We had the luxury of a 10AM pick up this morning, so were able to get ourselves sorted for the day before heading out for another paddle. We were back in the Queen Charlotte Sound, but set off from a different bay for an easy trip along the shoreline. We were able to see many stingrays this morning, and hopefully I caught a few with my underwater camera. We also encountered 11-armed starfish and lots of comorants along the shore.
After a stop for lunch in a secluded bay, we finished up out paddle at the bay where we started 2 days ago and after a quick change set off to meet the rest of our crew at a winery near Blenheim. We are in the Wairau River valley, home to some of the best and most well-known Marlborough region wineries in the world. We drove past Brancott, Matua, Giesen, and Cloudy Bay before stopping at Forest Winery for a tasting. The crew from the Nelson Lakes Hike arrived a few minutes later, and had stories to tell that reinforced my decision to kayak instead! The description had suggested that it would be daunting, but the reports back told of it being quite challenging terrain, especially with 60L packs filled with gear and food. And the huts were not quite as nice as the Department of Conversation would advertise. Some slept in tents, some barely slept. I was secretly happy that I had my king sized bed all to myself after my days on the water.
The wine tasting done, we had another couple of hours to Kaikora, which is a seaside town on the east coast known for it’s seafood and plenty of fur seals sunning and swimming near the rocks. We had our final dinner at a spot facing the sea, and each shared a memorable moment from our 2 week adventure, which sadly comes to an end tomorrow.
NZ is a gorgeous country, with so many different landscapes and flora and fauna and wildlife, and the most friendly people. It’s not a place you can “do” in 2 weeks, but the taste of the South Island with this adventure tour certainly let me know where I need to revisit.
