trail


Up near the Mount Victoria Lookout and view over central Wellington


Now on the way back down - this was the spot where the resident across the street summoned us and asked us to help him lift something


Further down the trail


On the waterfront parade


Homes along the Wellington waterfront

ms_go

While I sort through the rest of my photos from Wellington, I thought I’d add how much we liked our accommodation – an Airbnb apartment just a couple of blocks from the Te Papa Museum. The location couldn’t have been better. It’s an older walk-up building with a ton of character but also modern furnishings, including a washer and dryer. Many great dining options nearby (more on that a little later).

ms_go

Wellington is a very walkable city, with a waterfront/harbor that ranges from sandy beach to industrial, interesting and varied architecture, street art and public art installations. There are walking tours available. We explored on our own with a list of places and areas to cover – although we did it in bits over three days. Here are a “few” random photos from our walks around the city.


Waterfront (we forgot to have someone stand in where the "I" belongs)


Public art all along the waterfront












Lots of art on the walls, too


Look closely, some of the fish are pretty goofy


John Plimmer statue - known as father of Wellington


City Museum of Art


Wide variety of architecture in a small area


Reminded us in some ways of a small San Francisco


A little Art Deco thrown in


Old St. Paul's Church, now an event space (oddly, they were promoting the Halloween screening of "Carrie")


Inside Old St. Paul's


Parliament - the executive wing is known as the Beehive

ms_go

Last but not least, dining. When traveling, we often start by looking for things we can’t get easily at home – like Turkish, Indian, etc. (in Chicago, yes, but not out where we live). We had four excellent dinners, all within 10 minutes walking of our apartment: Indian Alley, Noble Rot Wine Bar, Kisa (Turkish) and drum roll…how could we NOT eat at Mr. Go’s (Asian fusion)! Reservations essential for all.


House specialty parda biryani at Indian Alley


Mushroom dumplings at Mr. Go's

Speaking of mr_go, he took a liking to Panhead Supercharger early in the trip. Conveniently, the Panhead taproom was a few doors from our apartment. Needless to say, we stopped in for lunch or a pint a few of times. And a shout out to the Poquito Café & Bar, also on our street. Nice people and a low-key spot for a nightcap.

And that’s a wrap on Wellington. We really enjoyed the city and surroundings and are happy we made it part of our itinerary. The Airport Express bus runs right down Courtenay Place, with a stop five minutes from our front door. The bus runs pretty frequently (schedule available online). At NZ$10 per person, it was an easy and efficient way to get to the airport for our flight to Auckland (and another opportunity to use a bit of our cash).

KarenWoo

Wow! Wellington looks really interesting. Love the public artwork! Especially the sculpture of the man by the water!

magsrose

Loved seeing your Wellington report. You saw a lot more of the city than I did. If I'd been there on vacation rather than business, I'm sure I would have fit in more. The restaurants look amazing too. And good info about the bus. I hope I make my way back to Wellington someday.