Day 5 (23 October 2026)
Today, we made the drive from Picton to Nelson. Proud of Andre who has been navigating winding mountain roads and country lanes with the poise beyond his years.
Along the way, we dropped in on Makana Chocolate Factory, because New Zealand and chocolates and things that go together.
It's housed in a cute building which is both showroom and factory.
We could see the chocolate being made through the glass window.
All their chocolates are hand-made. Their signature flavour is Macadamia Butter Toffee Crunch - it's really good, so of course we bought some home. They make good gifts!
This is the area of vineyards, but we were a little too early for lunch, so we popped by Cloudy Bay vineyard to have a look.
It's a very pretty estate - very English manor-esque, but it was a little too upper class for us. NZ$50 per person for wine tasting 😱
Our lunch reservation was at St Clair Vineyard. This was recommended by a few of Lesley-Anne's colleagues as a must-go. You need to make reservations or risk being disappointed. It was fully booked when we were there.
Dining al fresco is wonderful when the weather is cool. Such a peaceful, pretty environment. The food was excellent. I don't eat oysters but those in our party who did said they were the best oysters they've ever tasted. Super fresh.
They were so good another round was ordered.
The rest of the grub was impeccable - this was one of the best meals we had on the trip.
Of course, wine was on the cards. We're in a vineyard!
Very satisfying meal.
The vino and the vineyard.
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit." - John 15:5
I have to find another word to use other than "pretty"...
After lunch we went on an impromptu gad-about. Got a little lost trying to follow an inaccurate Google Maps and ended up trespassing on some private property in search of the non-existent sea. Thank goodness the New Zealanders are really nice folks! Eventually we found ourselves in the vicinity of the River Rai,
There was a short trek before we were greeted by the River Rai bridge (which was a suspension bridge).
I wasn't sure about it, then the bridge started to sway when more people got on it and I thought, "nope! I'm not doing this." 😆 This was as far as I got in the photo before I turned back.
Very scenic, especially with the sun's rays slicing through the water. Worthy of a painting if only I can put my mind to it...
Is that a rainbow I see? 😍
Rawks!
Then it was a drive all the way to Nelson. I've been to Nelson on the last NZ trip but I don't remember much of it. It the largest city we've been to so far, and after all that nature, it's almost a shock to see so many traffic lights and cars.
We checked into our home for the next two nights - Palazzo Motor Lodge. It is absolutely brilliant! We had booked a two-bedroom apartment (which turned out to be the presidential suite!) plus a one-bedroom twin to fit all of us. They turned out to be next to each other with even a private entrance that we could lock. Strangely, it made me think of those HDB dual-key units...🤔
It's beautifully furnished and so spacious we could comfortably sit around the dining area.
Like with most of the other places we've stayed, it was very well stocked with all kinds of thoughtful additions. There's even a Nespresso machine with pods! When the boys discovered there was a spa tub, they went for it. Nothing like a soak to wash away the aches at the end of the day.
For dinner, we went to Urban oyster bar as it had high ratings on Google but honestly, this was the first meal that I would say was a letdown.
As an eatery named for oysters, I would have expected these babies to stand out. Instead, they tasted fishy and sandy, worse than the ones we get in Singapore. Compared to St Clair's, they were certainly below par (and cost the same).
The rest of the food, didn't wow either. The chefs seem to pay more attention to the presentation than the flavours. And the portions were small, which never sit well with this hungry family. Really puzzled where all those good reviews came from, especially those praising the oysters.
The seating too, wasn't comfortable. The place was packed and 6 of us were squished onto a long table outside, shoulder to shoulder with people from the next table. After the luxury of space we've experienced over the past few days, this came as a bit of a shock. And we could smell the vape coming from an adjacent table. 🤢
Considering what we paid, it wasn't a very satisfactory experience. Which would explain why walking back to our motel, we passed by a McDs and Andre declared that he was going to order some.
So Golden Arches, you win the day 🍿
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