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640KM’S IN THE NEW AUDI A6 With the last of the Peregrine grapes from the phenomenal 2012 harvest tucked safely inside the winery, I could venture away from the Wakatipu Basin and its hills, freshly sifted with a dusting of snow. STORY | Greg Hay, Owner Peregrine Wines
Left Page: Greg with David Sutton of Continental Car Services. Right Page: Panoramic view of Bayview Chateau Tongariro.
With the last of the Peregrine grapes from the phenomenal 2012 harvest tucked safely inside the winery, I could venture away from the Wakatipu Basin and its hills, freshly sifted with a dusting of snow. My itinerary started in the sexy black Air New Zealand A320 and a flight over some of our most iconic landscapes. Soaring over the autumnal colours provided by the willows and poplars that cloak the countryside, the sound of my car’s engine blowing up reverberated in my head. Happily, imagining the fantastic Audi A6 awaiting me at Continental Car Services in Auckland distracted my thoughts.
next Audi due to their exemplary aftersales service. My only regret is not being able to drop by to have my car valeted every second day!
Glimpsing the river where I chase tiny delicacies brought on visions wine and whitebait - a near spiritual combination! And, luckily for me, my trip unfolded into a magical combination of great food, wine and accommodation, made all the better by my Audi A6 driving experience.
Together with sales manager, David Sutton, Mark explained the intricacies and state-of-the-art technology of the A6. I was already appreciating the modern yet sophisticated interior, with its leather upholstery and inlays of Oak wood Beaufor. It was a great moment to finally get my hands on the keys and drive the A6 tentatively out of the immaculate, hanger-like showroom and start heading south. I set the Audi’s ‘adaptive cruise control’, which detects the vehicle ahead and maintains a safe distance – a rather amazing safety device, as is the ‘active lane assist’ that prevents changing lanes into another vehicle. I took advantage of the touch-sensitive MMR® which allows you to place calls with one finger without looking away from the road and caught up on some business.
Arriving on a blustery Auckland day, I was glad to head straight to Continental Car’s Audi showroom to meet Mark Bycroft, CCS’s Audi Manager. Mark has been at CCS for well over 20 years, starting as a mechanic and then progressing through the company to his current position so there is, arguably, no one more knowledgeable about Audis, and most other cars for that matter, than Mark. It is fitting then that he has stayed at CCS, the dealership of choice for purchasing your
Surrounded by such elegant luxury and feeling the power within the Audi just wanting to be unleashed, I decided to leave the main highway and try the country roads. I turned off the main highway at Ngarawahia. Sheep, dairy cows and neat hedges flew by and I began to enjoy the responsiveness and power of the sixcylinder engine which seemed to fit my own dynamic style of driving. I must admit to stopping a few times just so I could accelerate to 100 km/h in five to six seconds!
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Onwards, past Tauramanui, my Audi and I started to gain some altitude and the plateau signalled that the Chateau wasn’t too far away. Officially called The Bayview Chateau Tongariro Mt Ruapehu, my memories of this iconic building were correct. It is still very grand indeed and as I enjoyed a glass of wine in front of the roaring fire warming the massive lounge, I read about the history of the hotel. Construction began in 1929 with a contract price of £78,000. I couldn’t help thinking that today that might possibly cover the compliance costs and consent fees required by councils. Amazingly, the Chateau was opened on 1st August - a mere eight months later. Immediately, international VIP’s and well-heeled locals flocked down for many a famous party. Sadly, in the middle of its hey day, WW2 broke out and after an earthquake damaged the Wellington hospital, it was commandeered it as an asylum. However, a few different owners and a lot of investment have seen the Chateau restored to its former glory and it is now a Category One Historic Building. Dining in the grand Ruapehu Restaurant, I perused the impressive menu. Some items will always automatically jump out for me and so the Kingfish Risotto with pea and prawns was a quick decision and great match for the Riesling I was entertaining. The dish was beautifully prepared and presented and, soon gone! The elegant meal finished, I sauntered off to a very comfortable bed and watched the first snowflakes of the 2012 ski season start to fall. Dawn broke crisp and clear with Mt Ruapehu resplendent in a new white cloak and was glad of the fast air-conditioning in the Audi to heat my bones to a more reasonable temperature. Off I set again and was soon at Mangaweka. At Peregrine Winery we are actively involved in avian conservation projects, mainly in the Fiordland National Park. Stopping at the Mt Bruce Bird Sanctuary was worthwhile just to see their latest arrival: a pure white Kiwi. Then there’s the Kaka who are very noisy, bolshie and boisterous birds that look similar to a Kea but don’t have the same penchant for windscreen wipers. Try to spot the Tuataras and green Geckos – I didn’t manage to find any! Passing through the very swanky looking Greytown with its designer shops, French bakeries and boutique hotels it is hard not to stop again. I noticed the elegant lines and proportions of my A6 were being appreciated by the good folk of Martinborough I arrived right on ‘wine time’ and I soon spotted the splendid façade of the Martinborough Hotel. Old-world charm with modern touches throughout the rooms, named after the people and places of historic relevance to the area, makes this both an elegant and interesting stay. Spying my claw-footed bath and knowing it would be utilized very shortly and from where I could also watch “Gone Fishing” (does it get any better than that?), I nipped downstairs to say hello to the new owners of the restaurant. Jerry and Carline Dolan took over the
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Left Page, Top left: Bayview Chateau Tongariro. Middle Left: The Martinborough Hotel Right Page: Room and exterior of Ohtel Wellington.
restaurant in Easter and they have some great plans for the venue so I will be returning to see how they develop the business. That night, supremely tender calamari with the lightest touch of fresh red chilli was served with thinly sliced green beans and fennel bulb. A perfect match for my Chardonnay and was followed by a succulent and beautifully cooked piece of fillet with fresh peas. The 2009 Escarpment Vineyard Pinot Noir made locally by the Pinot Maestro, Larry McKenna, was an excellent accompaniment. By some strange moment of fate, no sooner had my Pinot arrived, then the smiling face of the said Larry appeared, exclaiming, “you can’t hide in Martinborough Mr Hay!” Waking to the sun streaming through my window, the Sunday Star Times at my door, which announced the Highlanders had beaten the Bulls 16-11 – the day just got a whole lot better – an early breakfast and I was back in the driver’s seat. Meandering happily along the country roads, the Audi was performing just as I had imagined its German precision would. Standing between Wellington and me was now the Rimutaka’s and that long and windy road with its incessant corners but I was sure the Audi was going to enjoy them all. Indeed, the drive was exciting and I really put the car through its paces as it stuck to the road around every bend. Together we cruised down the valley into Wellington city and the luxury of the boutique and very smart Ohtel Hotel on Oriental Parade. Easy to locate, the Ohtel was a contrast to the Chateau Tongariro in both size and style. Small and modern, with a dash of ‘70’s retro, my room overlooked the harbour. Boats and yachts were not even moving on
their moorings and it was one of those ‘you can’t beat Wellington on a nice day’ moments. Creating a lovely ‘home’ feeling is not easy inside a hotel but the Ohtel’s personal touches, vibrant colours, artworks and the softest carpet that invited you to dig your toes into, achieves this. Enlarged NZ coins, such as the old 1c, 2c, 5c, are used to number the rooms and a cool little bar serves platters with a good selection of beverages, in a friendly, intimate space. Ohtel’s great location makes it easy to access any of Wellington’s main attractions. Another early start, the 8.15am sailing of the Cook Strait ferry, found me looking onto a millpond instead of the dreaded maelstrom that this roughest piece of water on earth can sometimes provide. It was a sunny and crisp morning as the boat docked into the Picton Wharf, some three hours later. As I drove off the ferry and through the town in my lovely white Audi A6, I knew that Blenheim wasn’t far away and that same game was about to arise... left or right, Kaikoura or the West Coast...
Part Two of Greg Hay’s Road Trip in his new Audi A6, 3L TFSI S-Tronic will appear in the next edition of ME Magazine. For Greg’s Roadies Recommendations See: !"#$"%"#&'( &)(*%)+$,%-(.../,,-/,!/"0 1&2+$%.( 3&#%&4(5!"6&)$)!(7!#%'(8#(94&:%34( .../,3&#%&4/,!/"0 53%(8&)#$";!)!463(7!#%'(( .../<&)#$";!)!4633!#%'/,!/"0 =3#%'(>%''$"6#!"(.../!3#%'/,!<
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