Category Archives: New Zealand 2012

The cliffs at the harbor entrance to Akaroa (Maori for “Long Harbor”) were a welcome sight after a long, stormy night. While both the wind and seas had abated, none of us really felt like carrying on so we motored … Continue reading →

After waiting for a weather window (and recovering from winery tours), we finally got what looked like a 3 to 4 day window to head south. Our intended destination was Stuart Island at 50 degrees South but Mother Nature had … Continue reading →

New Zealand is home to 13 different wine regions, but the Marlborough Region simply dwarfs them all. Approximately 3/4 of the countries wine production occurs in this area. The majority of the regions 200 wineries (yes – 200) are in … Continue reading →

Time to get back to some kind of timeline on posts. After transiting down the Tasman on the west coast of the North Island, we arrived in Queen Charlotte Sound (first time we were there). After our arrival, we rented … Continue reading →

The beer and wine are being chilled as I write this. Today is very special to us for many reasons but the big one is that we have completed a total circumnavigation of the North and South Islands of New … Continue reading →

Jumping ahead here as we are now approaching East Cape on the North Island after departing Picton (Queen Charlotte Sound) on the South Island. The weather planning for this leg is a prime example of the compromises one must make … Continue reading →

No, we aren’t going to the dogs, but we do miss our dog Charlie. Down here though, Wwoofing has a different meaning – Willing Workers on Organic Farms. Everywhere we have been there are just tons of young people from … Continue reading →

Moving backwards in time to our first visit to Queen Charlotte Sound, we were hustling to get in before the next big blow with winds predicted outside to over 60 knots in the Cook Straight. Our destination was the marina … Continue reading →