Sounds, Shellfish and "Savs"

Cruising Marlborough Sounds

Today, on our first full day in New Zealand, we spent the day exploring the three things that make the Marlborough region famous: sounds, mussels, and wine. A sound is a sunken riverbed, which is formed when a tectonic plate overlaps its neighbor and pushes it down, sinking things like riverbeds. The effect is striking - mountain ranges that seem to spring up from the middle of huge bays. Cruising through the Marlborough sounds was completely breathtaking. But the sounds aren't just a bunch of pretty faces. They are also, apparently, the ideal climate for greenshell mussels. 90% of the world's greenshell mussels are produced in the Marlborough Sounds. We visited one of the 600+ mussel farms in the sounds, and were treated to a taste of the regions most famous food. Being allergic to shellfish, I could only enjoy with my eyes, but because the mussels are so fragile, New Zealand is the only place in the world you can enjoy these critters fresh, and they looked and smelled delicious. However, I did enjoy some of the local Sauvignon Blanc, or "Sav" as the locals call it, which Marlborough is particularly famous for.

Mussel Boats tending the crop

The treats of Marlborough Sounds

After our cruise and seafood, we had lunch at the marina in Havelock, the main town in the Marlborough Sounds area. And by main town, I mean a village of 900 people. I had fish and chips, and it was divine. Which is saying something because I've had fish and chips in London, England, and these blew the British version out of the water. After lunch, our local guide escorted us on an afternoon winery tour. We went to three wineries. The first was a small boutique winery owned and operated entirely by a husband and wife team. The second was a strictly organic vineyard, which prunes their vines with grazing sheep, uses insects for pollination, and uses no pesticides, herbicides or preservatives. The third was the relatively well known Cloudy Bay winery, which is extremely popular here in the region. Each of the vineyards seemed to be more beautiful than the one before.

Wine Tasters.

We made it back to our hotel around 5:00 pm. After running around all day, we were all pretty tired, but in a very good way. Our local guide had let us stop at a local grocery to pick up some wine, cheese and crackers to go with some of the wine we acquired during the vineyard tour, so that was our supper. We ended the day with a great taste, literally and figuratively, of what Marlborough, New Zealand has to offer.

Hunting for adventure in the New Zealand grapevines

Quote of the Day: "You can't have these [mussels] like this anywhere else in the world. Bit of a tease, really..." -Ryan, our local guide/expert.