We arrived in Blenheim yesterday evening after driving from Golden Bay.  The drive wasn’t too long (about 3.5 hours), but it was through the mountains.  There were lots of hairpin turns and sharp corners.  I feel bad for Justin.  I get to look at the beautiful scenery, and he can barely take his eyes off the road for a second or we would (as he put it) “plummet to our death.” Luckily, he has adapted to driving on the left side of the road very quickly and that hasn’t been a problem at all.

In Blenheim, we are staying at St. Leonard’s Accommodation. It is a really cute spot on a little farm that overlooks a neighboring vineyard.  There are four cottages on the property plus the main house.  The owner was very friendly and welcoming, as everyone has been in New Zealand.

The cottage is one bedroom with a kitchen, bathroom (with claw foot tub!), and a big living room.  The refrigerator had milk, fresh eggs, two homemade jams, butter, and bread. Unfortunately, we don’t have WiFi in this place either.  We can walk closer to the main house and get a signal, but it makes blogging a little more difficult.

It’s a little cooler in Blenheim than Golden Bay.  The lows are about 50 and the highs are about 70. The weather so far has been beautiful.  Since we didn’t get here until the evening, we picked up some dinner and had a nice, relaxing evening.  We went to a place called Roast on the Run.  It was home cooked roast, vegetables, and potatoes for “takeaway.”  Yummy!

The next day, we went to several wine tastings.  This area is mainly known for Sauvignon Blanc, but they also make very nice Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Riesling, and Pinot Noir. The vineyards that we went to were: Seresin, Gibson Bridge, Fromm, and Cloudy Bay.  We had a really nice day.

For dinner, we ate at a Thai/ Chinese restaurant called Chi Chi.  We miss Thai food! It wasn’t quite as good as the food we had in Thailand, but it hit the spot.

That evening, we walked around the property again.  They have sheep, chickens, and deer.  I’m loving all of the farm animals!  They also have a vegetable garden, tons of fresh herbs, lemon, fig, and lime trees.  As much of a city girl as I am, we are truly enjoying this simpler life.  We would love to own a little vineyard and farm.  Unfortunately, we would have to win the lottery first……

Tomorrow, we drive to Kaikoura and swim with the dolphins!

XOXO Ayce