Our travels in New Zealand continued as we crossed from the South Island to the North Island on the Interislander Ferry, across the Cook Strait. The trip took just over three hours and it was here that we bid farewell to the South Island of New Zealand. We had thoroughly enjoyed our time here, despite the unseasonal rain and wind we had encountered. As we arrived into Wellington our adventures on the North Island began. We passed through Wellington, heading for the pretty town of Martinborough, about an hour and thirty minutes away.
Martinborough is a lovely small town with some charming old buildings, but predominantly famed for its wineries. It is a relatively new grape growing area, begun in the 1980’s when its terroir was discovered to be similar to Burgundy in France. This region is known for its Pinot Noir but it also produces some excellent whites.
We toured four top notch wineries in an afternoon tasting Sauvignon Blancs, Rieslings, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. Ata Rangi, Te Kairanga, Martinborough Vineyard and Coney Wines were the four we visited. All offered great wine and tastings.
The best tasting of the afternoon came at Coney Wines where we also happened to be staying in our camper van. Here we met the hugely entertaining Tim Coney, who delivered a passionate, knowledgable and humorous wine tasting. It is probably the best wine tasting we’ve ever done and we’ve done a fair few! We tasted the full range of their wines and loved them all. The musical theme is genius and runs through everything they do at the winery. Their logo is a treble clef with a bunch of grapes and a corkscrew, their wines are all named musical names, Ragtime Riesling and Pizzicato Pinot Noir to name two, and musical scripts decorate the bar. We also got to stay right alongside the vines in our camper van, enjoying a gourmet hamper full of meats, cheese, pate and bread, provided by Coney Wines.
The boys had loads of fun exploring the vineyard and playing with Jessie the dog. They also got up early to go meet Tim who had promised a tour of “some interesting stuff”. Of course the most interesting thing was Tim and his entertaining eloquence in explaining things. However, they did like seeing the tractor with it’s lethal trimming blades in full flight and Tim at the wheel. He also gave a very practical walk through of the wine making process and running a vineyard. It’s a romantic notion to own a vineyard, but Tim left us in no doubt about how much hard work is involved.
We happened to be in Martinborough on the weekend of the fayre and local rodeo. On the Friday evening everyone gathered at the rodeo to cheer on the action. It was our first time at a rodeo and it was good fun.
On the Saturday morning 20,000 people arrived in Martinborough for the bi-annual fayre. Stalls filled the streets selling all manner of goods. We spent the morning wandering around sampling the food and admiring many of the products. If packing had allowed we would have loved to buy both a windbreak covered in camper vans and a wine barrel table!.
After a morning at the fayre we went back to Coney Wines to enjoy lunch in their winery restaurant. Margaret Coney is a french trained chef and runs a fantastic kitchen. This was one of our best meals in New Zealand, which was a wonderful end to our time in Martinborough.
It was sad to leave Martinborough and particularly Coney Wines. We did buy a box of wine though which is being shipped back to the UK to remind us of our time here! We continued to move north, traveling up to Tongariro National Park and Taupo.
WHERE WE STAYED
Coney Wines offer overnight stays in self contained camper vans if booked through Maui.
2 Comments.
Did you find time to watch the rugby, it was a great game. Wales snatching defeat from victory, but a fantastic performance and a real test for England. Wines look good, obviously slumming it again !
Hi Steve – I was up at 5am to watch. The atmosphere looked and sounded the best it has been for a few years. A few small mistakes in the last 10 minutes that put us in a position to lose the match – real shame. Lions selection will be so tough this year – perhaps a good Thirsty night discussion…how many shirts are currently nailed on?. So far, perhaps only two, Stuart Hogg and Alun Wyn Jones (that should be enough to get Julian started). Wine in NZ has been another education – a new section of the cellar is shaping itself.