Marlborough Wine Region

Fear not, loyal readers: we made sure that Shawna fit in one last New Zealand wine tasting before she left today (for a previously scheduled vacation back in the US).  We had to try 3 different wineries before finding one that was open, thanks to winter hours, but we got Shawna a few last sips of Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, and then sent her on her way back to New Jersey.  Thanks to the international date line, she'll arrive home the same day she leaves despite traveling for more than 24 hours.  Craziness.

Beth, Erin and I then spent the rest of the afternoon sipping our way around the Marlborough area, enjoying their "cellar door" hospitality while tasting mostly Sauv. Blanc, Pinot Noirs, Riesling and a few other crazier grapes thrown in (tempranillo anyone?).  Have I mentioned I love vacationing in wine country?  Even better, here in Marlborough, most wineries don't charge for their tasting (in Martinborough it was $5pp).  Sweet.

Wine regions are generally also known for their tasty food, and that was no exception here in Marlborough.  Enjoyed a delicious lunch at Rock Ferry Winery, and tonight came across a Brazilian restaurant in town that got us all excited about our potential trip to Brazil for the World Cup next year.  So, so tasty.  So, so full.

Whale of a tale

"Ideal sea conditions" were the words greeting us on the status board as we walked into Kaikoura Whale Watching.  The Kiwi at the desk noted that they rarely got to use that determination, so we were a lucky cruise. 

Our whale watching adventure's goal was to find the largest of all toothy whales: the sperm whale (the blue whale is much larger but doesn't have teeth and feeds on krill, whereas the sperm whale feeds on fish and sharks - including Great White Sharks).  Kaikoura is blessed with a large canyon just off its coast where male sperm whales like to hang out.  Because they're deep divers, they need very deep water to survive (most of their prey is in the lower levels of the ocean).  We only had to go about 10-15 minutes from the harbor to reach the "whale zone," and to get our first small sighting of a whale's tale (we found that particular whale just as he was diving down).

Since sperm whales usually take 30-40 minutes between each dive, we spent much of the cruise in a waiting mode, knowing there was a whale nearby but not knowing when it would surface.  When it finally surfaced though, what a beautiful and stunning sight.  This particular whale has been hanging out in the Kaikoura area for about 20 years, so they crew knew him well.  He was about a meter longer than our boat and spent about 10 minutes up on the surface breathing in the fresh air before diving down for more feeding time again.

Having previously seen humpback whales off Cape Cod, sperm whales by comparison are larger but less "playful" on the surface.  The humpbacks eat at the surface, so they spend a lot of time breaching, slapping their fins on the surface and coming up with food in their mouths.  The sperm whale spends its time at the surface breathing, digesting, and preparing to dive again.  Very different experiences, but both very worthwhile.

In addition to seeing the sperm whales, the cruise gave us the opportunity to enjoy some absolutely heart-stopping scenery along the Kaikoura coast.  Certainly wasn't a bad place to hang out and wait for the whales to need some fresh air. 

Yes, that's Erin next to a seal

Finished our day in Kaikoura with a hike along the Peninsula Walkway, up on the cliffs, overlooking a seal colony and (bizarrely) walking through cow and sheep pastures.  Around every bend was another viewpoint that made us stop to appreciate it (and break out the camera, of course).

Two thumbs up to our sojourn in Kaikoura.  We now will head back north along the stunning coast to wine country, where we'll say a sad goodbye to Shawna (she needs to head home for another previously scheduled vacation) and drown our sorrows in excellent NZ Sauvignon Blancs and Pinot Noirs.

Groper? I hardly know her...

View from our balcony this morning

It's alright, i guess, if you go for this sort of thing...

Gorgeous Day

Today was mostly a travel day, with us crossing the Cook Strait via ferry and then driving down to Kaikoura via Marlborough wine country and then a stunning coastal highway.  And before you ask, of course we stopped at a winery en route for some tasting.  We'll be heading back for more after our whale watching adventure in Kaikoura.

I'll let the photos tell our story of the day, other than to mention that we had a blessedly clear day to cross the Cook Strait, which meant not only gorgeous scenery but a smooth ride (it's a notoriously treacherous crossing in choppy conditions).  It was very reminiscent of our Alaska cruise, except with lambs and seals.

Waiting for the ferry in Wellington

Leaving the North Island

Arriving via Marlborough Straits to the South Island

Marlborough Straits

Oh, hello there, cute baby lamb

East Coast drive to Kaikoura

We could see these mountains from the ferry - wow!

Sunset along the Kaikoura coast - stunning

Zooooooorbing

Hey, blog-readers and Polich-enthusiasts! It's Shawna, posting under Sarah's header. I'd like to say that I'm coming to you, Live!, from inside my Zorb ball, but that would be a lie... In reality, I crawled out from my Zorb ball a couple days ago, but am still glowing from the experience. Enough so, that Sarah has asked me to blog about it. This task also buys her a precious few minutes of me not talking about it all of the time. I've been starting too many stories recently with the lead in: "This one time...  In my Zorb ball..."

In brief, the Zorb itself is a giant clear plastic sphere. Nested inside of it is a second smaller clear plastic sphere with a seat and harness thingy. (Stop me if I'm getting too technical with my language.) The bubble rolls down a hill, courtesy of gravity, and spins the occupant inside @ss-over-tea kettle. This 30-second euphoria will set you back $40, but you get a free Facebook pic upload and a lifetime of being able to say with authority, "Never judge a hamster until you've rolled in her ball..." So, I call it a bargain at any price.

We drove up to the Zorb track right after they opened at 9am, and we were the only car in the parking lot.
I purposely decided not to read too much into that. First off, they need to verify with a line on the wall that you are tall enough to ride the ride. I was not. Next, you hope the recent college grads running the show are willing to look the other way on regulations like that. They were. Following this safety dance, I was parted from all of my loose items and cautioned to watch my head as I got into the back of a truck to be driven up a short hill to the Zorb launch pad. (I totally did hit my head exiting the truck, but I'll be damned if I was going to show weakness now!)

You enter the contraption by squeezing through a blue opening that I've been trying very hard not to call a sphincter. Once you are strapped in, you are not given too much time to contemplate the vomit-spatter patterns that may once have decorated this chamber, and the metal gate before you is opened. One small push. A slow rotation of your head forward and your feet backwards. And away you go down the hill!

It was awesome. Less than a minute, but I laughed the entire time and hurled not once. And I had my eyes opened for most of it. I know, I know... It occurred to me too:  Zorbing sounds just like sex.

Wining and dining

New Zealand's wines are rapidly growing in popularity and stature, so of course we had to fit in some wine tasting during our journey around NZ.  One of my vacation beliefs is that vacationing anywhere in the world  in wine country is bound to be good: beautiful geography (lush, rolling hills), relaxed days drinking wine either in cute cellars or in sunny patios, and generally good food.  It's hard to go wrong.  I've had many fantastic days drinking wine in South Africa, Napa/Sonoma, Croatia, and even Southwest Michigan.

Today we headed over an unexpectedly treacherous pass to Martinborough, known primarily for its Pinot Noir grapes. Very cute little town where we had a tasty lunch before heading off to the wineries.  It's Monday here, so it was a little sleepy, but we could see how popular the town could be on a bright, sunny weekend in the summer.

At the first winery we visited, the tasting room manager plied us with wine and regaled us with stories of the folks he met as he hiked the Appalachian Trail and the fun times he has going through American customs/immigration ("yes, I live on a farm;" "yes, I take medication not approved by the FDA;" etc).  Perhaps my favorite part of that winery was the herd of sheep grazing between the vines.  Ah, New Zealand...

A few wineries later, we came across another unique wine tasting host (who was also the owner/vintner).  He had us laughing the whole time with his irreverence and clear disgust for other wineries who dared to used screw top caps instead of wine.  Erin probably liked this place the best, as the tasting room also came with a very friendly black lab friend....Oh yeah, there was some tasty wine along the way too.

After navigating our way back across the mountains to Wellington, we met up again with Alida who introduced us to Malaysian cuisine, which we all gave a big thumbs up.  We're now full, happy and sleepy, ready to hit the hay before the big Cook Straight ferry crossing tomorrow.