Travels WithJohn and Janice
John and Pete suited up in flight hats at the Knights of the Sky exhibition, Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre
New Zealand3 min read

Dateline February 1, 2015, To the South Island, the Marlborough Valley, and the Knights of the Sky

New Zealand2015 TravelWineMuseums#new-zealand#south-island#marlborough#blenheim#marlborough-wine#sauvignon-blanc#pinot-noir#vintners-retreat#huia#nautilus-estates#wairau-river-wines#omaka-aviation-heritage-centre#knights-of-the-sky#peter-jackson#weta-workshop#wwi-aircraft#pete-and-bunny-warenski#new-zealand-australia-2015
Suited up for the Knights of the Sky
Suited up for the Knights of the Sky

We departed Wellington early in the morning to catch the ferry that would take us from the North Island to the South Island. The crossing is about three hours.

A small note on ferry parking.

Interestingly enough, our cars were parked on a set of recessed railroad tracks down in the hold. We were happy that no trains chose to compete for our space that morning.

Cars on the rails
Cars on the rails

The weather was rainy, so the views from the ferry were not quite postcard quality, but the ride itself was a pleasure. When we arrived on the South Island, we headed for our next stop, the Vintners Retreat in the Marlborough Valley.

Into the Marlborough Valley
Into the Marlborough Valley

Marlborough.

For many wine drinkers, Marlborough is the home of some of the best Sauvignon Blanc in the world. After checking into the lodge we were told we had only a few hours of tasting time left in the day, so we headed straight to the wineries closest to our cottage.

Inside a Marlborough cellar door
Inside a Marlborough cellar door

We made it to four. We visited Huia, Glissan, Nautilus Estates, and Wairau River Wines, all in or near the town of Blenheim. We never left a winery without at least one bottle. The tastings were wonderful, and the running total at the end of the afternoon was about ten bottles between us, a mix of Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot.

After the tastings we picked up some groceries and went back to the cottage to cook. Our two-bedroom cottage had a full kitchen, and we now had more than enough wine. After dinner we watched an old movie, The Greatest Game Ever Played, the 2005 film about Francis Ouimet's 1913 US Open win. Then a good night's sleep. The views to the mountains from our rooms were fabulous.

The mountain view from the cottage
The mountain view from the cottage

Knights of the Sky.

In the morning we left the Vintners Retreat and headed over to the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre, just outside Blenheim, in time for the 10 a.m. opening.

Omaka is where Sir Peter Jackson's WWI aircraft collection lives. Many of the planes are original, some are reconstructed, and the museum's dioramas, full-scale scenes built around the planes, were created by Weta Workshop, Jackson's effects company. The exhibition is called Knights of the Sky.

Pete is an airplane nut. He has sixty-five model planes at home that he flies, and he was wound up before we even walked in the door. He thought Knights of the Sky was the best display of WWI aircraft he had ever seen.

Before going in, John and Pete suited up in flight hats. That is the lead picture above.

On the museum floor
On the museum floor
One of the displays
One of the displays
Up close
Up close
Recruitment poster
Recruitment poster

Oh, my god. What an experience. Pictures are worth a thousand words.

As we left the museum we headed on to our next stop, Terrace Downs, up in the mountains.

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