Will Hoare, chairman of the Family of XII, and father of three little girls under five one of whom is a matter of weeks old, met us on Saturday morning with a broad grin and a scarce ticket for the Sauvignon Blanc conference before bundling us in his Land Rover, and heading for the hills. … Continue reading Fromm – doing things a different way

We left Ata Rangi on Friday afternoon keen to catch a glimpse of Wellington (about which everyone spoke so positively) but more intent on returning the car and making the 17.00 flight to Blenheim on time. The roads were busy but traffic flowed, right through the city and along the waterfront and round the far … Continue reading Island hopping – over Cook Straits

    'Martinborough is a quirky little village with a majestic square at its heart.' Highway 53 ends here, as it runs into a square whose roads and paths are said to have been organised along the lines of the union flag. And couldn't be safer, making one's way from the zebra crossing into the … Continue reading Quirky Martinborough?

Palliser's cellar door was awash with women: Pip Goodwin has lately been promoted from associate wine maker to CEO and she and her colleagues make a very hospitable team. Alan Johnson the wine maker gave us a detailed introduction to the Palliser wines, based on many years of experience with the soils, the climate and the … Continue reading Martinborough wines

Automatic cars present a modest but real challenge : how to avoid a hyperactive left foot trying to depress the brake pedal which it mistakes for the non-existent clutch. My footwork left a lot to be desired, resulting in some sudden emergency stops at quite the wrong moments. Fortunately the impressively empty trunk road was … Continue reading Gisborne to Hawkes Bay

Gisborne and the Millton's vineyards were bathed in bright sunshine on the day we visited, and our hosts, James and Annie, radiated warmth and welcomes. Our visit to the Crucible, and Naboth's vineyards, part of the precious Clos de St Anne, planted in those heady early days when sheer enthusiasm prevailed on steep and inaccessible … Continue reading Sunny Gisborne….

When we were planning our journey, we toyed with flying out via Los Angeles, to take in a conference in San Francisco, before travelling on to New Zealand, and finally returning full circle via Hong Kong. How ever much I might have dreaded the long haul flights, that fades to nothing alongside the journeys of … Continue reading Circumnavigations

Immediate impressions of our first, very full day in this burgeoning city? Pretty warm weather, even warmer welcomes, dazzling sunshine, serious traffic and fabulous wine... This photo, immediately recognisable to maturer readers, is on the wall in Kumeu River winery a few kilometres north of the city, above the strap line 'pop in for a drink, … Continue reading Sizzling Auckland

We nearly missed the flight from Adelaide to Auckland despite everything running to schedule - but sitting by the wrong gate 20 isn't a clever way to catch a plane. (Yes - there are two at Adelaide - at least!) No matter - we arrived in Auckland after a four hour flight on a very … Continue reading Hello New Zealand!

Port Noarlunga South: the view from our motel and The swimming beach alongside And the local corner cafe.... Samuel's Creek winery : handsome garden, welcome facilities, extravagant sedum, cellar door staffed by Caitlin Davies, and family picnics out of the hot sun: all on the edge of the Onkaparinga River national park a series of … Continue reading Snapshots of South Australia