Martinborough

After a very shaky start to the weekend, we decided to 'escape to the country' for the night, and headed back over to Martinborough in the Wairarapa (over the mountains on the windy road) We picked a B&B from the guide book which luckily had a room left, and arrived with no real expectations.

The house was lovely- the couple that currently own and run it bought it when it was practically in ruins, and have renovated it beautifully. It's a 'boutique B&B' with 3 rooms which lead into a shared living room and dining area. I didn't take many photos, but you can browse the website for an idea of what it's like:

http://www.oldmanse.co.nz/

When we arrived, our host Sandra stoked up the fire and told us to make ourselves comfortable, so we spent an hour or so reading the papers and drinking tea by the fire. Bliss.

Sandra had told us that at six o'clock, she and her husband John like to welcome guests with a 'wine tasting' in the living room. Sure enough, at six on the dot Sandra and John came over with an armful of wine and homemade snacks, and filled up our glasses for a good hour or so. It was lovely, and I got myself an NZ mum too- Sandra told me that if I ever got homesick or scared of the quakes, I should go over to Martinborough for a hug!

We wandered into town for a few drinks and something to eat, then came back and watched the All Blacks before crashing out in our lovely comfy room. The next morning we got a slap up full English breakfast prepared by John, then hit the road back to Wellington. It was a perfect break and just what we needed.