WWOOF #7 - Blenheim

Jan. 9 – Jan. 17

Off to the South Island we go! First we had a looong drive all the way down to Windy Welly (Wellington) and the weather didn’t disappoint upon arrival (windy). Considering the distance we covered in a day, the drive went by fast, but fully recharged from the holidays, we were excited to be off on a new adventure. We stayed with Keris’s longtime friend Louisa for 2 nights, enabling us to see more of the city we didn’t get to the last time we passed through a year ago. We visited the Weta Museum (props/digital enhancement company started by Peter Jackson, with tons of Lord of the Rings and other movie items on display). We did another tour through the Te Papa Museum and then watched Avatar in a quaint little theatre with stadium seated couches and only 40 seats.

Posing with one of the Uruk-hai

Keris and a manequin double of Frodo (actually used in the movie)

"My precious." Keris and Louisa get up close with Smigel

We were up early to catch the ferry across the Cook Strait to the Marlborough Sounds. We’d hoped the trek would be like a free boat tour of the magnificent sounds, and it didn’t disappoint. It was a nice, calm day with great views of the endless passageways through the lush green islands of the sounds. We hiked along the peninsula (part of the Queen Charlotte Track) before making our way down to Renwick, a small town just west of Blenheim, which is synonymous with the country’s biggest wine producing region and best known for Sauvignon Blanc.

On the ferry from Wellington to Picton, taking in the Marlborough Sounds.

A view of the Marlborough Sounds from the walking track above Picton

We knew we came to the right place when the directions to the house included “stopping at the hilltop along the driveway for a scenic view of the property.” 30 acres spread across the fertile valley, half planted in vines, the rest in expansive lawns, peonies, vege/fruit gardens, ponds, solar heated swimming pool, and a strawbale house. It was gorgeous. We had a private ensuite in the garage but were always welcome in the house. Rosemary and Jeremy made sure we enjoyed our stay – waiting on us hand and foot, refusing to let us even help with dishes. We did steal away for some pick-your-own-berries and supplied them for scrumptious desserts. 3 fantastic meals each day and plenty of good wine to boot!

Part of the pond on the property with a small island on the right.

Pick-your-own-berries again! One of our favorite activities (well, eating while we pick)

Work at the property included weeding new tree plantings, clearing a large mound of tall grasses for future plantings, and of course, some work in the vineyard! The vines are just growing away during midseason, and need minimal attention, so our main task was wire lifting. The guide wires that help support the weight of the tall chutes need to be raised higher as the vine grows higher. We also spent some time securing some of the new plantings with ties.

Working to clear the mound of grass to make way for a well landscaped area.

Load after load we hauled to the dump pile. Keris is catching a ride!

Stuart lifting the support wires. The trick is to pull the wires out first to gather up all the branches that were growing on the wrong side. Then scoop up all the branches and secure the wires higher on the posts.

Getting ready to attach the new vines to guide posts for support.

When it was time to play, we played. Well, more like lounged by the pool soaking up the sun, relaxing with the gorgeous scenery, jogging, and it goes without saying – wine tasting. We felt like King and Queen at a resort, rather than a typical hard-working farm… it was quite a treat. Most of the immediate wineries (and there are plenty to choose from) are free, or charge just a small tasting fee. And when we grew tired of wine during our tasting tour, we stopped by the Moa Brewing Co. (owned by Allan Scott Winery – and conveniently situated next door) for a sampling of craft beers. There were so many unique wineries to visit, from Seresin (extremely environmentally conscious to the point of trading in their tractors for some horse-drawn machinery), to Grove Mill (with their impressive “vine library,” plantings of almost every type of variety next to each other with informative placards for vine comparisons), to Montana (NZ’s largest producer of wine, which we found surprisingly good).

An afternoon at the solar heated pool in the backyard.

Thank you so much to Rosemary and Jeremy for making our stay absolutely wonderful and memorable!