Blenheim, New Zealand Travel Blogs

Swimming upstream
Jul 13, 2009

... and over hasn't been fun either. I've felt like I've been wasting time and money when I could be out doing whatever I wanted around New Zealand, but I haven't left because I know I'll need to work at some point and just want to get it out of the way early ...

Down Time
Jul 2, 2009

... chimneys; over a river and past wetlands; through vineyards and beside farms with sheep or cows. It was my first real glimpse of New Zealand's scenic beauty, and I can't wait to be able to travel through more of it and even hike some of it. I spent most ...

Waiting
Jul 6, 2009

Sorry for the lack of entries, but there's really not a ton to update about at the moment. I moved to Leeway's Backpackers, which is resoundingly better than Arrow. Aside from the facilities just being better in general, the staff is friendlier and the ...

Northward Ho!
Sep 22, 2006 (10 photos)

... working until they have enough to go and do something, and doing something until they need money and have to go to work. New Zealand is fairly reasonably priced, if you really know what you are doing. Eat from the supermarket, stay with friends in a big ...

I just want to bang on my drum all day
Jul 26, 2009

... and I was named the best Big Buck Hunter out of the group. Afterward we had a mad midnight ride on curvy mountain roads back to Blenheim, with most of the van "singing" (I use this word in its loosest sense) their lungs out. Monday I am going to be heading ...

Sour Grapes
Jul 23, 2009

... the loss of my camera have combined with the antsy feeling I got from sitting around waiting for work for a couple of weeks to turn Blenheim's taste sour to me. I think I'll probably leave after this week and get on with my getting on. We'll see how some ...

Shame about the weather
May 21, 2006 (3 photos)

... (which is being v temperamental). Are a bit lost when its raining but have a productive afternoon and then make decision to drive to Blenheim again as there is a Dominos pizza there (sad I know, but they are only 6.95 each with a voucher we have which ...

Resting
Jul 31, 2009

... stuff and vice versa, so we stayed a couple of nights. Nothing of much note happened other than we rested up, although I did buy a new camera to replace the one that was stolen. That means more photos, but probably not for a while until I find a place to ...

The grapes of wrath
Jul 21, 2009

... I said it was my birthday. After clarify the subject, everyone in the room had a good laugh. And that is why I'm liking New Zealand better than Thailand at the moment: that's the largest example of a language barrier from my time here. On a random note, ...

Kiwis and mussels
Dec 24, 2003 (2 photos)

... birds are bigger and faster than I'd expected, flitting about from bush to cover at a great clip on their stick legs. New Zealand's national symbol, besides being flightless, has the distinction of nostrils at the end of its beak. In the building's dim, ...

Go Your Own Way
Sep 5, 2005 (5 photos)

... one place for a while when you're traveling, and you've got to just make the most of it. So I find myself here in Blenheim, one of N.Z.s biggest wine regions, knowing I'll be staying here for a while. Wine related work seems to be the way to go. Brian ...

Shellfish, Sour Grapes, Swastikas and Stand By Me
Nov 21, 2005 (7 photos)

... . She's great. She drinks even more tea then me. It's always good to have a good 'tea buddy' in a hostel. Life in Blenheim has been plodding along for the last while with not too much happening. I've been pretty lazy and trying to save money. The ...

Me And Bruno Down By The Vineyard
Oct 4, 2005 (3 photos)

"It's a good hostel...it reminds me of when I was in rehab." Pruning lasted two days. I just couldn't face any more. It seemed grand enough until I found out I was earning alot less then I thought. The second day also found me working next to some ...

Veni, Vidi, Vintner
Nov 16, 2005 (2 photos)

I headed for Blenheim for one thing only, wine tasting. The Marlborough region is New Zealand's premier wine making region and I wanted to give it a go. Within 2 hours of arriving I was on a mini bus with eight others, we had to pay for the mini bus but ...

December Already - Blenheim
Dec 2, 2006 (6 photos)

... steps just off of the highway and there were several seals basking on the rocks! (what a country huh?!). We arrived in Blenheim and camped under a busy road and train bridge, but by the side of a beautiful river, we had ducks and ducklings surrounding ...

Blenheim - Picton
May 2, 2006

... but the name Blenheim has always conjured up a very historic and conservative place in my minds eye. A far cry from what Blenheim, New Zealand is actually like. Granted that we'd not spent that long here but I was still pretty much convinced that I'd seen ...

Saying goodbyes..
Jan 26, 2007 (11 photos)

... evening called around to the backpackers of Cecile and Nacho and gang to hang out with them both before they were to leave Blenheim.. Cecile to go work in Akaroa (the french settlement town about an hours drive from Christchurch that is in a beautiful bay ...

kayaking
Feb 18, 2009 (5 photos)

... , just a stop for coffee and pie! and a wander round the cathedral and town, then onwards over yet more lovely hills to reach Blenheim. Which winery should we try? Cloudy Bay seemed the natural choice , and so good it was. we came away with a bottle and ...

The Road South
Aug 31, 2007 (62 photos)

With reluctance we left the top of the South and headed for the West Coast, stopping at Murchison on the energetic edge of the Buller River.  Lack of day light and hungry children called for a stop at a campsite that straddled a cemetery and thanks ...

Thinking......
Nov 16, 2009

We headed back to Blenhiem for another week of work. By Wednesday though we had have enough of fruit picking and by that point we had swapped supervisors from a lovely lady to a stupid lady who treated us like toddlers. We looked else where for work ...

Land of the Wine!
Feb 27, 2007 (2 photos)

We have arrived in Blenheim, Marlborough Wine Region.... the wine capital of NZ. The weather was a bit gloomy this morning, but the sun is now out and the sky is lovely and blue again. we have just booked out Ferry crossing for Fri 2 March at 1.15pm& ...

Day 49 - Flying through towns
Feb 4, 2006

... his wife. :-/ Not exactly a nice view! We quickly decided to leave and drove south to Marlborough to Blenheim, the Sauvignon Blanc capital of New Zealand. The best Sauvignons come from the Marlborough region. Jim's mail from the states was to arrive at ...

Wine + Bikes = :)
Dec 6, 2005

Wine by Bike excursion - Huia, Nautilus, Cellier Le Brun, Forest Estates, Mudhouse, Clifford Bay, Wairau River, Frammingham, - tastings at each winery plus biking between each winery made me just a tad tipsy, luckily we were only biking by a highway ...

Onwards to Blenheim- Vineyard haven!
Jan 9, 2007 (2 photos)

... Sounds from where i was.. had been there before with Mike the lad i travelled with for a bit from NZ. Anyway, into Blenheim.. had been stopping at vineyards on the drive over askin for work.. nonea them had any.. then rang a girl id been speakn to ...

Wine Tour... My Birthday!
Mar 1, 2007 (5 photos)

Happy Birthday to me...... Well, I am such a lucky girl... Stu got me my beautiful Greenstone jewellery from Hokitka, and I love them... he also got me a 'Musicals' CD as I need to blast out a few showtunes now and again! Today was a lovely day, we ...

Marlborough Whites
Jan 25, 2007 (5 photos)

... and headed a couple hours up the road to the Marlborough wine country. We booked into a motel in the main town of Blenheim and got a wine tasting tour sorted for the afternoon. Having seen the film Sideways again on the plane from Santiago I was well up ...

Blenheim.... working and learning about the COLD
Jun 26, 2008

We found work with help of the information center and Work and Income in Blenheim. A small wine town! This town didn't have much but the Warehouse, tons of different banks, Seasonal workers and wineries.... LOTS of Wineries! We found work at ...

Medicals and Poi's!
Feb 2, 2007 (3 photos)

So the day of my medical dawns.  Its a 6.30 start for brekkie and to get into work.  I'd sorted with onea the boss's that i could take a half day and would be given a lift from whatever site i was working on back into town to get to the medical ...

Blenheim
Mar 31, 2007

Blenheim

Blenheim Bound
Jan 5, 2008

... I can get passport photos taken in downtown Auckland. Then I call Air NZ and change my return to the Sunday night flight from Blenheim to Auckland. I get a former Yank, and she once lost HER passport, too, so I am reassured that all will go well. Scott ...