Sandy drove the car from the terminal to Nelson. The journey took us across the whole of the Marlborough Wine Country-it seemed very strange seeing familiar vineyard names a long way from Tescos! We intended to go wine tasting at a later date but that did not work out due to lack of time ( we only had 8 weeks in New Zealand, hardly enough time to scratch the surface of this beautiful place). We had a fantastic meal in Nelson at a restaurant called Hopgoods- it is...

After the dangerous pools we headed for safer pastures- a long but beautiful drive across the island to New Plymouth to see Karen, Stephen and family at their holiday retreat in New Plymouth. The journey took us on a route beside a river gorge- this was breathtakingly beautiful and at times terrifying to drive. Imagine driving down a major road in England which suddenly changes width so that only one vehicle can get through at a time or meet a"wash out"...

The Family WeddingAfter a mammoth journey South, we arrived at Pukeora Estate, an hour away from Napier.My cousin and his, now ,wife Kate bought this estate seven years ago and have worked non stop since, to realise their dream.It comprises an old huge hospital,some cottages and some land.On the land they have planted a vineyard which is now producing wine.Having sampled copious amounts of all the varieties,we can say safely that we like their wine a lot!The...

We met many interesting characters on our stay at Matamanoa! A couple of 80+ Norwegians teamed up with us. They had so much energy and joy for life. They were having a ball and had been for many years by the seems of it. Her stories of the Hopi Indians of New Mexico and snorkelling trips to the Seychelles kept us entralled. Their last day was her birthday, so we shared a bottle of Champagne and a meal with them( having already shared a premeal bottle of wine with...

After the wedding we headed north to do Roturua. On the way we stopped off to see boiling,glurping mud pools sitting beside the road, as they do- why people pay to see what is straight in front of them for free amazes me. We made a detour up a rough mountain roadside so that Sandy could go for a swim! At the wedding we had been told about a warm mountain stream where you can go swimming. Sandy slipped into a pool fed by a hot waterfall and lay there in bliss...