After another great breakfast in Martinborough we headed off in the car for our drive North the Napier. The drive took about 4 hours and consisted mostly of rural farmland and small towns. Apart from a quick picnic lunch we did most of the sights via drive by!Our hotel for the next 5 nights was the Masonic hotel in Napier, the Art Deco capital of the world. Our room and the town in general, really did make us feel like you are in an episode of poirot! We headed o...

Sunday started with a quick flight from Blenheim up to Wellington in the North Island. We then picked up our car which we would have for the next 10 days. Our first stop was to be Martinborough and after a hilly drive we were there and checked into our hotel. We dumped our bags and headed to the local boutique Brewery for some beer tasting and a spot of lunch. Martinborough is a smaller wine region and the majority of cellar doors are within easy walking distance...

In order to get from Christchurch to Blenheim airport we had to travel via Wellington, which seemed a bit weird, but none the less it was fun as we got to travel on a scheduled flight that lasted 20 minutes which was a novelty. We had arranged to be picked up from our hotel at 10am for an all day wine tour. Our first stop was at Cloudy Bay where we were served a very generous pouring of 2 of their sparkling wines, including a 2005 vintage, 2 whites, a red and a d...

We left Queenstown early and touched down in Christchurch for our whirlwind visit by 0930. We dropped our bags at the hotel then headed to the city centre to explore. Although we were very much aware of the destruction from the earthquakes, it was really saddening to see the destruction that was caused. At the same time though uplifting to see how their positive attitude was helping them move on fast. The city has lots of construction going on and has a beautiful...

Tuesday started fairly lazily so after our morning run along the lake we headed for brunch. Unfortunately not a Dubai brunch! It was very good though, we shared a chicken, bacon and waffle combo and a Ruben sandwich. Our plan for the day had been to follow the Queenstown trail Northwards to the next town called Frankton. This took us along the edge of the lake and gave us more stunning views and also a look at some of the lovely houses that sit on the waters edge...