Getting back to basics for some old fashioned family fun in Marlborough.
The Gumpism “life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get” is the perfect way to describe what can happen when you try to revisit or recapture an experience you loved as a kid. Now I know why Dad didn’t want to watch the popular ...
There’s nothing like cruising from Wellington to Picton on the Interislander, or the Picton Ferry as we liked to call it. It just wasn’t a holiday until we had boarded and found our way to the best seats, which were inevitably in the bar. Mum and Dad would enjoy a few refreshments while we watched a movie and played spacies. Whilst I still harbour very fond memories of those trips made as a child, there is no arguing that the Interislander experience has improved with age. The ships are more modern and comfortable with additional facilities for children and adults alike and the food on offer has definitely moved on from the soggy chips and railway pies of old. Smoked chicken panini or sushi anyone? Once we reached Picton, it would be straight to a fish and chip shop to pick up dinner. I’m happy to say these still taste just as good now as they did then and the Donald Duck paddling pool is as popular as ever. Sadly the whale slide is no longer, but the giant pirate ship is a hit with small and big kids alike. Families are spoilt for choice when it comes to accommodation ...
Some people love the whole getting back to nature gig. In theory I’m right there but at the end of the day having done the whole back to basics, eating dehydrated potatoes and tinned stew before crawling into a tent and collapsing on my ‘barely’ there mattress, now, I just don’t want to. I’m ashamed to say it but this Kiwi has become a bit of a sook.
As a child I definitely wouldn’t say that I was the outdoorsy type I was just too un-coordinated to be great at water sports or mountain biking. I was a light sleeper so camping was never a great option and I am allergic to, of all things grass so hiking or even picnics were troublesome. One activity that I always enjoyed however, was fishing. This was a great relief to my parents, as I come from a long line of fisherman so it would have been almost too much to bear if even the family tradition was off limits.
If you are at all interested in food and wine then you should be planning your next holiday to Marlborough. You may already be aware that Marlborough is New Zealand’s largest wine growing region but what many don’t know is that in the waters of the Marlborough Sounds grows world class seafood. And what better food and wine match is there than Seafood and Sauvignon Blanc.
The event just keeps on keeping on from its success when it won the New Zealand Event Professionals "Best Established Event" for 2008. For those that are new to The Forrest GrapeRide the long course traverses a 101km circuit through ...
