Tapawera

 

Music in the Mountains  28 – 31.01.2016  1038 kms so far.

We drove through the Wairoa Valley to an overnight stay at St Arnaud before going on to Tapawera the next day.

As we drove away from Blenheim we were astounded by the extent of the vineyards.

We know that the Marlborough region is huge for wine but when you drive past hectares & still more hectares of grape vines, some extending to the foothills, you cannot fail to be astounded.  The big fans on the tops of the poles are for protection against frost damage.

Great coffee in the middle of nowhere.

St Arnaud an alpine town by Lake Rotoiti. The view from a small chapel.

 

The winding road through beautiful NZ countryside to Tapawera.

The Music in the Mountains is an event held at the Tapawera District school. This is a fundraiser for the school & other community groups make some money by running a dinner, sausage sizzle & book sale. There was entertainment each night with the main event being Suzanne Prentice & her group on Saturday night. She is an excellent entertainer with a very powerful voice. As the sun went down & the hills slowly faded into blackness the great music continued & the atmosphere reached right into our hearts. It was a most wonderful experience sitting next to new found friends, soaking it all up.

 

Maiden flight of my glider. Once it was motored up to a ridge it was easy to keep it sailing along the ridge until I got tired of it.

A nice bike ride.

Hanging out the washing.  I think that Oscar saw a cat.