Marlborough's views match the wines

BE A WINNER Grape Lander Tours has two double bus tour passes to give away, for a date convenient to both parties. To enter, write your name, address and daytime phone number on the back of an envelope and send it to: The Marlborough Express, Grape Lander Tours competition, PO Box 242, Blenheim by January 30. The winner's name will be published in the Express on February 2. 

It was a day of forest trekking, multiple wine tastings, and seeing the sites of Marlborough and it was great.

On board Grape Lander tour bus, first stop was Strachan Peak and through the Pukaka Valley (off Rarangi Rd). The road is private; access is only for logging trucks and the tour bus, thanks to Allister's past profession as a logger in the industry.

The road was safe but slightly treacherous, and I don't think I was the only one who felt a little nervous as we climbed to over 600m above sea level. The terrain was rough, with pale, jagged rocks sticking out all over the hillside and small pines peeking out from above the rubble. I wondered how they could possibly grow in such conditions. The large areas of pines in all different stages were interesting to see.

But once we arrived at the top, with magnificent views of Blenheim central and Cloudy Bay, the ride up was forgotten. The slopes were steep and the ridges were rocky.

It was a fascinating trip into a rarely seen area. People on the tour said they had lived in Blenheim all their lives, but had never seen this part of Marlborough before.

One man recalled coming down to Pukaka Valley when he was young and picking blackberries.

Hosts, husband and wife team Allister and Heather Christie, were helpful and took a back step most of the time to allow us to enjoy the tour the perfect kind of host. Mrs Christie made apple muffins for the passengers, which was a lovely touch.

From there we went to St Clair winery for lunch and on to Makana Chocolate Factory where I purchased macadamia butter toffee crunch, and ate half on the bus.

Next was a visit to Wither Hills for tasting of five of their wines. After six more tastings at Yealands Estate winery in Seddon, things were getting better and better, and it wasn't just the good company.

Before I knew it the day had flown by and I was on my way back to the office (clutching the small remainder of my toffee crunch) with fond memories of Strachan Peak and my wine tour adventures with Grape Lander.