During the night the wind which had already been quite brisk became stronger and stronger. Amanda woke at about 3 am and the wind was so fierce that it was frightening. We live in Hong Kong and are used to typhoons, but this was really up too close and personal for my liking. Not the best weather to be staying in a tree house!!

Luckily the wind had died right down by morning. However, we were not at all surprised to discover that our whale watching trip (our second attempt!) had been cancelled due to unsafe sea conditions. Oh well, it seems that we just won't get to see whales this time. Another good reason to come back to New Zealand!

After saying goodbye to Hapuku Lodge we continued our journey up the coast towards Blenheim. The road (and the railway line) stayed close by the sea for many miles. Just outside Kaikoura we stopped at Ohau Point to look at yet another fur seal colony. There may be lots of them around but they really are cute!

We arrived in Blenheim at around lunch time. We soon found Vintner's Retreat where we will be staying for a couple of nights. We are staying in a two bedroomed, self contained house!! Just a little large for our needs, but it would be great if a group of you were staying for a while and wanted to self cater.

The best thing about Vintner's Retreat is the setting which is right in the middle of vineyards and surrounded by many famous wine producers. We strolled a couple of hundred yards up the road and went into Wairau River wines where we did a tasting and then had a great lunch. Afterwards we quite literally crossed the road and went into Nautilus wines where we did another tasting and bought some cheeses to take back for supper. It's a hard life, but somehow we will manage!!