Crown Napier

... and one chance to do the things you want to do"

I guess that sums it up. So I have taken from the 11 of September this year to the 2 of November 2010 and plan to ride my bike through 18 countries and do around 20 000 ks in 4 odd months. The rest of the time will be spent in Kitzbuhel Austria.
Luckily i have a fellow biker to travel with. David has spent the last 2 years traveling from the top of ...

... this is Subaru to the Japanese).

2008 Sauvignon Blanc – Herbaceous and citrus notes – lime. Good medium acidity – follows through on the palette.

2006 C******nay – Six months on oak, 30% new. White peach on the nose, good acidity, well-integrated with a slightly oaky finish.

2006 Sangiovese – low intensity in the glass, sweet spices and black currents. Light palette, rich fruit and low ...

Well at last I have found some time to catch up with the blog! We left Sydney Saturday morning bright and early, making sure we left plenty of time to check in and have a good breakfast at the airport before our flight over to Auckland. However, Sydney Airport obviously had other plans for us - queues like you have never seen at check-in! took us over an hour just to check in (there goes breakfast), once checked ...

... to head off and enjoy a Christmas break with Tracy's cousin and family (They were kind enough to move here a few years ago, no doubt in anticipation of our visit). They are about to relocate back to Canada, and they have mentioned that they have quite a quantity of wine and beer left over from a going away party. Let the Fellowship of the Drink unite! Have a great Christmas and we'll see you in the New Year!! *Okay, no bungee jumping Wise Men...I made that up.

... bunnies and guinea pigs to cuddle, spice rack and herb garden to pilfer, a popcorn maker, smoothie maker, toastie maker and a little gizmo to froth your milk with so you can have professional style hot chocolate, not to mention reading lights, a wood-burning stove, a little bedside shelf for every bed and beautiful matching blue chintzy bedding. Guys are so unlucky ... Hostels just keep getting better here as the one I stayed in in Picton waiting for the ferry to ...

... heavy foot' reds. Highlights included Brooksfields, where apart from the entertaining and amusing host, we tasted a superb Shirah and Cabernet/Merlot - unfortunately both needs to be cellared for a few years so impossible to travel with. Another was Ngatarawa, a family owned and run wine farm with the splendid slogan - "Life, times told in wine". We really enjoyed all their wines and appreciated one particular initiative - the ...

... the ship was parked nose in at the berth and had to turn around. So imagine a toy ship in your kitchen sink that just fits end to end. Now imagine 2 tug boats, one pushing and one pulling, to turn the ship within that space. That's what we watched for 45 minutes until we were turned around and able to cruise away. During sailaway, there is a band playing and a lot people watch as the ship ...

... but still not as good as Grape Escapes, the tour we'd been on in August. Admittedly, we only did the half day tour back in August but the tour guide then was much more friendly and informative. After the wine tour it was time for another BBQ, and then because it was Paul's birthday, we had birthday cake and birthday drinks! On Monday we had a quick visit to the Silky Oak Chocolate Company, as this was meant to be included on the wine tour, but ...