On the Road Again

 This morning we awoke looking forward to setting off on the drive north from Christchurch to Blenheim.  But as we were packing up our room I got an email from our NZ attorney asking us to complete an updated form and supply two current passport sized photos of River.  The Attorney is based out of Christchurch so we had a unique opportunity to knock this out quickly before driving out of town, rather than waiting 3 weeks to mail everything from Hawai’i.

First order of business was to locate a place for passport photos.  This is one of those moments that truly sets New Zealand apart from the United States.  On Maui we would simply go to Kinkos or some other sterile chain shop for a completely forgettable 10 minute wrestling match with our nearly 2 year old in front of a camera he wouldn’t want to cooperate with.  Not so in New Zealand’s second largest city.  

We found a place near our hotel called The Best Passport And Portrait Studio.  Pulling up we were treated to an immersive Kiwi experience.  This guy runs the business out of his house and, well . .  . it was an experience.  

On into the house we went, Sharyl holding River on her lap for the photos, and I think with the music playing in the house (likely a record or tape player) and the photographer’s engagement with River, despite barely speaking English, River was the perfect subject.

We went ahead and got photos of Reef too just in case then proceeded out to the backyard to wait for the photos to print.  In the yard the photographer had a rabbit which the boys were entertained by until the photos were ready.  Now truly, it is hard to appreciate the things we lose as a community by letting every small business be taken over by huge companies which lack in personality, service, and experience.  The photos turned out great, and we walked away from what should have been a chore with smiles on our faces and a handful of chocolates the photographer sent us off with for the boys.

From there we hit Copenhagen Bakery, which had come highly recommended from Sharyl’s friend Ann, and of course it was excellent.  Then on to the attorneys office at Lane Neave to drop the photos and sign the forms.  Then we hopped in the car and set out on the road North out of the city.

After about 2 hours of driving we arrived at the small fishing town of Kaikōura.  Situated at the beginning of an area of rugged coastline the town is a big draw for anyone seeking fresh seafood (Kaikōura actually means “eat crayfish” or lobster to us in the US), wanting to go on a whale watch in search of Sperm whales which are prevalent in the area, or see the town’s fur seal colony.  Unfortunately we only had time for a quick drive through town and were able to grab a veggie crepe for the boys.

Just about 15 minutes past Kaikōura town Sharyl steered the car into an Oceanside parking lot with a single food truck called Nin’s Bin.  The food truck occupies what might be the most picturesque food truck location in New Zealand.

We stopped into Nin’s Bin because in addition to having a breathtaking location, the food truck is owned by Johnny James Clark, a third generation fisherman & lobsterman who also happens to be a CHMer.  Unfortunately Johnny wasn’t at the food truck, the lady said he’s typically not there, more often he’s on the boat fishing as they supply all their own fresh catch.  Oh well so it goes with unannounced drop ins.  Nonetheless we were stoked to check this incredible little place out.

From there we continued on up the rugged coastline - the area looks a lot like Big Sur, with mountains springing up straight from the ocean.  

After about 20 miles the road moved away from the coastline and into rolling hills and eventually on into Marlborough - New Zealand’s most famous wine making region, and our destination for the night.

Once into Blenheim, the main wine town in the Marlborough region we picked up some pizza from a food truck, grabbed a bottle of local sparkling wine and headed just out of town over the Wairau River to The Hunter’s Cabin at The Jolly Poacher Retreat.

The Jolly Poacher Retreat is a really small B&B with just two cabins (the other is called The Angler’s Cabin) run by Helen & Dave, a really friendly and funny kiwi couple.  Upon arriving Sharyl spotted sheep grazing in the field right next to our cabin and went over to take some pictures- meanwhile I was moving our bags into the cabin and saw River running over toward Sharyl.  Well a couple minutes later I found out he hadn’t made it all the way over to her, and neither of us knew where he’d gone.  So Sharyl, Reef and I spread out on a River search party of the 5 acre property.  About a minute later we heard River making excited sounds and came to find him running across the lawn in Helen & Dave’s big backyard garden with Dave watching from the porch - “he’s here” Dave casually announced.  

So with River retrieved we set ourselves up for a pizza dinner on the grass next to the field where the Sheep were.  The boys were loving it - and River spent some time practicing his sheep calls.

Finally it was off to bed for the boys, and a moment of peace for Sharyl and I to enjoy our first glass of wine in Marlborough.