My NZ: Picton, Blenheim, Marlborough

We crossed the Cook Strait from Wellington and landed in Picton, which sits at the head of the Queen Charlotte Sound and is the southern port for the Inter Island ferry services. Picton has a historic past as a Maori settlement and fishing village, but has evolved into a seaport town with a eclectic mix of cafes and restaurants and a base for many activities, both on land and water. From Picton, we were fetched by Rebecca and Ryan to meet their families at a friends' home overlooking Waikawa Bay. They had been sailing in the morning and were waiting for our arrival, before we all went on to Blenheim.

Arriving in South Island by ferry (CNB 2014)

Waikawa Bay, Picton (CNB 2014)

Blenheim, (together with Renwick and Wairau) is at the centre of the Marlborough region 'renowned for its vineyards, culinary experiences, art, gardens and heritage'. Blenheim is in fact 'Marlborough's main centre, a great base for exploring and indulging in the leisure and lifestyle attractions of the region'.

It is autumn in New Zealand, and in the Marlborough region the vines are turning golden and the buzz of harvest has begun. 'For a gourmet experience, a winery tour seems the thing to do and there are over 35 cellar doors that offer tastings from family producers to well recognised brands. In fact there are 152 wineries, and 23232 hectares of grapes planted in the region.  92% of New Zealand's sauvignon blanc comes out from here and an estimated 19.6 million cases of wine produced in 2013'. Okay, I am not a wine connoisseur (I gathered the above information from the Official Visitor Guide to Marlborough, 2014), in fact I am not a wine anything. But grapes, yes, I am into eating bunches of delicious grapes and scoopfuls of yummy raisins.

The Wairau River grapes ready for harvesting (CNB 2014)

Our hosts in Blenheim very kindly enabled us to tour two wineries. Maureen works at the Wairau River Wines (Family Estate since 1978) and we had a very good lunch there among the vines. In fact for me, it was the best meal ever that I ate in New Zealand. We later met the Maori chef at the winery restaurant and I was able to thank him for the wonderful blue cheese souffle and refreshing crunchy salad. Kia ora, thank you indeed.

About to dine among the vines

My best meal in NZ (CNB 2014)

We also visited Brancott Estate Heritage Centre overlooking the stunning vista of  Marlborough. Here I had a close encounter with the grapes that make pinot noir.

Group photo at Brancott Estate 

Grapes for pinot noir (CNB 2014)

We spent a week in Blenheim, staying at the Trescoe B&B, Eltham Road. From here we could walk to the compact town centre with its bustling main street and a thriving cafe and restaurant scene.

Posing in front of the Blenheim Police Station

Blenheim Railway Station (CNB 2014)

Rebecca's sister Sarah also came around a few times to fetch us to their family home. Maureen and Alan have a beautiful house and garden. And at dusk, they also have the most stunning and colourful sunset right in front of their doorstep.

A stunning Blenheim sunset (CNB 2014)