A fully packed day today.
I was up at some ridiculously early time thanks to the mad 13 hour time difference -- 6am equals 5pm in the UK the previous day. So my morning TV selection was updates on the Christchurch earthquake or Man City v. Fulham.
I got a nutritious breakfast from downtown Kaikoura -- a Flat White and a Steak & Mushroom pie! I then did a section of the Kaikoura peninsula walk to walk it off.
It was time to head further north -- Blenheim is 120kms away and it's got the Marlborough wine region as a neighbour!
Blenheim itself was nothing to shout about. I did get to 3 wineries though.
Brancott Estate (aka Montana) -- had lunch here, no tasting.
Villa Maria -- Full tasting, lovely wines.
Spy Valley -- Tasted the whites only. Excellent Gewurztraminer and interesting desert wines (noble sauvignon blanc and noble chardonnay).
After Spy valley it was about 100kms to Nelson, where I was staying.
By the time I got to Nelson my bladder was on the verge of rupture. Consequently my first impression of the place is one of sheer relief as I found a public toilet. My second impression was equally as good.
A few interesting looking bars and restaurants.
Where I'm staying is very impressive. All in all it's the sort of place you wish your were staying longer at.
For dinner I passed up the various upmarket options, and instead I went to 'The Vic' -- a Mac's Brewery pub. I had a couple of beers and a mighty lamb burger.
It'll be an early night tonight as I'm totally whacked.
Monday, 28 February 2011
Sunday, 27 February 2011
Speight's
Whilst waiting in the Air New Zealand Koru lounge I had a very refreshing bottle of Speight's ('Pride of the South') beer. Shame I'm driving when I get to Christchurch as I could quite easily of supped more than one bottle!
Upgrade!
The Upgrade Gods have been good to me again.
I had my boarding pass scanned the gate in Singapore. The machine beeped, the light flashed red and before I knew it my Economy Class boarding card was being ripped up and I was being presented with a nice blue Business Class one. Was I happy? Well obviously!
Over 9 hours over night in Singapore Business Class. Over 9 hours of lie-flat bed bliss.
Once on board I got comfortable and had a couple of pre-flight glasses of Champagne (Bollinger I think)!
The flight was great. Good food, nice wine and a few hours of decent sleep. It's just the amount of personal space you have that makes such a difference.
We landed at Auckland on time and I whizzed through immigration and customs. I walked to the Domestic Terminal and managed to change my flight to Christchurch to an earlier on.
At the Domestic Terminal there were a few desks manned by consular staff from various countries dealing with people affected by the earthquake in Christchurch. I also saw a Korean rescue team -- bright orange uniforms and immaculately shiny black boots.
I dropped off my bag and, once through security, I went to the Air New Zealand lounge (Koru Lounge). My first stop was to grab a shower.
Now suitably refreshed I had some food and waited for my flight to board
I had my boarding pass scanned the gate in Singapore. The machine beeped, the light flashed red and before I knew it my Economy Class boarding card was being ripped up and I was being presented with a nice blue Business Class one. Was I happy? Well obviously!
Over 9 hours over night in Singapore Business Class. Over 9 hours of lie-flat bed bliss.
Once on board I got comfortable and had a couple of pre-flight glasses of Champagne (Bollinger I think)!
The flight was great. Good food, nice wine and a few hours of decent sleep. It's just the amount of personal space you have that makes such a difference.
We landed at Auckland on time and I whizzed through immigration and customs. I walked to the Domestic Terminal and managed to change my flight to Christchurch to an earlier on.
At the Domestic Terminal there were a few desks manned by consular staff from various countries dealing with people affected by the earthquake in Christchurch. I also saw a Korean rescue team -- bright orange uniforms and immaculately shiny black boots.
I dropped off my bag and, once through security, I went to the Air New Zealand lounge (Koru Lounge). My first stop was to grab a shower.
Now suitably refreshed I had some food and waited for my flight to board
Saturday, 26 February 2011
Changi (again)
Another trip gets off to start with a flight on Singapore Airlines and a couple of hours transit at Changi.
The flight was fine - although the food was below par (not helped by them running out of the meal I wanted). I watched The Town, a pretty decent film set in Boston with Ben Affleck and Rachel Adams, and dozed for a reasonable amount of time.
I've had a quick shower, a small bite to eat and now it's almost time for get on the flight to Auckland.......
The flight was fine - although the food was below par (not helped by them running out of the meal I wanted). I watched The Town, a pretty decent film set in Boston with Ben Affleck and Rachel Adams, and dozed for a reasonable amount of time.
I've had a quick shower, a small bite to eat and now it's almost time for get on the flight to Auckland.......
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