We found a great little wine touring company that offered a half day tour of the Marlborough region wineries. Since our group is so big, we got our own van, our own tour guide, and could choose any 5 wineries we wanted to visit. Frank, our accommodating and awesome driver, took us to: Alan Scott, Cloudy Bay, Nautilus, Forrest Estates, and Highfield vineyards. He must have obviously picked up our vibe throughout the trip, because he ended our tour by taking us to a chocolate factory! The smaller, more family run wineries like Alan Scott were our favorite (plus it helps that they also operate a brewery!) and we loved trying out the different signature New Zealand wines and learning about this amazing region. Of all the places we've been in New Zealand, I can say that Picton would be the place I'd love to actually live. All of the other areas have been beautiful and exciting, but Picton and the Marlborough region have been so relaxed and tranquil, while still offering loads of things to do! You're right on the water, with mountains all around and biking and hiking trails all over. Don't worry, I asked Frank if I could have a job leading wine tours:
One thing I will say is I don't know how people do an all day wine tour!! We were a mess after five wineries and a chocolate factory, so I can't image double the action.The night before we had divided up into teams for group dinners. Team Turner (Me, John, Sara, Adam and Amber) were cooking the first night and Team Heather (Heather, Kyle, Goodman, Kellyn and Blankenbanker) are going to cook the second night. Team Turner came up with an amazing menu (If I do say-so myself) of NZ lamb, green lipped mussels with bread, salad with NZ blue cheese and oranges, and of course some feijoa and hokey pokey ice cream for dessert. Alot of us hadn't had mussels before, but Sara and John cooked up some mean mussels and they were a big hit! The owner of the house even stopped by and gave them the thumbs up! 
Team Heather has an unfair advantage because the owner brought over some filet steaks from his dairy farm in Christchurch for them to cook up tonight. The guys are fishing right now, so I have a sneaking suspicion that they are going for a Surf and Turf menu for this evening. I guess we get to reap the benefits as well, so I don't really care!
Kieth, the owner, is picking us up on his boat in a little bit to check out the Sounds. It's a little overcast today but still beautiful, and we're all excited to check out this area on water. He's been so great and is hilarious. We highly recommend this place: http://www.tigersden.co.nz/
Team Heather has an unfair advantage because the owner brought over some filet steaks from his dairy farm in Christchurch for them to cook up tonight. The guys are fishing right now, so I have a sneaking suspicion that they are going for a Surf and Turf menu for this evening. I guess we get to reap the benefits as well, so I don't really care!
Kieth, the owner, is picking us up on his boat in a little bit to check out the Sounds. It's a little overcast today but still beautiful, and we're all excited to check out this area on water. He's been so great and is hilarious. We highly recommend this place: http://www.tigersden.co.nz/
And so somehow it has become our last night in New Zealand (tear). We are all on the brink of sadness, and can't imagine leaving this beautiful place. Although it's not officially over yet (we still have a 5 hour drive to Christchurch tomorrow, and our drives have been part of the adventure) I think we can declare that this trip has been a complete success!! Fun, adventure, laughes, great friends, and amazing stories. It's something we will never forget. We're thinking we need to make this an annual trip... anyone want to help out with that?
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