Welcome to Blenheim

Today our morning started off with a sea adventure to try and catch sight of some whales.  Unfortunately, we did not see any whales.  We did see several birds, dolphins, and sea lions.  We armed ourselves with some homeopathic remedies and sea bands to reduce the motion sickness.  Aaron did a great job of not getting sick at all.  I maintained until our last stop, and then I had my shining moment.  It was a good adventure; however, I think we have learned that the Pennington’s are not meant for any sea adventures unless we are on a cruise ship. 

After our morning whale watching ride, we grabbed some Subway and headed towards Blenheim.  The drive along the coastline was spectacular.   I was even more excited when we entered Marlbough Country.  This is the wine region of Northern New Zealand (South Island).  They are known for their Sauvignon Blancs.  There are over 100 hundred wineries in and around Blenheim.  We checked into our hotel and made our way to Cloudy Bay and Allan Scott wineries.  Within minutes from our hotel we were at the most picturesque wineries.  You have endless vineyards surrounded by beautiful mountains.  The wines were pretty fabulous too. We snagged ourselves a map of all the wineries and have great recommendations for tomorrow.  At Allan Scott's winery we found out there was a beer festival going on at Drylands winery.  Aaron and I made our way there and enjoyed some of the best brew of the trip yet.  They had music and all sorts of microbrews.  We were surrounded by mountains and vineyards and enjoying some great Pale Ale, IPA, Saison, etc.  We had a marvelous time.  The weather was gorgeous.  We grabbed a blanket and just took in the scenery of people enjoying the brew and weather.  Blenheim is turning out to be a wonderful stop along our adventure.

Later that evening we went to a local Pub & Pizza restaurant called Ye Olde Malthouse on Dodson Street.  We enjoyed some more great beer and pizza.  The restaurant had a park like garden where you could enjoy your food and drink outside.  It was very nice.  Aaron and I felt like we were in someone's back yard just enjoying a great summer's night.

Tomorrow, we will head to more wineries.  Oh I can't wait!