New Zealand - the 2024 Tour - Week 4 - Paraparaumu, Wellington, Blenheim and Motueka

Heading for Wellington and the South Island

Highway One took us Southward from Wanganui. The morning's highlight was a coffee break in the lively town of Foxton at the delightful Robert Harris Cafe The young lady who took our order, seemingly around ten years old, was remarkably efficient. The patrons were all locals with many wearing sporting gear, giving us the impression that Foxton is a town enthusiastic about sports.

Kapiti Coast

Next stop, the challenging-to-pronounce Paraparaumu. It was our first time using Airbnb, and our initial experience in Raumati South was extremely positive, thanks to Ngahuia. Our very comfortable property was in the front garden of a house in a quiet residential road. We extended our stay because it was so nice. We had planned to take a boat to Kapiti Island, but the forecast of rain and gales made us reconsider. This was the first bout of bad weather on our trip. With Wellington just a short drive away, we decided to pay a visit. We attempted to go by train but it was out of service. The city's hustle and bustle was a stark contrast to the tranquil towns we'd visited up north. We struggled to pay for our Car Park. Too complicated for us but eventually the machine gave up arguing and was happy with our $40. We had not done any preparation so we just wandered for a while. When in doubt though, it's always wise to head upwards, at the least the view will be good. So we took the Cable Car from Lambton Quay to Kelburn, enjoyed a leisurely stroll through the Botanic Gardens, had lunch, and then walked back down. We continued to explore the city, which was enjoyable, though quite exhausting. Overall, it was a fascinating excursion, but we found ourselves favoring the quiet towns and countryside over the bustling city with its parking and traffic issues.

Paraparaumu - view to Kapiti Island

Baah Humbug

Wellington - a mix of old and new

TW at the top of the Cable Car

A weary traveller

Cable Car this way

The Beehive - Government Building

The Ngā Manu Bird Sanctuary offered an interesting outing. We chose the guided tour, and TW had a parrot perch on her head. Feeding the Mallards turned out to be a riskier endeavour, fitting for Queenstown the adventure capital of the world. We discovered a charming pub by the coast in Paraparaumu, named the Waterfront. Cloudy IPA is the local favorite, and I've acquired a liking for it.

Paraparaumu is a thriving area, presumably with many people commuting into Wellington.

Nice road from Paraparaumu to Wellington

Naga Manu - the Birdman

On your head be it!

Kapiti Island

Seatoun

Our original intention was to fly from Wellington to Nelson but Car Hire in the South was mega expensive so we hatched a cunning plan where we would keep our North Island Car and take it on the Ferry to Picton. TW would fly from Wellington to Blenheim and I would join her there. We looked for somewhere to stay near the Airport and luckily hit upon the beautiful suburb of Seatoun. It was only a short drive through the tunnel from Wellington but it was a world away. It really was a beautiful area. We walked into town and had a decent meal in the evening at Little Sprig. Have to say the Wellington area was the biggest surprise of the trip. Much nicer than we had expected although we did get decent weather.

Sleepy Seatoun

Scorch O Rama Coffee Stop on our walk along the Coast near Scorching Bay

Seatoun wandering - Scorching Bay

Walking on Water in Wellington

I think this means wear a DJ after dark?

TW on the Coast near Wellington

Surf Beach near Wellington

Wellington to Picton

Ferry to the Mainland

A fellow passenger

Loaded up

Crossing Cook Strait

In the Sound

Picton Arrival

I dropped TW off at Wellington Airport. She had a good flight over to Blenheim on Air New Zealand.

The voyage over on the boat was also happily uneventful. Lots to see on the way as we exited Wellington. I talked to a friendly HR Lady. Her job is to sail on the Ferry Boats to check that the crew are happy. We saw a seal in the water. She recommended we go to Salisbury Falls when we were in Collingwood.

Overall, the Cook Strait was very calm and the Sounds were beautiful. It's only a short drive from Picton to Blenheim, about 30 mins and I met up at The Nest our new Airbnb just outside the town. It had a lovely rural setting with sheep grazing in front and vines to the side. The owners dog made regular visits to our nice shed to check we were OK. We were given treats to give the dog, could be why its friendly.

Marlborough is a big wine growing area and vines are growing everywhere. Many vineyards operate wine tours and we stopped at Villa Maria, a popular winery in UK. We had opted for a bike ride along the river and through the vines on rented bikes from Blenheim. We had a great day but it was mighty hot. They had a severe drought and the ground was parched. We hoped they would get rain soon but ideally after our visit. Blenheim is a busy town, lots of shops and a good base for visiting the area.

The Nest - Our home near Blenheim

Our peaceful Paddock

TW takes to the cycle path

A taste of Austria near Blenheim

One of each please

Out in the vines

Biking is best

Many of the Vineyards have quite posh Restaurants with meals to accompany their wine tasting . We stopped at the rather smart Wither Hills Winery. We considered having lunch but it looked far too formal for us. We had earlier been recommended to go to a local Pie Shop so we pressed on and found it just up the road. Burleigh Pies claim to be world famous in Blenheim whatever that means. Lovely pies though.

Just love a nice Pie

Motueka

Walking in Motueka

We had accommodation booked in Motueka so we had to tear ourselves away from Blenheim and head West towards Nelson. On the way we stopped at Havelock, a small roadside town but also the base for mussel farming and cruising on the Pelorus Sound. We had no time on the day but we were convinced by Pelorus Cruises that we needed to return to take a trip on their mail boat. We did have time for a relaxing coffee on the Quay at the Slip Inn before heading over the hill to Nelson and a cuppa with some friends from Home. They had rented a lovely house by the river in the centre of Nelson. We were very envious. They gave us some useful info on the area before we headed off to our Motel in Motueka. We visited Motueka last time we were here and it had not changed too much. We enjoyed a very pleasant walk by the coast. We also visited Mapua Wharf and had coffee and cake at the Jelly Fish. Oh, and, as recommended, we also had Ice Cream at Hamish Ice Cream, it would be rude not to. TW had Boysenberry!

Motueka appeared to be bustling and thriving. The town had a somewhat hippie vibe, with many Islander fruit pickers frequenting the supermarket. It's a significant fruit-growing region. New World Supermarkets have won me over, and I've even got a discount card now!