My Brave Companion Of The Road . . .

. . . Nancy  Griffith

After a cooked breakfast at the hotel we assembled and were given small radios to use for communication and an outline of the day.  Then it was follow the leader as our convoy of eleven utes headed out of Blenheim towards Taylors Pass Road and the Wairau Valley and then the Awatere Valley.  We were on good gravel roads with grapes beside us until they gave way to sheep country.  The morning tea stop was at a farming property where we had my favourite egg sandwiches and shortbread or chocolate cake.   The children from this farm travel 45 minutes on the school bus but when they go to college they will go to boarding school in Christchurch.  The sheep are Merino cross breeds and the wool is sold to a Norwegian company who make a range of clothing using it.  
Next was follow the leader up a real 4 wheel drive farm road to high point for the view you see in the blip.  There were lots of corrigations and bouncing around but that is part of the experience.  Two of the group have hired vehicles and everyone else has there own truck. In the blip is our truck.  That rugged country in the blip is the Inland Kaikora Range.  We retraced our route back down to have lunch at another farm.  Individual venison pies and several salads how spoilt is that?
The farm house is from 1860 with thick plaster walls.  It was badly damaged in the Kaikoura earthquake and now has a new kitchen and bathrooms but all the old features have been maintained.  It was surrounded by a big garden which was a green contrast to the dry grass of the farmland. Roses do very well here. 
Next we drove through Molesworth Station on a good gravel road with stops at points of interest then over Jollys Pass and into Hanmer Springs.  We are in the Hanmer Heritage Hotel and had a lovely dinner with a tall gin after all that bouncing around.  Just lucky for us a friend is house sitting on the outskirts of the town so we went and spent an hour with her.  She is minding a dog and an off the grid house. All in all lots of things were learnt today.
Day one has been marvelous.    222 kms