On our last full day, we had breakfast outside on the porch, then set out once again for a day of tasting. Before we arrived at any of the “cellar doors” (the New Zealand word for tasting rooms), our guide showed us how they trim the vines. They use a converted thresher that trims the top and sides and fluffs out the lower areas with the grapes. I’m including a video as well as pictures to show how that works. It is a $500,000 machine and if you use it for more than one purpose it will get worn out very quickly – a difficult option for the small vineyards!
First stop was at another small vineyard, Lawson’s Dry Hills.
Our second stop was at Brancott Estate – a wine we can easily buy here in the U.S. It is one of the largest and is a beautiful place. There were numerous really good wines that are only available in New Zealand; we brought one back!
We had lunch at Wither Hills, again with a wine tasting prior to lunch. More yummy food and drink!
Our next stop was at Makana Confections Chocolate Factory. We tasted chocolate instead of wine….and, yes, of course, we bought some to bring home!
They dropped me off at the hotel, then the rest of them, including our guide, went to the Moa Brewery – for beer! They had fun and I enjoyed the time off to start getting packed.
Once back at the hotel, Melissa called me and told me to come quickly. There was a hedgehog in the yard. I don’t think I’d ever seen one before. And, yes, I did touch him lightly and he is prickly!
And then it was cocktail time again:
On our last night we celebrated my birthday – which was really the next day both at home and there. The hotel surprised me with a wonderful, fabulous chocolate dessert and a beautiful bouquet from their garden. It was really a nice celebration; the entire staff and the other guests sang to me 😊. When I got back to our room, I was surprised by a gift from the lodge—a cute miniature wool lamb.
More amazing food!
In the morning after breakfast, we said good-bye to Karen and then we set off on what was to be my longest birthday ever – 43 hours.
At the airport and once on the plane, I looked out the window and saw my scooter — it sure looked lonely and I was hoping it was going to get loaded onto the plane!
New Zealand is 19 hours ahead of home. We got up at 7:00 a.m. New Zealand time, drove to the nearby Blenheim airport after another wonderful breakfast. We flew from Blenheim to Auckland and had a six-hour layover. We went on a city tour with a local which was unexceptional. For John, a highpoint of the tour was a trip to the bookstore at the University of Auckland where he purchased a t-shirt and ballcap. Melissa used to teach Body Pump so she wanted to find where Les Miller was; but all we found was a gym for Les Miller. Then we left Auckland at 7:30 p.m. and arrived back in Houston at 1:30 p.m. on the same day!
First stop in Auckland was at One Tree Hill. The obelisk is honoring Sir John Logan Campbell who donated this huge amount of land to the city. He is buried under the flat part surrounding the obelisk. This is a former volcanic cone.
A box of condoms on the University of Aukland campus:
There are two sad stories to that day–still my birthday. I began the drive from Houston to Dallas and just before Madisonville I notice flashing lights far back behind me. I glanced at the dashboard and I was going 80 in a 75 and knew it wasn’t for me. But it was. The officer from the sheriff’s department pulled up behind me and I pulled over. He asked me if I knew why he stopped me. I said no. He then said that he had received a call that I was driving erratically and failing to stay in my lane. To which I immediately replied, “And I know who called you!” Then I told him that awhile back I had flashed my lights at the car in front of me, asking the car to move over; instead the driver pulled even with an 18-wheeler going 72 (in the 75 mph) and created a rolling barricade for about ten minutes. I didn’t challenge her; I knew I was being punished for flashing my lights and tailgating her would not help. But when she did move up, I zoomed around her!!! And she called the cops on me! I told him this whole story. After checking my insurance, running me for outstanding warrants, and having me remove my sunglasses for a closer look, he said I did not seem impaired and off I went.
Then, when we got to Centerville to stop and change drivers, I asked John to pull out my laptop. That’s when we realized it had been left on the Auckland to Houston plane. Yikes!!! I called and received a call back that evening that they had the computer. But then there was a comedy of errors; I followed his instructions on my cell phone to get a shipping label from FedEx, but I must have made a mistake and when I didn’t receive my computer by Saturday (having come home on Tuesday) I called, then went online to start over. It turns out that FedEx has a glitch on its website and John ended up driving to the local FedEx to get the label, then had to email it to Air New Zealand. By the way, in addition to being a really great airline (nice people and a great business class and priority coach), the man at the lost and found was really kind and patient with my multiple calls to get this straightened out. It will come within eight or nine days after getting home. Imagine being without for that long!!! Meanwhile, I am doing a draft of this blog on John’s computer…..with no access to the pictures.
In all, it was a wonderful experience. We all loved all of it. Thanks for sharing my journey!
Beth
Beth's Blogs 
So much fun sharing your travels
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