It was a short, ten-minute drive to the Marlborough Airport this morning. We park the rental vehicle 500 feet from the door and drop the keys in the box. We pretty much self-check in and tag our bags, no one asks for identification. They do weigh the bags and Dicks (while within limits), gets a heavy tag so no one injures their back when moving it (there’s wine in there). There is no security line to go through and when it is time to board, you scan your boarding pass, walk outside and get on the plane. Ahh, the good old days.
We are heading to Te Anau – southeast of Queenstown. The only way to get there is to fly from Marlborough (South Island) to either Auckland or Wellington (north island), back to Queenstown (South Island) and a two hour drive. The drive is spectacular whilst along the river, then it is lots of sheep for miles.
We check into the Aden Motel, substantially different accommodations from the last three nights and head out for dinner. A walk along the lakefront gets us into town and we grab dinner at a local joint, then a stop to pick up some breakfast provisions for the next several mornings.
A stop at the Black Dog Bar and Cinema for a look see, then an early evening. Lots to do in the morning.
Mary
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Travel day!
We’ve moved south from the Marlborough wine region to ‘Southlands’ where the Fiordland National Park is located. The Marlborough Airport in Blenheim isn’t much – a coffee shop, two gates & one runway. Nothing flies out of Blenheim without going through either Wellington or Auckland – we have a short stop in Wellington, then on to Queenstown. Dining on the plane was a real treat with a choice of either a single cookie or pretzels.
Our destination for the evening is Te Anau, gateway to the national park, and a few hours south of Queenstown. The drive is gorgeous. Lots and lots of sheep. Tomorrow is a trip into Milford Sound and the forecast doesn’t look very promising. Hopefully, the weatherman down here is full of the same stuff as ours in the States.
Dick