Koromiko

View from the Ferry to South Island
Jaguar XK130 Replica

Thankfully the ferry crossing was a non-event. We spent the last half of the 3 hour trip on deck looking at the impressive scenery and snapping lots of photos that will probably be boring as one cannot capture the panoramas with our little digital camera. The emerald sea was smooth as glass and Duncan pumped full of Sealegs, a motion sickness drug, said he felt a “bit drowsy”! I took deep breaths of exhilarating sea air and enjoyed the view, I declined the Sealegs. We ate an unmemorable lunch in Picton and headed toward Blenheim, coming upon Koromiko Bed and Breakfast much sooner than we expected. This establishment owned by an English couple, Pat and Ian McKinnon was a haven. Ian is a vintage car enthusiast and has replicas of an MG TD and two Jaguars, an XK130 and an SS100. He rents these, and Duncan was wishing his Toronto friend, Richard Addinall, was with him to go for a spin!

We had a wing of the house to ourselves complete with full kitchen, dining room and lounge. Pat had thought of everything one could possibly need. As it was Sunday night and Blenheim’s sidewalks seemed to roll up about 4 p.m., we made our way to the local New World Supermarket and purchased hot smoked salmon, Whitstone Cheddar and Windsor Blue cheeses, olives, nuts, fresh fruit and chocolate. Pat and Ian kindly invited us for a glass of wine and nibblies in the garden. Dukkah is very popular in this region – it is an Egyptian condiment of nuts, sesame seeds and spices, similar to what I would call zataar. We dipped bits of bread into locally sourced Seresin Olive Oil, then into the dukkah, sipping Pinot Noir from neighbouring Johanneshof Cellars while chatting with our friendly hosts. The standard of B and Bs is very high in NZ; they’ve been immaculate, comfortable and most welcoming. Afterward we enjoyed our supermarket feast in their charming dining room complete with English placemats and cloth table napkins.
Pat makes a great effort to introduce guests to local products, and she had beautiful toiletries, Makana truffles at the bedside and delicious honey and homegrown fruits, vegetables and homemade preserves on the breakfast table. This would be a great place for Doug/Anna and the boys or Liz and Sue to stay on their next visit. There are two smallish bedrooms, each with their own private bath, plus the other rooms I mentioned. Ian and Pat will pick up visitors from the ferry and a local bicycle rental firm will come from Blenheim to pick up guests who want to cycle round the Marlborough Wineries. It’s right in between Picton and Blenheim in the countryside with beautiful views all around. Each morning we bundled up in our warmest clothes so that we could enjoy our breakfast at their sturdy log table in the front garden. We were sorry to say goodbye to this special place.