DAY 41 - PICTON, NEW ZEALAND - MARCH 9, 2010

WE WERE ALREADY DOCKED WHEN WE ARRIVED AT THE MORNING BUFFET. I HATE CARRYING THE CAMERA TO BREAKFAST, SO MANY CHANCES OF SOMETHING BEING SPILLED AND ALL THAT STUFF. BUT, I SURE WISH I HAD IT WITH ME THIS MORNING. YOU JUST CAN’T IMAGINE HOW PRETTY THIS LITTLE SLEEPY TOWN CAN BE. ONLY 6000 PEOPLE AND IS IT EVER PICTURESQUE. I THOUGHT WE WERE IN A SMALL NEW ENGLAND SEASIDE TOWN.

THERE WERE BEAUTIFUL GREEN HILLSIDES WITH A LONG WATER CHANNEL WITH DOZENS OF COVES ON EITHER SIDE. SAIL BOATS SCATTERED THROUGHOUT THE BAY AND A LARGE FERRY BOAT DOCKED NEXT TO US. THE FERRIES RUN EVERY SEVERAL HOURS CARRYING CARS, TRUCKS, BIKERS AND FOOT PASSENGERS WANTING TO GO THE 40 MILES ACROSS THE STRAITS TO WELLINGTON, NZ. THE VEHICLES LINE UP ON A LONG BRIDGE TO WAIT THERE TURN BOARDING THE SHIP. NATURALLY, THE WAIT IS PROLONGED AS THE SOUTHBOUND VEHICLES EXIT THE FERRY. IT GOES ON THIS WAY ALL DAY LONG AND WE WERE FORTUNE ENOUGH TO SEE A DIFFERENT SHIP ARRIVE JUST BEFORE WE SET OUT TO SEA IN THE EVENING.

MEANWHILE, BACK TO THE DAYS ACTIVITIES.

OUR SCHEDULED MEETING TIME WAS 9:50 ON THE PIER. WE DECIDED TO GET OUT THERE EARLY TO GET BETTER SEATS ON THE BUS. AT 9:30 WE PUNCHED OUT AND WERE ON OUR WAY DOWN THE LONG PIER TO THE BUS BOARDING AREA. WE WERE MET BY TWO GUIDES, ONE FOR THE SHUTTLE THAT TRANSPORTS PASSENGERS TO THE LITTLE TOWN, AND OURS.

SHE HAD US BOARD THE BIG BUS WHERE WE WERE GREETED BY CHRIS WITH A BIG “GA DAY, WELCOME ABOARD.” 20 MINUTES LATER BOTH BUSES WERE FILLED AND WE WERE OFF THROUGH THE COUNTRYSIDE OF MARLBOROUGH.

MARLBOROUGH HAS BECOME NOTED FOR ITS FINE WINERIES AND IDEAL SOIL FOR GRAPE GROWING. OUR FIRST STOP HOWEVER WAS A BEAUTIFUL COUNTY HOME CALLED UPTON OAKS GARDENS. A YOUNG COUPLE BOUGHT THE RUNDOWN HOME AND GROUNDS IN THE LATE 80’S. THE FRUITS OF THEIR LABORS HAS PAID OFF IN THE CREATIONS OF A SPECTACULAR, ARAY OF GARDENS, PONDS AND ORCHIDS. WORDS OF COURSE CAN’T EVEN BEGIN TO DESCRIBE THE COLORS AND VARIETIES OF FLOWERS, FRUITS AND VEGGIES. SHE DOES ALL THE PLANTING AND ARRANGING AND HER HUSBANDS MAINTAINS ALL THE GROUNDS.

EACH GARDEN IS SEPARATED BY TALL HEDGES AND EACH GARDEN HAS A DIFFERENT THEME, FOR LACK OF A BETTER WORD. EACH IS VERY SYMMETRICAL WITH SRUBBS CRISSCROSSING TO FORM TRIANGLES, SQUARES AND RECTANGLES. EACH FORM IS FILLED WITH VARIED PLANTS OF COLOR AND SPECIES. WHAT A MARVELOUS FIRST STOP.

WE WERE ALLOWED TO MEANDER FOR CLOSE TO AND HOUR BEFORE HEADING TO THE CLOUDY BAY WINERY FOR TASTE TESTING. GEORGIA ASK THE DRIVER TO STOP ALONG THE ROADSIDE, IF POSSIBLE, TO SEE FIELDS OF SHEEP THAT SOUTHERN NEW ZEALAND IS NOTED FOR. ABOUT HALF THE DISTANCE TO THE WINERY THE SHEEP WERE ALONG SIDE AND THE PHOTO OPT BEGAN. IT WAS AN EXTRA ADDED TREAT.

WE ARRIVED AT THE CLOUDY BAY WINERY ABOUT 30 MINUTES AFTER LEAVING UPTON OAKS. THE WINERY GROUNDS ARE LINED WITH RIPENING FRUIT FOR AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE. HARVEST TIME IS EXPECTED IN APPROXIMATELY 6 WEEKS. THE GRAPES HAVE NOT REACHED THE STAGE OF SWEETNESS REQUIRED TO PRODUCE WINE OF ANY KIND JUST YET.

WE WERE LED INTO A ROOM FILLED WITH VARIOUS SIZE FRENCH OAK BARRELS, SOME WITH RED MARKINGS, ALL WITH IMPRINTS OF THE DATE PRODUCED. LONG TABLES WERE PLACED BETWEEN TWO OF THE ROWS AND 6 VARIETIES OF WINE WERE ALREADY POURED INTO GLASSES. THE SAMPLE SIZE IN EACH IS NOT NEARLY ENOUGH TO GET HIGH, BUT IN TOTAL THERE WAS ABOUT 4 OZ. AFTER THE TASTING THERE WAS PLENTY OF TIME TO PURCHASE WINE FOR SHIPMENT BACK HOME OR TO STROLL THE VINEYARD.

WE STROLLED THE GROUNDS, SNAPPING PICTURES OF THE FIELDS AND MOUNTAINS IN THE DISTANCE. THE CONTRAST OF THE GREEN VINES AND THE DRY, BROWN, BARRON HILLS MADE FOR GREAT SHOTS. OTHER THERE WERE TIMES WHEN THE HILLSIDES WERE FILLED WITH LUSH DARK GREEN TREES TO OFFSET THE LIGHT GREEN OF THE GRAPE VINES.

BEFORE WE KNEW IT ANOTHER HOUR HAD DISAPPEARED AND WE WERE ON OUR WAY TO THE THIRD AND FINAL STOP, THE HERZOG WINERY AND RESTAURANT. WE KNEW IT WAS TIME TO EAT BECAUSE OUR STOMACHS TOLD US SO. HOWEVER OUR HERZOG HOST GUIDED US THROUGH THE VINEYARD, GARDENS AND BOTTLING OPERATION. MORE TASTE TESTING, ONLY THREE VARIETIES. I’M NOT BY ANY MEANS AN EXPERT BUT THIS WINE WAS OF BETTER QUALITY AND SMOOTHER GOING DOW THAN THAT OF THE CLOUDY BAY.

TWO BROTHERS FROM GERMANY, RESTAURANT GUYS, CAME TO NEW ZEALAND TO FIND A PLACE TO PRODUCE WINES FOR THEIR RESTAURANTS. THE PLAN WAS TO GROW THE GRAPES, PRDUCE THE WINE AND SHIP IT BACK TO THE RESTAURANTS IN GERMANY. AS YOU MIGHT GUESS, THINGS WENT SO WELL, THEY SOLD ALL THEIR HOLDING IN GERMANY AND MOVED TO THE PICTON AREA.

THEY DO NOT PRODUCE LARGE QUANTITIES OF ANY OF THE VARIETIES AND THEIR BRANDS ARE FOUND MOSTLY IN HIGH END RESTAURANTS THROUGHOUT THE U.S. AND ELSEWHERE.

OUR LUNCH WAS SERVED OUTDOORS IN A BEAUTIFUL GARDEN SEPARATE FROM THE BISTRO. GEORGIA AND I SAT WITH SIX OTHER FOLKS, ALL OF WHOM ARE ON THE CRUISE ALL THE WAY TO ROME, AND WHOM WE HAD YET TO MEET IN OVER SIX WEEKS OF TRAVEL. CONVERSATION WAS EASY AND VARIED FROM TRAVEL TO MEDICINE, TO HEALTHCARE COVERAGE. THE BEST PART OF THE 2 HOURS OF COURSE WAS THE LUNCH.

TWO DELICIOUS PIECES OF WEINER SCHNITZEL, WARM GERMANY POTATO SALAD, YUMMY BREADS AND SPREADS. (OH YA, THERE WAS WINE AGAIN), WITH FRUIT TART AND RASPBERRY SORBET FOR DESSERT. IF YOU HAD ROOM COFFEE WAS ALSO AVAILABLE.

WE WERE SCHEDULED TO BE ON THE BUS AT 3:00 FOR THE RETURN TRIP TO THE SHIP BUT AT 3:30 WE FINALLY GOT ON THE ROAD. WOULD WE MAKE IT BACK TO THE SHIP BY 4:30 AS REQUIRED. SHIP SAILS AT 5:00. WELL, CHRIS HAD HIS FOOT TO THE THROTTLE AS WE TRAVELLED THROUGH THE COUNTRYSIDE UP STEEP HILLS AND BACK DOWN TO THE VALLEY WHERE PICTON IS LOCATED. WE HAD 10 MINUTES TO SPARE.

GEORGIA AND I TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THE TIME AND WENT STRAIGHT TO THE SUN DECK TO CAPTURE PICTURES OF THE CHANNEL, COVES AND BAY AS WE HEADED OUT TO SEA AND OUR 3 DAY SAIL TO SYDNEY AND THE END OF SEGMENT 2.

NOT WANTING TO BE OR LOOK LIKE PIGS WE RETURNED TO THE ROOM AND NAPPED THROUGH DINNER. (BILL HYDE WAS ALONE FOR THE SECOND STRAIGHT DAY AS NONE OF THE OTHERS MADE IT TO DINNER EITHER) WE AWOKE IN TIME TO CATCH THE LATE SHOW A SINGER NAMED DIVIDIA. ALTHOUGH YOU COULD DETECT AN OPERA STYLE VOICE SHE SANG SEVERAL TUNES FROM BROADWAY AND SCREEN BEFORE ENDING WITH A SONG OF OPERATIC NATURE.

HAVING NAPPED WE WERE NOT TIRED AND WENT TO THE LIBRARY AND READ UNTIL 1:00 AM BEFORE HEADING OFF TO SLEEP. WE HAVE THREE DAYS AT SEA BEFORE HITTING SYDNEY FOR A TWO DAY STAY.