The Road Trip – Wine Regions of New Zealand

On a recent return from London my son invited me to join him for our very own ‘grand New Zealand winery tour’ . Having recently completed a few levels of wine study in London, he was keen to rediscover New Zealand offerings whilst home for the holidays.

We started with two days of tasting in Hawkes Bay area. We had planned to cycle from vineyard to vineyard as the region has planned perfectly for this fun activity, but we timed our arrival for the only two rainy days of the entire summer. Still, it was no real hardship driving from one gorgeous venue to the next indulging our mutual passion for fine food and wine.

The wineries extend in several directions and all offer delicious tastings in multiple settings brim full of elegance, or artistic charm and character. A couple of notable mentions, perhaps a lunch at Te Awa, or under the vines at Black Barn, a cheese platter and a rosé in the lovely gardens at Silenis, or dinner on the veranda at the Craggy Range with its unsurpassed views of the mountain range. Our focus was on the wine but there is much more to do and experience around here – magical lodgings, golf courses, walking and riding tours, fishing and water sports to name a few.

We then flew to Queenstown, joining several visiting friends for further fun and festivities. We visited Wet Jacket, Chard Farm and Peregrine, all of which are in close proximity to each other, and then we moved on to the vineyards in Bannockburn. We dropped into Carrick, and Mt Difficulty which is also where we stopped for a late lunch. With more time, I’d include Te Kano (my new favourite) and Felton Road (reservation required)

If a sober driver isn’t available and you are not a fan of guided wine tours, consider hiring a bike in Arrowtown and cycling along the Gibbston Valley track. It meanders along the Arrow river and then through gorgeous countryside before finally hitting the main road cycle way that leads to the Gibbston Valley wineries. Some sections take a little balance and pedal power but e-bikes solve that problem. Most participants land up lunching at Kinross but if that’s full, pedal a little further and around the corner, and there you’ll Brennan Winery and Mount Rosa.

Queenstown is a prized jewel offering a multitude of adventure sport activities in the most spectacular setting. It’s easy to lose a week staying here or nearby in Arrowtown or Wanaka. In winter most activities things revolve around snow sports, and in summer it is all about golf, cycling, tramping, canyoning, bungy jumping, and any other adventure you can imagine.

Our guests walked or rode nearly every track, and there are more than a few. One even invested in a heli-biking experience and, after being dropped on the top of a couple of mountains and haring down the steep tracks, said it was one of the best things he’d ever done. I have other ideas about long term survival, and when I think lovely views and challenging exercise, I think golf! (And spectacular golf courses are also something in abundant supply in this area – a seperate post required for this in time)

We picked up a car (I use RentalCars.com) and continued our tour, spending the next five days driving leisurely back to Auckland. Our first overnight stop was at the Franz Joseph Glacier,  but we knew to visit Blue Pools near Haast on the way. A breathtaking stroll through native bush to reach them, with fantails dodging behind us pecking up the bugs we disturbed as we walked. The colour and clarity of the water in these icy pools is extraordinary and it’s fun watching the brave and reckless leap in, shriek at the cold water and scramble out.

We diverted briefly to see the whitebait concessions near Jackson Arm and stopped for irresistible fritters. Whitebait season is short-lived and strictly limited in both times of day and times of the year harvesting is permitted. Concessions are closely guarded treasures for those lucky enough to own them but it’s a rustic few weeks of living for those working the water with their scoop nets. When we called by the empty stands looked desolate in the swirling fog that descended.

After ten days of holiday gluttony, we enjoyed the short walk to see the Frans Joseph glacier. t’s hard to know how much longer this activity will be available as the ice is receding at an accelerating rate that indicates it soon won’t be an attraction at all. Thereafter we also meandered around Lake Matheson where the mirrored reflections on the water inspired hundreds of photographers (while none of our poor attempts showed much clarity at all)

After an unremarkable overnight stay somewhere I’ve erased from memory, we drove to Blenheim through the remarkable beauty of the Buller Gorge. It is a was a shame we couldn’t linger here longer because, predictably perhaps, we’d prioritised a long lunch at the Hanz Hertzog Winery (sadly now closed following covid and the impossibility of sourcing Swiss and French staff). This day however, their wonderful fare in a beautiful outside dining area made the early departure a worthwhile sacrifice.

The following day, we sampled several more wines of the Marlborough region, and conveniently most wineries are located on the same large grid so it’s easy to visit wherever you fancy. Wairau River, Cloudy Bay and Whither Hills, St Clairs, Dog Point, are a few but there are many more and most have superb tasting rooms and restaurants attached.

We boarded the ferry in Picton and were blessed with a painless crossing over the Cook Straight. (Sometimes the seas are so enormous, passengers are green by the time the North Island is safely reached) We killed time aboard playing a fiercely competitive card game; entertaining, and periodically scaring, the surrounding children with our groaning and banging on the table like the worst of poor losers.

Soon after we disembarked my son abandoned us to catch up with some university mates in Wellington while my youngest and I dined at the superb Logan Brown restaurant before heading to our lodgings in Martinborough. As we approached the Rimutaka Hills, our headlights lit up a road sign warning motorbike riders to take extra care. How typically quaint of rural New Zealand we laughed. And then the fog descended and the wind whipped up. As we crawled over the steep pass around many blind hair pin bends in smothering darkness. The wind gusts shunted our huge and heavy Lexus across the centre line several times and it became clear that only the ignorant or a lunatic would attempt the ride in such terrifying conditions – the sign had more than a little merit.

Once again, the wine region in Martinborough offers a huge selection of superb venues each with it’s own blend of style and character. We spent our penultimate day cycling around the small, flat grid of vineyards and it’s hard to go wrong in selecting a few diversions. The better known Palliser and Ata Rangi estates are very popular but drop into any property that takes your fancy and you’re likely to be delighted at what you find. For food (and lodgings), Poppies was one of our preferred venues, as was Luna next door where we ate lunch. After a several delicious tastings, the cycle home in the late evening seemed a little more arduous.

The Martinborough region has grown into a highly rated destination for wine fans and foodies alike. In fact, every November the Toast Martinborough Festival kicks off (tickets on sale from August) and thousands descend on Martinborough and magical Greytown close by to enjoy a wonderful weekend celebrating wine, food and music.

All too soon it was time to farewell the kids and with the house finally empty again, I’m allowing my liver some recovery time. They’re pretty tough things; livers. I’ve leaned they regenerate even after bits are chopped off. I do know however, they can’t thrive with prolonged saturation in wine – perhaps my next trip should be to a health retreat.