Day 336: Queenstown to Christchurch — Lunch at Pegasus Bay Winery — Drive to Hapuku Tree House

Raining as usual for Getaway Day — and for this week in Queenstown. But the weather won’t keep us from remembering Queenstown as one of our absolute favorite stops of the year. The Milford Sound, the fly fishing and the e-bike ride were three of my favorite excursions of the entire trip.

Next stop: the Kaikura region on the east coast of the South Island. It’s a quick stop — only three nights with the headline activity being a whale watching excursion tomorrow. 

It was a 50 minute flight to Christchurch. Margaret, Jim and the kids got the bags and I went to get another SUV from Budget before heading north on Route 1.

After 45 min we stopped for lunch at Pegasus Bay Winery, a casual yet lux spot recommended by our local travel agent. We went all-in: wine, oysters, mains, desert, coffee. The kids were heads down in their kindles when they weren’t eating. 

We strolled through their gorgeous gardens for a bit before getting in the car for another two hour drive north.

It was a pretty drive — never ending green, plenty of sheep, up and over some mountains and then cruising along the Pacific Ocean coast. Fifteen minutes past Kaikura is a little place called Hapuku. 

We’re staying at the Hapuku Lodge and Tree Houses, a country chic lodge on a deer breeding farm with a fancy restaurant and five little cottages lofted up in the trees. We’re in a two-floor “family tree house.” This place reminds us of the Titilaka Lodge and Sol y Luna, two of our favorite places we stayed in Peru. 

Turns out a three course dinner is included in the rate — wish we remembered that when we gorged ourselves at a 2:30 lunch! We ordered cocktails and some lighter items. The kids got pasta and did their Harry Potter and Tree House Series (no relation to the hotel!) workbooks. 

Hoping to see some whales tomorrow!