New Zealand 2.0 Hawkes Bay and Wellington

We got up and drove to Hastings. This was our first day of wine tasting in New Zealand, although it almost never happened. We went three hours without a gas station (A: because Dave didn't want to stop when I suggested that we really should get some damn gas) and I thought for sure the sheep were gonna get us. Luckily we made it and it was a great day. The scenery was beautiful, the wine was great, and people were friendly. We were usually the only people tasting which was nice.

We went to five wineries this day and enjoyed all of them. I didn't realize the full range of wines they make and make well in New Zealand. For instance, we had a fantastic Syrah at Trinity Hill.







Unison





Abbey






Alpha Domus



Sileni






This is the place we stayed in Hastings. It was a cute little motel run by a nice family.



The Clansman



We had dinner at this tapas place called Deliciosa in Havelock North, which was a little bit south of the wineries we visited. Andrea really loved their pork belly dish. It was like tons of little pork belly bits, glazed with this pomegranate glaze... so good!





The next day we were on the road again. Wellington would be our last day on the North Island. We really liked this city and wish we had more time there. It reminded us of a small San Francisco.

We got checked into our hotel and headed to the Museum of New Zealand.


Dave looking really happy about it being so windy in Windy Welly.


Lots of jewelry made out of this green stuff that looked like jade. Lots of Maori designs...



We ate one of these guys in Brisbane. He was delicious.


A skeleton of the kiwi bird, showing exactly how big their eggs are. Ouch.


For dinner we went to Logan Brown, which was inside an old bank.



Tejinder suggested it as a must not miss spot. It was really good and a beautiful place.


We forgot the "before" picture, but it was very tasty.




After dinner, we took a stroll in the Cuba neighborhood. It had a great feel.. I would've liked to get to spend more time checking it out.



After dinner, Dave braved another smackdown playing Gin.



In the morning, we headed to the ferry to head to the South Island.


Bye Wellington!