Archive for the 'Activities' Category

Incredible Wine Tour in Central Otago

Posted by Ruth Atherley on June 4, 2011 at 4:39 am

As a part of TRENZ, I had the opportunity to take a wine tour with Appellation Central Wine Tours. It was one of the best wine tours of the entire trip. Our guide, Lain, was exceptional. Friendly, knowledgeable and easy going, he educated, informed and entertained – not an easy thing to do with a group of journalists and travel agents, let me tell you!

Situated at an altitude of 45°south, Central Otago is the most southerly wine region in the world. The region’s shaly soil and climate of hot, dry summers, cool autumns and crisp, cold winters provide excellent grape growing conditions for its 177 vineyards which are producing award-winning wines of exceptional elegance and longevity and world-class Pinot Noirs that are increasingly sought-after.

We had a wine tasting at Gibbston Valley, the first commercial wine producer in the Central Otago region. It is also the location of New Zealand’s largest underground wine cave. In an interesting little moment, the Pinot Noir we were to taste had to be taken out of the small wine cooler in the wine cave. The reason, the cave is too chilled for Pinot Noir and the refrigerator keeps the wine at a bit warmer temperature.

We then went on to the Valli Vineyards and spent some time with Grant Taylor, owner and winemaker. For me, this was one of the highlights of our entire trip. Grant is clearly knowledgeable and gifted – he is one of New Zealand’s most awarded Pinot Noir winemaker’s, earning a string of gold medal and trophy accolades throughout his long career. However, none surpasses winning the trophy for Best Pinot Noir – twice – at the world’s largest wine competition, the London International Wine Challenge. A feat achieved by no other winemaker in the world. Yet he is down-to-earth and engaged, interested in what the people he is speaking with think. At one point, he leaned over and picked up a vine to show us and it really felt like he was showing off his babies to us. He was gentle with the vines and clearly had a huge amount of affection for them, the earth and nature. This isn’t just a business to him; it’s his life. And, I have to say, I learned more about wine and wine making during our casual conversation than I have from the several books I have read or the courses I have taken.

And, of course, we got to taste his fabulous wine. I can say without fail, that it is the best Pinot Noir I have ever tasted. I am kicking myself for not bringing a bottle of it back with me. Sigh.

Cycling Your Way Through the Classic New Zealand Wine Trail

Posted by Ruth Atherley on June 3, 2011 at 10:48 am

I spent some time with the fabulous people at Cycle Turismo at TRENZ. Cycle Turismo offers high quality guided cycling holidays for the discerning cyclist. Each tour allows participants to sample the deliciously indulgent Classic New Zealand Wine Trail and serves up luxury accommodation, fine dining, world-class wines and abundant natural beauty. We were fortunate to do a little bit of the Classic New Zealand Wine Tour when we were in Hawke’s Bay and loved it! (Click here to see the blog post.)

Cycle Turismo’s extraordinary cycling package is enhanced by authentic Kiwi experiences, knowledgeable local guides and best in class service to ensure that participant comfort is not comprised.

Think of sun-drenched days riding meandering roads through the quiet countryside, wide-open spaces, rolling hills, breath taking scenery and rural off-the-beaten-track charm.

Imagine being on this kind of a vacation…your riding companions are friends and locals. They know the route and provide directions, offer insights as to what lies ahead, and ride at your pace. They also provide any and all support you might require, and carry the tools, pumps, refreshments and spare clothing. The ride itself is a joy. Not too long, but challenging enough that you can be proud of your accomplishments.

Cycle Tourismo focuses on small group tours (of 2 to 6 cyclists) that enable the group to have a more personalized and interactive experience; to discover new places, to stay in boutique lodgings surrounded by vineyards, to meet and make friends with the locals; and to experience authentic “kiwi” culture.

With Cycle Turismo, the tours include afternoon “free-time” sessions so you can do the activities and sightseeing that interests you. They also provide recommendations and bookings at your request.

It sounds like the perfect cycle tour to me.

Who Throws Candy Down the Steepest Street in the World?

Posted by Ruth Atherley on June 2, 2011 at 3:35 am

This July 23-29 is the Dunedin Cadbury Chocolate Carnival in Dunedin on the South Island of New Zealand. There is a great deal going on at the carnival, but the one event that always catches our attention is the Jaffa Races. There are two races and in each, 25,000 Jaffas are rolled down Baldwin Street, the steepest street in the world. The money raised through betting on which Jaffa will win goes to charity.

Some fast facts about the Jaffa Races:

• Cadbury Jaffas are round balls of orange candy coated chocolate.
• Every Cadbury Giant Jaffa is individually numbered by hand.
• Each Jaffa Race ticket number is printed on self-adhesive paper, and then stuck on to one Cadbury Giant Jaffa.
• It takes approximately 15 to 25 seconds for the first Cadbury Jaffas to make their way to the bottom of Baldwin Street.
• Cadbury Jaffas have been manufactured and sold in the New Zealand market since 1931.
• Cadbury Jaffas quickly became so popular that Kiwis abroad often phoned home asking to be sent another box.
• Every Kiwi knows the fun of rolling a Jaffa in their mouth and experiencing the unique orange and chocolate taste.
• Dunedin is now the proud home of Cadbury Jaffas, with production of the delicious sweets moving from Auckland to the Dunedin factory toward the end of 2008.
• The Cadbury factory in Dunedin produces nearly 90 tonnes of Cadbury Jaffas each year.
• New Zealanders on average consume approximately 126,404 Cadbury Jaffas per day.
• We were told at TRENZ that the purple Jaffas are faster than the orange ones…

AquaTaxi/Abel Tasman Kayaks

Posted by Ruth Atherley on June 2, 2011 at 3:35 am

I always like to connect with the AquaTaxi/Abel Tasman Kayaks team when I am at TRENZ. They are friendly, funny and so welcoming. They offer a range of guided half-day, full-day and overnight tours designed to showcase the beauty of Abel Tasman.

One of the activities that they told me about at this year’s TRENZ is the Seal Swim. Guests can join these playful and curious creatures at close quarters in their environment at Tonga Island Marine Reserve. Their low impact, eco-friendly swim allows these beautiful animals to respond in their own way. Being respectful and considerate of the marine life, the ocean and Mother Nature, in general, is a big part of their business. And their consideration for nature makes touring with them even better.

With the seal swim, you get to swim with the seals for an hour – and that’s guaranteed.  The groups are small in numbers, so you get a real chance to experience the cheeky seals (and probably your cheeky guide) without a big crowd.

You can see a video of the seal swim here. (Click the dropdown beside “Seal Swim.”)

TSS Earnslaw

Posted by Ruth Atherley on June 2, 2011 at 3:35 am

One of the TRENZ functions that we went to was held on the TSS Earnslaw. The TSS Earnslaw turns 100 next year and it is the only working coal-fired steamship in the southern hemisphere. As we sipped lovely New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, we could look down into the belly of the Earnslaw and see coal being shovelled in to feed her engine and imagine what it must have been like to sail on this beautiful ship almost 100 years ago. Sailing on her in 2011 was pretty amazing too.

The TSS Earnslaw is a piece of working history and definitely worth a visit when in Queenstown.

Some fun facts about the TSS Earnslaw:

• The Earnslaw carried the Duke of York in 1927 and the Duke of Gloucester in 1935.
• In March 1990, the Earnslaw carried Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip.
• Other royalty to travel on board have been the King and Queen of Belgium, the Prince of Thailand, and the Emperor and Empress of Japan.
• The TSS Earnslaw made a brief cameo appearance in the movie Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) as an Amazon River boat.
• The TSS Earnslaw uses one tonne of coal every hour.
• Parts of the TSS Earnslaw were used as the basis for the SS Venture, the steamship in the movie King Kong.
• The TSS Earnslaw was launched in the same year as the RMS Titanic – 1912.
• Former president Bill Clinton travelled on board the TSS Earnslaw in 1999.
• The TSS Earnslaw travels 1.5 times the circumference of the earth each year. Not bad for a 100-year-old steamship!
• TSS stands for Twin Screw Steamship.
• Famous composer Ron Goodwin composed a piece of music inspired by the rhythm of the TSS Earnslaw’s engines. It was first performed by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.