Advice Wanted: New Zealand
Once again, I come to you for advice. Who can blame me? You're always so helpful.
Like many a food and wine blogger before us, Melissa and I are traveling to New Zealand in early August: our summer, their winter. We're there for 8 nights, 7 full days, and spare change from travel days. And we're trying to decide what to do. Should we invest the time to go to Marlborough, when it means making travel arrangements to get across the water, a bit more cumbersome than just driving hither and yon? Should we put all of our time into the North Island, and bypass one of our most favorite wine regions? Should we spend all of our time in Marlborough, and bypass the lovely North Island, save for Wellington? Where are the must-see places?
I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Here are some more details, by request of Nige and based on our own thoughts. We fly into and out of Wellington, arriving in the morning and leaving in the afternoon. We're interested in food and wine, of course, but we'd like to see some pretty countryside and get a taste of the local culture. How easy or hard is it to bop about the country on hopper flights and ferries? How much extra time do they take, factoring in check-in times and the like? We intend to rent a car and drive around when necessary. I imagine the weather won't leave us much opportunity for outdoor activity, but we don't know. Overall, we prefer a more leisurely vacation to a rushed one.
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