As best as I can recall, two days ago, I went on a wine tour of the Marlborough Sounds region best known for their Sauvignon Blancs. I was hoping to do a full day tour, but they need a certain number of people to justify it. Fortunately, I got to do a half day, and to my surprise I was the only person on the tour. It was quite nice to have the guide all to myself as well as to be able to go at my own pace throughout the tour. I did stop at the winery which produces the Monkey Bay line of wines that you can get in the States. I'd had one MB Sauvi before, and wasn't that impressed, but I think I'm beginning to like Sauvis more now. Also, MB is one of their cheaper lines of wine. At the fourth of four wineries I visited, they also had an olive oil stoer with tastings. It may have been roughly four glasses of wine speaking, but one of their oils was delicious, and I was persuaded into buying a bottle.
After about an hour back at the backpacker, I got a ride to the ferry terminal and made the three hour trip back to Wellington. This ferry was not nearly as nice as my last one and smelled of diesel and livestock - most likely from the diesel and livestock aboard. I suppose it would have been relatively nice were it not for the smell - there was a bar/lounge, an open cinema and a small "cafe."
I got into Wellington about 10:30, walked a hundred meters or so to my backpacker. It is the only one in that area of town and was full my last time through Wellington. The only other lodging in the area is $250/night, so I was rather hoping I'd be able to get a room. Fortunately, I got a room in what looked to be a converted hotel. Even more fortunate was that I was alone, had an ensuite, and the ensuite had a bathtub. I quickly tossed out the tempting idea of taking a bath, as there was no plug, and I had to be on a bus in about eight hours.
I woke up fifteen minutes after I was supposed to get a wakeup call and scrambled a bit to get ready in time. Skipping breakfast, I made it to my bus and... waited. A good fifteen minutes or so passed by before it showed up. I made it though, and that was what mattered at that point. At one stop in Kaikoura, I believe, I saw a book store, and managed to re-repurchase a copy of Revelation Space. I Only have about 100 pages left in my other book, so I'm glad I found it.
I made it to Rotorua fine and have been here since yesterday. I'm staying at the Funky Green Backpackers which I assume was named, at least in part, for their local concern - such as being the only backpacker I've been to that recycles. One of my books said it was perhaps the best backpacker in NZ, and while certainly nice, I don't know if I'd go that far. It's the first BP I've been to that actually has sharp knives and they have a very large selection of spices. You can imagine I'm loving this place :P. Having the spices on hand (I forgot mine in Picton along with some other food items which didn't add up to too much), I decided to make potato soup. The way I've evolved the recipe, you need a lot of herbs and spices, and this was just the place for it. I made a full batch which is a considerable yield - at least two quarts, probably more. The backpacker is nice, though, so I'm going to spend a couple days relaxing here. A japanese couple makes scones in the morning which you can buy for a dollar, and they have beer in the fridge for two dolalrs as well as a cappuchino machine for two dollars. A lot of things handy which is nice. They even have a bathroom with a heated floor! The place is $18 so I can't complain about them not having staples of other backpackers such as coffee and tea.
Tonight I go to a Hangi recommended by my BP. They said they believed it was more authentic whereas I've heard that some of them are fairly corporate tourist events. I beleive the event lasts four hours with a lot of Maori information, a walk, and then the Maori feast. Tomorrow, I plan to visit the geothermal spas that Rotorua is known for. By then, hopefully, I'll be done with the potato soup :P. The next day (the 20th), I have a bus up to Auckland where I'll spend one night before flying home. It's weird to think of the trip coming to a close, but it's almost here.
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4 comments:
Jon that sounds good as. Hope you enjoy the hangi and the spa. What is the name of the hangi place? I believe the one we went to was called Matai or something like that. I keep laughing whenever I think about you losing that same book for the 2nd time. Enjoy your last few nights. We miss you here.
Don't lose your book again!!! Watch it like a hawk! ;^)
Sounds like you're having fun. I liked the description of the ferry. Nice to have the tour all by yourself. What did you learn? And you tasted olive oils? Were they flavored with herbs and such? Some how that doesn't sound so tastee. The potato soup sounds great, though! Does almost seem too soon that you'll be back here. I've gotten used to the fact that you are over there.
I'm trying to keep an eye on the book! It wouldn't have been such a big deal except I didn't bring any others and was 100 pages into it!
I learned about some of the different growing atmospheres. All the vines in that area are originally from California. I think he said there were 52 vineyards in the area. It was a lot of the smaller details about the vineyards like how they harvest them and how they put stones under some to radiate heat throughout the night. Interesting stuff.
I think about half of the olive oils were just different brands of olive oil and weren't very interesting. They had a garlic one and another one that were interesting. The garlic was good, but seemed like something I might be able to make at home. The one I got is made from a different type of olive, but I forget just what kind. You tasted by dipping bread into the oil, like you would at an Italian restaraunt.
If you're too used to me being over here, you could deposit some money in my bank account, and I could try to push back my departure date :P.
Ya, I caught that, too! :-) Too soon that you'll be back?!? Used to the fact that you are over there?!? I THINK NOT!!! :-)
The vineyard info sounds fascinating. I'm eager to try the olive oil.
XOXOXOX
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