January 13, 2013

Overcast skies this morning with a light drizzling rain. Temperatures were on the cool side, probably in the mid to upper 60s.

We took the ferry from Wellington on the North Island to Picton on the South Island. Our driver later advised us that the South Island sometimes is referred to as the "middle island" because of Stewart Island off the southern tip of the South Island. Despite the bad weather, the trip across Cook Strait was smooth and uneventful. I had been awake until 3am the night before doing laundry, so I took advantage of the three-hour ferry ride to get more sleep. The tour company had arranged for a private lounge at the front of the ferry for our small group (we were now down to 15 with the departure of several travelers in Wellington), and the lounge had sofas perfect for napping. Apparently my snoring has worsened, because my fellow group members teased me about it when I woke up briefly. When I had enough rest and woke up for good, I asked my companions if they had enjoyed my concert, generating a round of laughter. The weather improved slightly as we approached Picton, and I was able to take a few good photographs. However, the clouds soon closed up again, although the rain did not return.

Only one activity was on the itinerary today: a visit to the Yealands Estate Winery a few kilometers outside of Blenheim. I had toured winery operations before when I lived in the State of Washington, but the Yealands winery was a much larger facility than the wineries I had visited previously.

One interesting aspect of Yealands is its emphasis on sustainability. It has two wind turbines on the property already that are sufficient to power the lighting, but the goal is to build a wind farm for complete self-sufficiency. The prunings from the vines each year are gathered up in bales and allowed to dry, and then used to generate energy for winery operations. As we know from the First Law of Thermodynamics, energy can neither be created nor destroyed; typically it is wasted. At Yealands, however, they try to move energy from one location to another.

A special breed of sheep are allowed to roam the vineyard freely; their uniqueness lies in their short legs which make the vines safe from being consumed by the sheep. The sheep contribute fertilizer. The winery tried using pigs for the same purpose for a brief period, but the pigs would lean against the vines and balance themselves precariously in order to consume the succulent vines and grapes. The mental image of a pig standing on two legs makes me chuckle.

The vineyard is rather large, so the winery produces several types of wine. We sampled about ten at the tasting session; we had only a few sips of each so as not to cross over into tipsiness. The wines were quite good, and I had a difficult time choosing one or two for purchase. I finally decided on a Sauvignon Blanc from a vintage that had won an international prize for best Sauvignon Blanc, and a rather tasty tawny port, not something I usually drink. However, the port was too good to pass up. By this point I had collected six bottles of wine in my New Zealand travels, so I lightened my load by giving the four bottles I already had purchased to Yealands and having them ship those bottles back to the US along with the two bottles I had purchased from them. It was not cheap, but the convenience factor was worth it.

The bulk of the day involved transit from Wellington to Nelson. The countryside was much more rugged than on the North Island and strikingly beautiful. However, the cloud cover, so low that it even clipped the tops of many of the mountains we passed, made the landscape stern and severe. It was not a good day for photography. One of my favorite photographs is one of Yosemite Valley by Ansel Adams titled "Clearing Winter Storm," so I know it's possible to make beautiful photographs even in unfavorable weather conditions. However, I am painfully aware that I do not have the talent of an Ansel Adams, and we never made a stop when I could have taken photographs anyway. I added this region to the Coromandel Peninsula on my list of places to which I must return on a future visit when I have more control over when I am able to make stops. As it was, I simply admired the dramatic landscape as we made our way to Nelson.

The lodgings in Nelson, the Nelson Monaco Grand Mercure, where we will be staying two nights, deserve special mention. The property is set up as a quaint Victorian village, including a few shops and offices. I'm especially captivated by my unit that is more like a one-bedroom apartment than a hotel room. I have a sitting room in front, and a bedroom in the rear. The unit has furnishings other than standard hotel settings as well. I know I'm going to enjoy my two nights here, even though I will be leaving for a special side trip to Abel Tasman National Park for the entire day tomorrow. Unfortunately, the forecast predicts more cloudiness and rain in the afternoon, but I will make the best I can of the day. Maybe I will even be able to create my own "Clearing Winter Storm."

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Last revised: August 26, 2015.