Although this trip was all about wine, our stay in Punakaiki didn’t involve much except what we drank with supper. Still, we had a wonderful time walking the trails and experiencing sights that we aren’t likely to see again.

After another “home-cooked” breakfast and cleaning up, we headed out for a 250KM trip to Nelson.

We were advised to check out the seal colony at Cape Foulwind next to Westport, but it would have taken an hour or more out of our trip. Since we both got our share of the excitement of seals at Monterey Bay when we were in the military, we figured that we weren’t going to miss much by skipping this leg of the journey.

Upon arrival in Nelson, we made our way to the Bronte Country Estate B&B in Mapua. Jordan, the property manager, met us and directed us to our cottage, which was situated on the edge of Tasman Bay.

After introducing us to the room, Jordan let us know that she had taken the liberty of making dinner reservations for us at The Jellyfish in downtown Mapua. This was around 2:30 so we got settled and headed out to find a place for lunch. Jordan had recommended a place called The Apple Shed (although she pronounced it “Apple Sheet” in Kiwi dialect, which was confusing until we realized the English translation) for lunch.

Before leaving for lunch, we asked Jordan if there was anyone who could provide us with a short list of outstanding vineyards to visit. With a large list of local “cellar doors” available and only one day to visit them, we didn’t want to waste time with the mediocre ones. Fortunately, the Bronte’s owner, Margaret, had a list of favorites that she provided for us.

Our lunch at Apple Shed was outstanding and offered a wine list that featured mostly local Nelson/Mapua wines. I had an exceptional Sauvignon Blanc from Waimea in Nelson and Lorna had a Pinot Gris from Kahurangi, both of which were vineyards that Margaret had identified.

Because it was getting late in the day, we headed to Nelson to catch Waimea Vineyards tasting room before they closed. “Cat” (short for Catriona), a Scot transplant who had been in New Zealand for seven years, was tending the tasting bar. We tasted just about the full gamut of Waimea’s wares and found at least four of them to meet our 5% exceptional criteria. We bought a mixed case of Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Gris (Lorna’s favorite). Win.

On the way back to Bronte, we stopped at Rimu Grove Winery’s tasting room because it was on the same street as our B&B. The fellow running the tasting room, a transplant from Pennsylvania, looked to be ready to lock up for the day and seemed annoyed that we had interrupted his departure. The wines were good but not exceptional. Fail.

Supper at The Jellyfish in downtown Mapua was excellent. Lorna had lamb ragu pasta and I just nodded ascent when our server shouted the fish of the day over the din. The place was packed and extremely loud so I couldn’t understand her, which exacerbated my difficulty in understanding Kiwi dialect. I think that it was blue cod over mashed potatoes but it was very good.

Off-topic mention: All of the places in which we have stayed so far provide Internet access. As remote as some of these places are from civilization, I have been surprised at the decent bandwidth. This is not the case at Bronte, as the speed could be compared to that provided by pre-21^st century dial-up modem.

Another off-topic mention: Vodaphone sucks. The SIM card that I bought at the Queenstown airport never worked in my phone. Once we got to Hokitika a few days ago, I found an electronics store that handled Vodaphone. The said that I needed to buy a “throwaway” phone that could use the SIM card. It was only $29NZD so why not? It still doesn’t work. Fortunately, we ended up not needing it.

Day 9: Wine tasting in Nelson/Mapua
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