We only stopped off the road for Pegasus Bay on our way to Queenstown and Central Otago. We walked through the door and into a German conversation between our host and her cousin. Sometimes even all the way across the world can feel like home.

The first wine, a Sauvignon Blanc/Semillion was done in the French style, fermented fully with native yeast, kept sur lie and aged in neutral French oak. It had a complex nose of fruit as well as exotic savory notes and a refreshing herbal component as well. It was everything we expected on the palate. A complex nose calls for a wine with a little weight and the Semillion added this fullness and richness.

We found it interesting that all the wines were older, but incredibly fresh and interesting – Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot/Cabernet, and even a late harvest Semillion.

There was a cool, mysterious and somewhat even magical air about this place. I wish we could have stayed for what looked like a fabulous lunch in their on site restaurant, but we were anxious to get to Queenstown, New Zealand’s adventure capital, as it is the home of bungee jumping, sky-diving, heli-skiing, and anything else that involves plummeting through the air at rapid speeds.

No thanks, our inner adventurers were seeking terroir driven Pinot Noir, Sauvy with racy acidity, and edgy New World Riesling.

Talk about a rush.

The Fearless Falcon dependably took us through the most beautiful country, over mountain passes that spilled out onto views of purple, still snow-capped mountains that reflected on the lakes that pooled between them. We we’re passing Mt. Cook and Lindis Pass and we knew we did not want to miss this. We stopped on the side of the road, which we found out the next day was, in fact a campsite. We rolled out our sleeping bags in the back of the Falcon; we were becoming fast friends.

Below are some pictures of the trip up until this point

View from one of the higher points of the Abel Tasman Coastal Track

Abel Tasman Coast Track or ‘Tramp’ as the Kiwis say.

The hike took us up into the hills as well as right onto the beaches.

The whole park faces east, so we were able to catch some incredible sunrises.

Skipping forward a bit, here’s a visual of the Fearless Falcon while passing Mount Cook and Lindis Pass. Absolutely gorgeous scenery. We never knew what would appear before us in the next half an hour of road.