Reach for the skies

Friday 19th. We thought that the tourist trail might be for us today, so we set off to find the Vines Village. Here is a collection of boutique stores and family friendly activities and, according to the publicity, The Vines Village is a must visit destination for lovers of wine, food, art & design. Granted that it is a lovely place with a cafe, play area for children, a large pond, games area and children's cycle track and boutique shops, oh and a quilting shop par excellence. But for us it was just too boutiquey, too arty and too expensive for our tastes. Sorry, nice stuff, nice place but ten minutes and we were gone. 

So we set off to our next point on the trail, a vineyard - Highfield & Terra Vin. Being tourists we decided on a wine tasting but first we were invited to see the view from the top of their tower. It was well worth the climb. 

On to the tasting. We sampled their Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling and Pinot Noir. We realised very quickly how poor the quality is of some of the wines we drink. At the end of the tasting we bought a couple of bottles of Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay which we will probably save until next week. 

Having not taken advantage of the spittoon, we thought it a good idea to stay on for lunch. This was taken on their terrace overlooking the vineyard. How the other half lives. 

After a very leisurely lunch, accompanied by a glass of Riesling, we poodled off along the road to the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre where Sir Peter Jackson’s own collection of WW1 aircraft and artifacts is on show. 

Now, many of you will know that Sir Peter was the director, writer and producer of The Lord of the Rings. The following is a direct quote from their website: This story of aviation in the Great War is brought to life in sensational sets created by the internationally acclaimed talent of WingNut Films and Weta Workshop. The theatrical treatment is both innovative and visually stunning. Captivating scenes depict the aircraft in context, sometimes recreating an incident that actually happened in the war. Rare memorabilia is on display, worthy of any national collection and ranges from beautifully crafted ‘trench art’ through to personal items belonging to the famous Red Baron himself. 

We spent nearly two hours wandering round. If ever you're in Blenheim, it's well worth the visit. 

After that, back home for a turn in the spa bath. Wheeee!