The Rugby World Cup 2011 in New Zealand was a fantastic trip! Accommodations were lovely. The side trip to Napier was worth the long drive. Napier is lovely, and the wine tour was fun. We enjoyed the Mission Winery visit and the Churchill Winery tour that we did independently for the individual attention from the “duty managers”. Grape Escape was fun, for the added camaraderie of the group. Our final conclusion is that, except for a syrah from Churchill and a port from each of two wineries on the tour (Moana Park and Crossroads), the whites were by far our favorite find. Everywhere we encountered delightful people. This started with our first flight on Air NZ, where everyone accommodated us well for the long flight. As mentioned earlier, we became fast friends with Sandy and Carolyn at Amber court. We met Trevor at Newport through his wife who was security guard at the museum/ library. He took us to his social club, to watch opening ceremonies and the opening game on a big screen TV, while we had dinner with him and his friends. Designated volunteer ambassadors on the streets helped us find what we needed in town. A WWII vet started a conversation with us on the street at Napier. We met the author of a book on reclamation of Napier after the earthquake, as we were deciding to purchase the book. The manager at the Mission winery was particularly friendly. Our companions on the wine tour were a very congenial group—a Brit, a South African, a Welch couple and us. We appreciate your help and your tips, putting this great package together so quickly.
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