A hard-working group of NZMCA members (that’s them below) came to the aid of Misha’s Vineyard, in Central Otago, this season to help harvest a ďƵŵƉĞƌ ŐƌĂƉĞ ĐƌŽƉ ʹ ĂŶĚ ŚĂĚ Ă ŐƌĞĂƚ ƟŵĞ ĚŽŝŶŐ ŝƚ͘
A PERFECT PICK NZMCA members Janine and Simon Jensen (#106226) are from Tokerau Beach, in the Far North, and in March this year they embarked on a 1817km journey from the top of the North Island to near the bottom of the South Island in their motorhome.
T
heir mission? To join the harvest crew at Misha’s Vineyard in Central Otago for a month of grape picking.
So, the tŝůŬŝŶƐŽŶƐ ƉůĂĐĞĚ ĂŶ ĂĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ &Ğďͬ March issue of The Motor Caravanner calling for people to ‘Join in Central Otago’s grape harvest’.
Misha’s Vineyard is located in Bendigo on part ŽĨ Ă ŚŝŐŚͲĐŽƵŶƚƌLJ ƐŚĞĞƉ ƐƚĂƟŽŶ ũƵƐƚ ŽƵƚƐŝĚĞ Cromwell on the edge of Lake Dunstan. Owners, Andy and Misha Wilkinson, normally source ĐĂƐƵĂů ƐƚĂī ƚŽ ǁŽƌŬ ŽŶ ƚŚĞŝƌ ǀŝŶĞLJĂƌĚ ƚŚƌŽƵŐŚ ƚŚĞ ƉŽŽů ŽĨ ŝŶƚĞƌŶĂƟŽŶĂů ďĂĐŬƉĂĐŬĞƌƐ ƚŚĂƚ ǀŝƐŝƚ EĞǁ ĞĂůĂŶĚ͕ ďƵƚ ĂŌĞƌ ƚǁŽ LJĞĂƌƐ ŽĨ ĐůŽƐĞĚ ďŽƌĚĞƌƐ ƚŚĞƌĞ ǁĞƌĞ ǀĞƌLJ ĨĞǁ ůĞŌ͘
“It was the ad we saw in The Motor Caravanner ĨŽƌ ŚĂƌǀĞƐƚ ƐƚĂī ƚŚĂƚ ŝŶƐƉŝƌĞĚ ŽƵƌ ƚƌŝƉ͕͟ said Janine.
“We’d found ŝƚ ŚĂƌĚ ƌĞĐƌƵŝƟŶŐ ƐƚĂī ƚŚƌŽƵŐŚŽƵƚ our growing season and with harvest ĂƉƉƌŽĂĐŚŝŶŐ ǁĞ ŬŶĞǁ ǁĞ ŶĞĞĚĞĚ Ă ĚŝīĞƌĞŶƚ ƐƚƌĂƚĞŐLJ ƚŽ ĮŶĚ ŵŽƌĞ ƉĞŽƉůĞ ƚŽ ŚĞůƉ ŚĂŶĚͲ harvest our grapes,” said Andy.
72 | The Motor Caravanner
The couple ŚĂĚ ďĞĞŶ ƚƌLJŝŶŐ ƚŽ ƉůĂŶ Ă ǀŝƐŝƚ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ^ŽƵƚŚ /ƐůĂŶĚ ĨŽƌ Ă ĐŽƵƉůĞ ŽĨ LJĞĂƌƐ ďƵƚ ǁŝƚŚ the various waves of COVID-19 and lockdowns the trip hadn’t eventuated. Their decision to ũŽŝŶ ƚŚĞ ŚĂƌǀĞƐƚ ƚĞĂŵ ďĞĐĂŵĞ ƚŚĞ ĨŽĐĂů ƉŽŝŶƚ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞŝƌ ĞdžƉĞĚŝƟŽŶ ƐŽƵƚŚ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞLJ ƉůĂŶŶĞĚ ƚŚĞ rest of their journey around that. “We had never done anything like a grape ŚĂƌǀĞƐƚ ďĞĨŽƌĞ ĂŶĚ ŝƚ ƐŽƵŶĚĞĚ ůŝŬĞ ƚŚĞ ǀŝŶĞLJĂƌĚ really needed some help,” said Janine, “and we
