Wildlife and Wine

After a great dinner at a little place in Port Fairy called Ramella's, we stayed overnight in Port Fairy and then got back in the car to head for the Grampians National Park. We went on a beautiful walk at the Brambuk cultural center where we were able to see mobs of kangaroos, a flock of emus, and a kookaburra in the wild.




After that we drove on another windy and hilly road and then took a short hike to see the Mackenzie Falls.


We stayed overnight at a cool place called the Kookaburra Motel. There were only a few kookaburras hanging out the day we were there, along with a huge flock of cockatoos. From our room, we were treated with the sight of kangaroos bounding across the field.


Dinner at the Kookaburra Bistro was fantastic. We shared a bottle of local shiraz that we liked so much, we went the next day to visit the Montara winery, purchasing a bottle to bring home. We made two other winery stops on our way to the next destination in the Macedon ranges. Although it was sprinkling the next day, we climbed up to the top of Hanging Rock, a volcanic rock formation well known because of the 1975 movie, Picnic at Hanging Rock.



For our last day exploring South Victoria, we took a fantastic wine and wildlife tour of the Yarra Valley, spending the morning at the Healesville Sanctuary where we saw many animals indigenous to Australia (although the Tasmanian Devil and Wombat failed to show their heads).



We followed the wildlife tour with a delicious lunch and tasting at the Yering Station Winery and a second tasting at the DeBortoli vineyards. So much fun with a really nice group of people.

Great Ocean Road, Australia

The trip from New Zealand to Australia was uneventful. We picked up our rental car and drove to Torquay, Victoria's surfing capital. The beaches were beautiful and the water filled with surfers. We just watched, then continued north on the Great Ocean Road.



We stopped at the Split Point Lighthouse for more spectacular views



Then, on to Cape Otway Point and Lighthouse. On the way to the coast, we came across a few koalas high in the eucalyptus trees and stopped for a few pictures. Later on, we saw dozens of koalas in the trees. They are so cute. Anyway, we made it to the lighthouse and the stunning views. It was incredibly windy but I managed to venture out to the top of the lighthouse, gripping tightly to the handrails all the time.



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Continuing along the Great Ocean Road, we stopped at the 12 Apostles. Beautiful scenery and powerful surf, along with high winds. Really spectacular!




Finally, we arrive in Port Fairy where we would spend the night.But first, a walk at the Griffiths Island Reserve, home to a colony of wallabies.

North to South

Day 4 in New Zealand found us on the road to Wellington, with a short stop in Martinborough for lunch and some great wines. Returned the car in Wellington and spent the rest of our time there exploring this vibrant city on foot. After drinking so much wine over the past few days, and since Wellington claims to be the "Craft Beer Capital", we stopped by Fork and Brewer for a few beers. Loved the pulls on the taps:


We resumed our exploration of Wellington the next day, taking a cable car up to the Botanical Gardens. Beautiful.



Up early the next morning to catch the ferry to the South Island.




Our wonderful hosts at the Okiwa Bay Lodge picked us up from the ferry and drove us over windy and hilly countryside to their beautiful home. The views from their deck are spectacular, as you can see here. The following morning we were greeted by a beautiful sunrise and morning, then set out for a tour of the Marlborough region, including wineries. Great fun and excellent wines!

New Zealand - North Island

After just 5 days in New Zealand, I'm in love with the countryside and the people. We flew into Auckland, rented a car, and started the long drive to Rotorua. Surprisingly, both of us had managed to sleep on the flight from LAX, so we were all ready to go. Lucky for me, Garrett doesn't mind driving on the left side of the road, but I am white knuckled on some of the narrower roads through the mountains.

In Rotorua, we visited Whakarewarewa, a living thermal village and home to the Maori people of Tuhourangi Ngati Wahaio. Very interesting tour of the village and the beautiful thermal pools. We next took a drive to Huka Falls on our way to Taupo.

















Then on to Taupo for the night. Great dinner at a place called VineEatery, which is exactly what it sounds like -- a wine store and restaurant specializing in small plates. We had our first bottle of New Zealand wine there, a nice Pinot Noir from the Central Otago region. And we got our first taste of how friendly New Zealanders are! Next morning, a walk along beautiful Lake Taupo before heading to our next destination in Napier.

The drive was beautiful despite rain on and off, and we managed to get to Napier in plenty of time for a wine tour of the Hawkes Bay region that I had pre-booked. Our guide, Hamish, was a lot of fun. Four wineries, plus a drive up Te Mata Peak for gorgeous views of the Hawke's Bay region. Talk about white knuckles!


We started Day 3 watching the sun rise over the Pacific Ocean from the balcony of our motel room. Then we rented a couple of bikes and road a trail along the bay -- perfect weather and an easy beautiful ride of about 25 km.



Walked around Napier, which claims to be the Art Deco Capital of the world. After a devastating earthquake in 1931, the whole town was rebuilt in the Art Deco style. For dinner, we decided to go somewhere in walking distance so we could drink wine and not have to drive. Hamish had recommended a restaurant called Pacifica, which only a couple of blocks from our motel. The food was amazing. Not sure you can read this image of the menu, but believe me, it was memorable.