Sounds of Silence Havelock

... dem hafen....auch gut, wieder eine warme dusche, claudia kann ihre sachen waschen und es gibt wieder strom........SUPER!!!........ ;-))...... tja steckdosen funktionieren nur, wenn der wagen an der steckdose hängt und meine autoladekabel habe ich leider in wien vergessen.......aber ist auch ok....das ganze kostet 14 euro pro nacht, duschen 25cents extra, für 5 ...

EN:
Marlborough region produces our favorite New Zealand white wines - the Sauvignon Blanc is particularly good - so it was a shame we didn't have much time there as we arrived in the area on the day before we were to leave South Island. We got there in the middle of the afternoon and still had time to make a few sightseeing stops along the Marlborough Sounds before we settled for the night on a waterfront spot at a caravan park on the Queen ...

... swim suits and gradually waded through the chilly water before diving in. Yes, this is the peak of summer in NZ, and the water was just about the same as swimming in LA (65-68 degrees F). We dried off for a few hours, just watching the people, water, boats, birds, and wind blow by. It was a sweet, slow, afternoon. En route, we passed by the city of Havelock, which is known for it's mussels. There was a small ...

... in the shop (although they don't like you taking pictures of it in the shop then walking out!) After wandering if we were going to have our room broken into overnight we awoke to another beautiful day in Nelson. We decided to walk to the geographical centre of New Zealand which was situated at the summit of a rather steep hill just out of the centre. Whilst the views at the top were spectacular with valley and sea views, the walk nearly killed us ...

... in the wrong direction and this carried a $40 fine. About 18 pounds. We listened to the explanation of why it was so evil to park against the traffic flow and hoped as Brits he would see we didn't know about the rule, realise it was New years day and let us off. But he didn't. So Paul got a bit upset. They had a little barney as Paul refused to accept he'd been served and they threw the piece of paper backwards and forwards. But as it's a rental car ...

... so 'wired' that Fes rather unwisely put a few tots of brandy in his flask in the hope that he would nod off. Next thing he knew the 'blue pyjama'd wonder' had made Eyore fashion him a waistcoat, was pretending to smoke a cigar and relating stories about the "great teddy" wars. After hours of having to sit through all this Fes finally got him off to sleep and, still shaking made his way back to BBW for a bit of a rest. "That's the last time he gets brandy ..." said Fes!

Kia Ora, habe den Abel Tasman Park verlassen und bin mit dem Bus zurueck nach Nelson gefahren. Muss noch einige Fotos hochladen, schaffe ich aber leider nicht mehr vor dem naechsten Trek. Morgen frueh geht es zum Heaphy Track, 6:30 faehrt der Bus los, 11 Uhr bin ich da, dann 6h Walk, fast 1000m Anstieg. Und am ...

... We passed 'Lake Grassmere' near the enormous salt pans and then reached 'Blenheim'. This is at the centre of New Zealand's largest wine growing area. We had a ferry booking for Monday 7th back to Wellington and didn't want to stay at the port until then, so we headed east and then north out of Blenheim. Near Blenheim airport I spotted an old Argosy freight plane from the 1960's parked at the side of the road. We reached 'Havelock' mid afternoon and found a ...

... Malbecs and how they made their way to New Zealand, to be blended with Merlot and sometimes other red wines, such as the Cabernet blend we tried in Richmond. They were believed to be extinct in Europe, when the grapes were found growing in Argentina. Thus, New Zealand is a good fit for growing them. They have some older wine-making equipment on display here, and I am more comfortable with this set-up. There are poppies blooming between the rows here, really lovely. Our favorites ...

... The trail crossed a few bridged creeks and the front yards of some vacation homes for about a mile before it began to rise gently. Continuing on this soft gradient, I arrived at the Nydia Saddle two hours later. On one side beautiful Nydia Bay, on the other the equally scenic Tennyson Inlet. Though the views were similar, the north side of the saddle was not reached by Browlee's logging 80 years ago and thus held old growth ...