...to Blendheim...

Actually, the day starts off well...I have coffee from my beloved, really beaten-up coffee pot. At 8:00, I walk over to the AA test facility (equivalent to our ADAC) and sign up for the Wof (warranty of fitness), and then the inspector runs over and takes the car... In the meantime, I see him struggling with the hood latch...yes, those things are always in different places.

Then the result: failed...hole in the exhaust (so the 2nd one) and SRS warning light, meaning no airbag function. Especially annoying: the inspection has no delaying effect, I am still...out of law.

If only I had brought some snacks...

I drive back to the campsite first, have breakfast, and then decide to solve the problem in Wellington, after all, I have booked the ferry for tomorrow. It's a long flat stretch between 2 mountain ridges for 120 km, a very relaxed gliding along at 80 km/h, until the route finally leads to the sea.

Many construction sites slow me down, in 2016 some sections here were buried. After another 200 km, always along the really quiet Pacific Ocean, I finally arrive in Blendheim. This is Marlborough Country, there are really many wineries with large cultivation areas. Christoph was here for work and travel, some rows of vines he planted really crooked.

I buy some groceries and then I look for a quiet campsite for the night.