“Didn’t we ought to do some more of the blog”  “sure, shall we have a G&T first?”  “No, we will not be able to type anything that makes sense if we do 😂😂”  “We don’t write anything that makes sense anyway”  “Will you two stop talking and just get on with it”  “Ok Millie, we are doing it”  “Go on then”  “Ok”

We have been told it’s time to do some more of the blog, so we have decided to wait to have the G&T and here we go 👍👍👫

After the visit to Christchurch, we got back on board and the ship set off further north, up the coast of South Island New Zealand to the port of Picton and Queen Charlotte Sound.

On arriving there, we were really pushed trying to decide what ship tour to do and a really hard decision it was, until we finally decided to do the ‘Iconic Wines of Marlborough’ which we chose, because the huge Marlborough wine region, the biggest wine region of New Zealand was so important to the New Zealand economy (honest 😂)

There are simply miles and miles of fields of wine bushes!

After quite a long bus ride, passing winery after winery, we eventually came to one of the 60 wineries in Marlborough, that the bus driver wanted to visit, so in we went, to sample four of the several wines they made, yum yum.

Then back on the bus, for another rather long ride, before turning into another winery, to sample four more wines that this winery made, again yum yum.

By this time, we had had enough wine (ha ha ha – not likely), so back on the bus for a ride to yet another winery, this one rather special as it supplied wine to the top secret government spy centre, just up the road, hence the name ‘Spy Valley Wines’, or so this was what they told us, as we were sampling yet four more wines that they made.

Whilst we were here, we were reminded, yet again, about the smoke haze blowing over from Australia and in the photo below, you can see the haze over the hills in the distance.

Then a last trip to a Chocolate Factory, to sample a few, before setting off back to the ship, to stagger up the gangway, ready to sail away to our next destination, which was a town called Napier.

Rather a somber message when we arrived there, because all everyone seemed to be talking about, was when the town was totally destroyed by an Earthquake, back in 1931 and has been totally rebuilt, but the bit that really caught our eye, was not the buildings, most built in the 1930’s, but the great old vehicles driving through the town 👍

As there were no wineries to visit 👿👿 we decided to not do a tour, but just do a trip into town for a stroll around.

Then back on board, to sail to a place where the trip we were most looking forward to was setting off from 👍👍

This was a town called Tauranga, where we were going on a trip to the Hobbit Movie Set – yippee, couldn’t wait 👍👍👫

So, now we’ve wetted you’re appetite, that’s all for now, more in the next blog 😂😂

Right, lets have that G&T 👍👍