After breakfast at the Hawthorne House, we went out back to observe as the chickens were fed.

We thanked our hosts for their hospitality and headed north on our 240 km trek to Rotorua.

Before leaving town, we wanted to attempt another visit to Esk Vineyards, which had closed up early when we had made the attempt to visit the day that we arrived in Napier. Fortunately they were open so we stopped to taste wine.

I should mention a thing or two about how we chose the places that we wanted to visit. Because we only were able to visit each wine region for about a day and a half, we can’t possibly visit all of the vineyards and we don’t want to waste time visiting the ones that are mediocre. Identifying the top ten or so involves getting recommendations from the locals, analyzing the wine lists from top restaurants in the area, and doing research ahead of time regarding which places have won awards. The final list also undergoes further consideration such as whether a vineyard actually has a tasting room (surprisingly, many of them don’t), and whether those tasting rooms (or cellar doors as they are referred to as in New Zealand) are even open when we visit. Because we like to visit in the off-season to avoid crowds, sometimes we miss out on some that don’t even open until busy season.

With that in mind, Esk Valley was on the list because they had won an award in Wine Spectator for best sauvignon blanc in addition to multiple recommendations from people that we had spoken with in Marlborough and Hawke’s Bay.

Sue, a local Kiwi and wine expert, was our guide when we visited. We tried the sauvignon blanc, which evidently didn’t have the same effect on me as it had on the Wine Spectator judges. However, by our criteria, we found one that did hit our exceptional rating and two others that came close. Win.

• 2014 Esk Valley Hawke’s Bay Verdelho (although “very good” and just short of our exceptional rating, we chose this because this was the first time either of us had ever seen this varietal)
• 2013 Esk Valley Hawke’s Bay Chenin Blanc (also “very good” and just short of our exceptional rating but one of Lorna’s favorite varietals, which I usually don’t like, but both of us liked this one)
• 2013 Winemaker’s Reserve Syrah (not quite ready to drink but will be orgasmic after a year or more in the cellar)

I don't think we can overstate how curvy the roads in New Zealand are, especially the South Island. Although the highest speed limits posted were 100 km (62 mph), most of the time the first couple of days, we never got above 50 km (31 mph). Lorna could not really take a good look at the scenery since she was concentrating on the curves, many of which had steep drop offs. New Zealand also only has two lane roads 99% of the time, so if you are going too slow, you have to find a place to pull over to let cars go by, and people show their appreciation by honking (in a good way).

Upon arrival in Rotorua, we found our accommodations and checked in. The house was in the center of town and was indistinguishable from the adjacent homes with the exception of the Springs sign out front, identifying it as our destination. Our hosts, Murray and Colleen, were very friendly and accommodating.

After settling in, we walked down town to a restaurant that Colleen had recommended. We had an excellent supper of terakihi, a local white fish that many restaurants server, and lamb. The downtown area had a pervasive stench of rotten dumpster, which turned out to be sulphur from the natural hot springs in the area. Although the locals have gotten used to it, tourists don’t regard it as a memorable quality of a visit to Rototua. Well, some might but we didn’t.

Day 15: Drive to Auckland
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