I asked my travel companion if there was anything in NZ she really wanted to experience. Besides the awesome suggestion for whitewater rafting, she said we needed to visit some wineries. While I am not much of a fan of wine, I do like learning about farming and processes. We discovered that here on the North Island there is a whole trail of locations starting on the southeast coast with Napier. The drive was a few hours but very pleasant views of rolling hills and a few waterfalls.
We left early and arrived with plenty of time to take an afternoon wine tour. I do like it when someone else is driving as I can enjoy myself a little bit more. Our first stop was the Pask winery as well as a visit to the unique local vineyards. I learned a great lesson on the difference between wine grapes and table grapes.
Next, we visited Ash Ridge winery for another tasting as well as a nice little meal (all the yummy things you can pair with wine). There was a neat sign post here with distances to other famous wine regions. While there was no love for Temecula, it was fun to see Stelenbosh (Capetown, South Africa) and the distance.
Our final winery of the day was Moana Park, a unique location known for all vegan wines. Now that was a learning experience. I figured that all wines, from grapes, were already vegan, but I didn't realize all the additives that often get added. Popular animal-derived fining agents used in the production of wine include blood and bone marrow, casein (milk protein), chitin (fiber from crustacean shells), egg albumen (derived from egg whites), fish oil, gelatin (protein from boiling animal parts), and isinglass (gelatin from fish bladder membranes). It was refreshing to enjoy such a simplified wine.
We ended the day with a walk to a Mexican Cantina (had to see what a NZ variation was like for a pair of Californians) and then watched the sunset from Perfume Point.
Here's the video...
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