Day 4: Wine Tasting & Backpacking

We started the morning by feeding the eels. Yes, those gross snaky-like things we see scuba diving. The difference was these were totally in the open - out swimming around, not hiding in the reef or behind a rock. There were black eels and the green spotted ones, apparently they are fresh & saltwater creatures. The B&B we stayed at has a river in the back and every morning the owner feeds the eels and keeps the ducks away with his water hose.

From here we set out to the Marlborough region, known for Sauvignon Blancs. The town that is center to all the vineyards is Blenheim (formerly Beaver Town until it was renamed in the '40s). Here we participated in our only wine tasting of the trip at Forrest Estate - a boutique vineyard. Beautiful setting and fun tasting. Interestingly they end up covering all the vines with netting as the birds love to eat the grapes. Also, there are an increasing number of vineyards as farmers have found there is more money in grapes then sheep or other farming. So we saw many newly planted vines.

Now it is off for our three day excursion. Some have chosen sea kayaking in the Marbourgh Sound (the only true sound in NZ) and others a 3 day backpacking adventure. There were no bikers - the third option. The two guides and 4 vacationers set out on the trail in Nelson Lakes National Park. This in the central north section of the North Island. The first day our hike is flat along the shores of Lake Rotoiti. The trail is covered in birch leaves - their are 3 different type of birches depending on your elevation - of course I can't remember the names, but can remember it created a soft surface to walk on. We also became acquainted with honey dew - a drop of moisture one finds on the side of these birch trees that tastes like...honey dew. After a few hours we arrived at our first hut - Lake Head Hut. This was my first experience with a hut. This was smaller about 15 beds and they are twin beds that are not detached, but side by side top & bottom with a mattress so you could be right next to someone you don't know or a snorer! There were only two other people there, two kids that had just completed college and are spending 4 months touring NZ. The evening was complete with a dive in and quick exit of the lake for a shower. Dinner was prepared by Dan and we had our two bottles of wine that we hauled in and will now haul around the empty bottles for the next two days. And oh, they do have long drops - what we call port-a-potties, I guess these are not so portable.