In amongst my ramblings I keep forgetting to mention just how eye achingly beautiful this country is. You get fed up of shouting “look at that view/lake/mountain/valley/tree/ river/pie!” So a top beauty spot has to be Pics Peanut Butter Factory – a thing of real beauty! Pic – the owner went from making peanut butter in an old metal cement mixer to being NZ No.1 brand – definitely worth doing their free factory tour if you’re in Nelson. We popped in to see Robyn and Gareth in their vineyard to buy some wine and Robyn gave us a real glimpse into their life and a lesson in grape growing. Such an inspirational young couple. We arrived in Punakaiki and just had time to open a bottle of wine before the rain started – the thing with NZ weather is, that there is no thing. Sunburn one day – footrot the next! So waking up to a beautiful sunrise we explored the pancake rocks – the scientists believe they are due to a process called stylobedding- but the reasons for the layering are still a mystery. Our fab guidebook recommended a stop in Hokitika- famous for its driftwood beaches and sculpture competition, and we found some amazing pieces left over from the recent competition and a beautiful carved bench which I took full advantage of!
50somethingnomads 