Monday: Sheep-shearing, Vineyard, Ferry to Wellington

A long day is ahead of us. Essentially it's a four hour ride from Greymouth to Picton where we will take the 3-hour Intercoastal ferry across Cook Strait to Wellington. Unfortunately we'll be crossing the strait at 6 PM, so we won't be able to see anything. (I hear the crossing is beautiful during the daylight hours.) But there are interesting stops along the way -- a sheep-shearing demonstration, a hearty sheep-shearer's lunch, and a wine-tasting at Wither Hill Vineyard.
It is overcast again, but fortunately, no rain. We leave the Ashley Hotel in the foggy city of Greymouth

and head north to Reefton again. Instead of turning west as we did yesterday towards Cape Foulwind, we continue on north.

Mid morning we stop at professional sheep-shearer Brent Winters and his wife Lynn's "Kiwi Park Motels and Holiday Park" in Murchison. It is a beautiful, quiet, and restful place with cottages, motel, cabins, and spots for campers.The best part is the animal park with emus, ducks, a huge pig named Whiskey, sheep, and a working sheep dog named Jacque, oh, and a pet sheep named Ollie, who is constantly "herded" by Jacque.



You've probably noticed by now that New Zealand is a nation of a LOT of sheep. We watch Brent demonstrate how to shear a lamb. He wears special moccasins.

And sharpens his tools.

9 mos old lamb, never been shorn -- as long as the feet don't touch the ground, it won't struggle

Brent said we could take a photo of the shorn lamb, and one in our group asked, "Naked?" And Brent said, "Well, I guess I can take my clothes off."

The lunch was incredible! Lamb chop, homemade sausage, venison patty, baked potato, salad -- we're told it's typical sheep shearer food!

Brent earned the money to buy his farm by traveling all over the world shearing herds of sheep using shears and electic clippers. He still has a small herd of about 15 sheep, but the emphasis of their farm is tourism.

We drive a couple of hours and stop at beautiful Wither Hill Vineyard in Marlborough. Our group has a wine tasting lead by Dennise of 2 Savignon Blancs, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Noir and check out the view from the observation deck. The scene reminds me of the California Napa Valley.

We arrive in Picton with about an hour to have dinner before our ferry leaves for Wellington. Fish and wedges? I think I will. (the restaurant was out of chips).  Tomorrow we have a half day city tour of Wellington which includes a stop at WETA Cave (WETA is Peter Jack's special effects studio  for King Kong and the LOTR trilogy)!

Entrance to the harbor is a memorial to NZ WWI soldiers who died in battle.