Being here in the kitchen, this would be the most amazing dining experience I've ever had. Incredible. I'm really nervous. I can actually feel myself physically shaking. Not only is she, like, flying; she doesn't like heights. Terrifying. FUN MUSIC Captions by Glenna Casalme. www.able.co.nz Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2016 CURIOUS MUSIC Auckland Airport. Shall I reveal where we're going? Yes, please. Oh, it's Marlborough! Oh, fantastic! Brilliant. Thoughts? Um, vineyards, shellfish, um, sunshine. Marlborough. It's top of the south. Can't wait. Shall we go? Let's go. Let's do it. We're 16 years married. I certainly do appreciate the hard work Nicolle does at home while I'm off travelling the world, while she's got the three kids. She is the backbone of our marriage ` there's no doubt about that. Justin and I have visited Marlborough before on several occasions, and it's a special place for us, cos this is where we got engaged. Justin proposed to me in the Marlborough Sounds. It's such a fabulous place. We don't often get to do things like this together, with three children. They're very busy and very active. So having opportunities like this, uh, we` we really cherish. And, uh, you know, I'm glad I can do these things with Nicolle every now and then. We actually get a great kick out of it. UPBEAT MUSIC Welcome to Blenheim, and we hope you enjoy your time. We will. Thank you, Debbie! Bye-bye. > Bye-bye! OK, clue. Clue time. Oh, (LAUGHS) forgot about that. Too wrapped up in, uh, the destination. READS: 'Welcome to wine country. Check into the five-star Chateau Marlborough in Central Blenheim` Whoo-hoo! Five-star! '...for a luxurious start to your escape.' Wow, I've heard of that place. Cos obviously we come up here with, uh, rugby, but don't get to stay in the chateau, it'd be fair to say. Fantastic! Driving in to Chateau Marlborough, just looks like such a comfortable, lovely place to stay. So, here we are! Ah. Oh lovely! Wow. Thank you. Very very nice. Beautiful! Look at all this space. Beautiful. (SIGHS) (LAUGHS) Enjoy your stay! Fantastic. Thanks, Jess. UPLIFTING MUSIC I've had a fabulous sleep. I feel really energised, and I'm ready for the day. Nervous excitement, trepidation of what's gonna be thrown at us, but, no, I'm ready. I feel good. I think it's clue-reading time, Nicolle. Given that I'm the chauffeur, I think you should be the clue reader. With honours. Here we go! READS: 'Check out and drive to the Omaka Aviation Heritage` Oh! '...Centre to remember the knights of the sky.' Mm. Brilliant. Like, I think it's historic, as in like biplanes and old planes. Cool. Sort of Amelia Earhart style. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Believe it or not ` I don't know if you know this about me after 16 years of marriage ` um,... BOTH TALK AT ONCE ...I'm actually quite interested in aviation, to be fair. I guess cos I fly a lot, with my job, and I'm on airplanes a lot and at airports, so you kind of look at them and you sort of can't help but be fascinated by them, really. RISING MUSIC Hello, hello. Good morning. How are you? Very good. I'm Brian. I'll be your guide this morning. Hi, Brian. Nicolle. Come on in, folks. I'll get the door. Oh wow. Thank you. Oh wow. LIVELY, WONDROUS MUSIC This is basically Sir Peter's collection, and we just look after it for him. So then he owns... Yeah. ...every single plane here. Pretty much, yeah. I had a great feeling when I walked through the doors of the museum, because when you have somebody affiliated to it, like Sir Peter Jackson, you know it's going to be quality. That's so good that he's so generous to donate it all, though, and let people` Oh, I think so. I think so. > Yeah. It's an incredible thing to be able to show people this. > This Caproni here is actually an original aeroplane. It flies? It doesn't fly any more, but it used to, way back in 1913, when it was made. That is fan` I think I can make a paper mache like that. Now, when we're talking about pilots, Grid Caldwell here was one of them. He was actually the base commander here at Blenheim. As you can see by the wingtip here, his aeroplane was damaged, and what Grid found was that if he moved to the side, as if to get out, he managed to balance the airplane and can fly` You are kidding me! Nah, nah. And he actually managed to control it down slowly, pulling the power back. He's about to drop off the back. And he actually bailed out, if you like, without a parachute, because they didn't use them, dropped down into the trenches and had a cup of tea with the boys and rang up the base. They'd come and picked him up, and he was flying again in the afternoon. What a legend. That's Kiwi ingenuity at its best, isn't it? I'm actually blown away by that story. Come on round the corner here, guys, and I'll leave you in the capable hands of our resident Spitfire pilot Bunty. Bunty. Thank you. Justin Marshall. Pleasure to meet you. Justin. Oh, thank you so much. And this is my wife, Nicolle. Hello. How are you? Oh, Nicolle. Nice to meet you. Good. So, you were a Spitfire pilot. You could say that. Wow. That's amazing. So, Bunty, tell me, have you ever been fired at and hit? Um, yes, I have. It was early on ` about my fourth or fifth time up. I spotted the Jerry coming out of the cloud to attack us, and as we all turned, he opened fire. He blew a hole in the wing. But you've got a top priority for landing, and as you came in, you flew over the control tower, and he could tell from down there whether you'd blown a tyre, and he would simply say, 'Uh, it appears everything is OK.' So you come in, the ambulance is on one side and the crash tender is on the other. And they keep pace with you as you come in over the fence. Did you have any problems because you had a hole in your wing? Was it OK to fly or...? Well, it must've been, cos I got it down. You got it down! (LAUGHS) You got down! Oh, well, you're a very brave man. I'm incredibly impressed. Yes. Can I have a little look inside? Is it possible? Too right. Yeah. 'So, meeting somebody like Bunty, who I believe is a hero of our nation, for what he did, 'it made me proud. There's a lot of All Blacks that went to war and didn't come home, so, you know, 'the All Blacks in history, in war have a lot in common, 'and, uh, that always stirs up emotions in me, for sure.' Now, can you hop in? And sit on his knee. You want me in on his knee? Yeah, yeah. Is this what you used to do? (LAUGHS) Yeah. It's all very dapper. OK. And over the top. There's not a lot of room! I think you have to be... Rather 'flexible' would be the word. Ooh. OK. Not a great deal of room here, Bunty. (LAUGHS) No, you're right! > I think I need a whiskey. Jeepers. Yeah. > Whereabouts did you used to hide it? Uh, in the back pocket. In the back pocket! OK! BOTH LAUGH MARCHING DRUM MUSIC ENGINE TURNS OVER Right, well, we're gonna go for a flight, I guess, so it's, uh` What?! Oh! ...the best thing would be to, uh` to put some clothes on so you're a bit wind` (GROWLS) Ugh. Oh! ALL CHUCKLE Ok. 'The thought of getting on this biplane, um, is terrifying for me. I'm really nervous. I actually can feel sweat prickling. I'm, um` My stomach's doing flip-flops, and I feel a little shaky, actually. I can actually feel myself physically shaking. Nicolle's not a great flyer, to put it in perspective, so she doesn't like any turbulence or anything. So getting in a light aircraft like this, where it's open cockpit, that made me proud of her, because I knew that this was big-time out of her comfort zone. Not only is she, like, flying; she doesn't like heights. It's not as rattly as I was expecting. Uh, the aircraft's actually incredibly smooth, and the rush of air is` is exhilarating. Being up in the aircraft is the most amazing experience. We had the perfect flying conditions ` blue sky, sunshine ` to actually be in an open-air cockpit, with the wind rushing in your hair, with, um, the view. We could smell the grapes rushing up from the vineyards. I mean, it was extraordinary. I feel really free. It's like you are dancing on the clouds, and yet there wasn't a cloud in the sky. LIVELY STRING MUSIC Breathless. Amazing. Probably one of the most amazing things I've ever done. In fact, it was quite romantic. How was that, guys? That was awesome, Ryan. Thanks so much. No problem at all. Big deal. Great. Yeah? Yeah. VOICE BREAKS: Spectacular. (CHUCKLES) I loved it. I loved it. I've never done anything like that. It was amazing. Be in to win your own NZ escape, including flights, car hire, accommodation and activities. Head to ournzescape.tv to enter. This experience, being here in the kitchen, the food coming straight to you, all the local produce being described, this would be the most amazing dining experience I've ever had. Incredible. UPBEAT MUSIC We don't know where we're going. Do you wanna check out the next (LOUDLY) clue? The clue! Jeez, what more can we do today? READS: 'Head to Lake Timara Lodge and unwind in the tranquil gardens 'before dining on local fresh produce at Arbour.' Whoo! Let's go! (IMITATES ENGINE) LIGHT CLASSICAL MUSIC The entry to Timara Lodge is just so incredibly beautiful. Fabulous sculptures and a fountain ` it's just so incredibly impressive. We were offered the chance to go in the rowboat, so I seized the opportunity, because I know that I can row better than Justin. (LAUGHS) Nicolle is the rower out of the two of us. Oh, really? Yep. Yes. She's always telling me that I get into it the wrong way and rock it this way and that way and... Right, you ready? Yeah. I'm trusting the bung's in. How good's this? Getting rowed around by my wife. It's so relaxing and fantastic to be out on the water. And the lake, it was like glass. It's like a movie set. It's like it's been created for us to have this rowing experience. Such a spectacular spot. BOTH: Oh! Waterskiing. BOTH LAUGH Graceful! (CHUCKLES) Does this day get much better? (CHUCKLES) It's beautiful. Would you like a glass of wine, darling? Yes, please. First day ` I think we've packed in quite a lot, haven't we? Go through that adrenaline-pumping situation of being up in an old aircraft, open cockpit ` all your fears conquered, Nicolle. Beautiful. Thank you. And then we end up at this magnificent place. And then to, sort of, come somewhere like this ` it's such an oasis. Oh, this is quintessential NZ, this is. Yeah, it is. It is. Bit lucky, I think. Very lucky. GLASSES CHINK DREAMY MUSIC < Hello. Hey, good evening. < How are you? Hello! Dinner for two? Yes. Yes, please. Come on through. Thank you so much. And where have you been today? Um, we've been to the airfield and` and, um` Sorry! (CHUCKLES) Come through and meet our kitchen team. We are in the kitchen. Hi! Well, hello! Bradley. Nicolle. Hi. Nice to meet you, Nicolle. Justin. Pleasure to meet you, sir. Likewise. Likewise. So, welcome to Prep Bench. Oh fantastic! Oh, look at this! (LAUGHS) Are we dining here? You're dining right here. This is Prep Bench. What we're gonna do is as we get going, I'm gonna pass food through, and, um, yeah, if you have any questions or anything, we can, yeah, talk about the produce or how we do things or` or if not, just watch us run around like headless chickens for the next two hours. D'you do this...? Several times a week. I` Really? Do you? And this is something that people pay for, come in and experience in the kitchen? Yeah. What a unique idea. To Arbour. Yes, to Arbour. This is a moon shell clam. So we serve this with, uh, a miso dressing and some compressed cucumber, and we finish it just with a little bit of spice, so, please enjoy. Beautiful. Mmm! I love those clams. Yeah, they're great, aren't they? It's extraordinary to sit in a working kitchen and actually see the chef that's preparing your meal. It sort of breaks down a barrier, gets you in a really close relationship with the chef. OK, next course. So what we've done here is we've taken the middle part of the Ora King salmon, and basically we just cooked it really really quickly. So about two minutes from room temperature. And basically what happens is we cook this for about an hour and a half. So the egg yolk itself is just kind of set on the outside. It's a nightmare if you don't get them right. Hour and a half for an egg yolk? Yeah. Put them into the oil. Yeah. At 65.3 degrees, it's enough to actually set the egg yolk. But if you like to take your knife... Yes, I would. and cut the yolk, hopefully it will, uh... < It should be still nice and runny. Oh! < Yeah. Sensational. < I'm pleased that worked. ALL LAUGH HEARTILY Mmm! Oh! Really good. You see, you see an egg yolk like that, and you're thinking, 'It's going to be cold. It's going to be cold.' And it's going to blend in. That's warm. Beautiful. Amazing. Liquid gold. Mm. SAMBA MUSIC This is, um, smoked tenderloin of venison. And I really wanted to serve this with something that I think, as NZers, we really identify with, and that's swede. So` BOTH: Oh! Is that swede? (CLAPS) Yeah. So a Southlander. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Gold. I think that swede is one of those things that the rest of the world looks at as cow food. Yeah. I look at it as, 'Man, I wanna put that in some butter.' Yes! Yup. So do I. I think memories of` Our dish on the menu at the moment is based around memories of carrot and swede. You know, cold winter nights,... Yup. ...mashed with lots of butter and pepper,... Yes! ...like this. Yeah. Oh, m` Hey. I'm pumped about the swede. LAUGHTER Ohhh. This experience, being here in the kitchen, the food coming straight to you, being presented, all the local produce being described, this would be the most amazing dining experience I've ever had. I` I've so loved it. Thank you so much, Bradley. It's been amazing. Thank you! Lovely to meet you. It's been awesome to have you guys in the kitchen. We will` 100%, we will be back and so will all our friends. < Great. Because why could you not recommend an experience like this? And the food was incredible. Thank you. Enjoy the rest of your time in Marlborough. JAUNTY GUITAR MUSIC What could we be possibly doing today, Nicolle? I wonder. READS: 'Make your way to Picton...' Yes! '...and take in the glory of the Marlborough Sounds from land and sea.' You know what, when you mention the word Picton and you think of Marlborough area and then you say the Marlborough Sounds, it doesn't bother me what you're doing when you're in that area, cos it is so magnificent. Morning! Hello, hello. Good morning. Welcome. I'm Dave. Justin. Nice to meet you, Dave. Nicolle. Hi. Hi, Nicolle. How are you? Well, we don't know yet. You tell us. How are we? What are we doing? You picked the perfect day. We're gonna take you kayaking today. Are you? Sea kayaking out in the Marlborough Sounds. Gear's around the back ready, so... Can't wait. Good. Let's go. Beautiful. I love the feeling of pushing off from the beach in the kayak. Justin's in the kayak behind me. We couldn't have stumbled across a more perfect day. Was such a serene, tranquil experience. There's no sound, there's no traffic; there was birds. It was amazing. We were wondering whether or not we were going to be taken out into the Marlborough Sounds, because it brings back, um, magnificent memories. Uh, we got engaged in a part of the Sounds called Lochmara Bay. Uh, on the end of a jetty, I dropped down on one knee and asked Nicolle to marry me. And 16 years later, we're still here, but we're back in this lovely part of the world, And we're back to where it all started, I guess, for us. Having, um, opportunities like this, we really cherish. UPBEAT GUITAR MUSIC So, we're going for a bike ride on the Queen Charlotte Track, and we're climbing up into the hills, and it's quite a challenge. Uh, I do enjoy my mountain biking, my downhilling, in particular; I'm not so good on the uphill. But, yeah, getting on the bike and just seeing the quality of the Queen Charlotte Track, it was great. We get to the top of the ridge, and the view is incredible. It's good to do some exercises. It certainly made me feel better, and it's just such a beautiful place to do it. Yeah, try that and, uh, tell us what you think. Cheers. Would now be a good time to tell you I've already booked flights to come back? Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if you told me that. JAUNTY WHISTLING MUSIC Hello, hello! Good morning to ya! Justin. Brian. Pleasure to meet you. I'm the skipper of the vessel, Justin. And Nicolle. Hi, Nicolle. Nice to meet you, Brian. Welcome aboard. Wow, this looks magnificent. Where we going? Oh, we're going to go take you out and explore some of the Queen Charlotte Sound. Oh, superb! After you, skipper. Great to be on the Affinity. Now, where are we going? We're going to take you to Motuara Island, the bird sanctuary. It's where Captain Cook claimed the land for the realm... Did he? > ...when he was out here, yeah, in 1770-whenever. And there's` Right up on the top, there's a stone cairn up there that commemorates the... the happening where he raised the flag and claimed the land. Walking up the track at Motuara, it's quite a climb to the top. You're in a canopy of trees, and there's just` there's incredible birdsong, cos there are birds everywhere. SOFTLY: Oh. Oh, look, there's two little penguins. That's incredible. Oh! We made it. Captain Cook Memorial Committee. So he put the British flag here and claimed the South Island. Mm. Ah well, few more steps to the top. Shall we go see what we can see? Let's go. Off to the top, out on to the strait. Oh wow. (CHUCKLES) The big blue. Ah! Made it. Boom. (BLOWS) Yes, boy. That was worth it. Wow, isn't it? You can see forever. That is spectacular. It's worth making the trip... Mm. ...right to the top... Yeah. ...to get a view of the sound. Yeah. Well, I've thoroughly enjoyed this, but (SIGHS) it'd be fair to say I've worked up a thirst. Shall we, um, head back to the boat? That's a great idea. Brilliant. UPBEAT, HAPPY MUSIC It's so peaceful now, isn't it, out amongst the Marlborough Sounds, heading back to Picton? It's beautiful. I love it. Miraculously, I have a clue in my pocket (!) OK. (LAUGHS) (LAUGHS) Let's see what our last activity is. READS: 'You can't leave Blenheim without sampling the best produce the region has to offer. 'Head to Villa Maria for a tasting like no other.' Oh cheers. Fantastic. How cool is that? Amazing. We knew the winery was there. We were just holding our breath, weren't we? We were hoping one would come. Oh! Fantastic. And Villa Maria. I haven't been there, so it's gonna be wonderful. Oh, I'm excited about that. Great. Brilliant. Cheers to tea. We'll be cheers-ing wine later on. ROLLING, FLOWING MUSIC Hello! Hi, Justin. How are you? I'm very well. Welcome to Villa Maria. Nice to see you. This is my wife, Nicolle. Hello. How are you? Hello, Nicolle. Nice to see you. We got a big day planned for you. You're gonna be tasting some wine. But first you're gonna have to cycle out to one of our premium vineyards. So you're gonna have to earn it. Before tasting the wine or...? Yeah. Before. Oh, that's a good idea. Well, come on, then. We'll get you kitted out. Thank you. Thank you so much. Looking forward to it. On the bikes, through the vineyard ` there's something quite romantic about that. You sort of have visions of a sort of a movie you see from Europe, isn't it, with a basket on the front, cycling through the vineyard. Look at this! Good bike ride? > Thank you. Very good bike ride. But looks like it was worth it. Nick Picone. Nick, pleasure to meet you. This is my wife, Nicolle. Look at the view. And, uh,... I can see something really really appealing right there. ALL LAUGH You sure can. Why don't you come over here and we can, uh, have a chat? Quite simply looking forward to it. Yeah, so, guys, my name's Nick, and I'm the chief winemaker for Villa Maria. Now we're gonna try something really special, and we're here at the Seddon Vineyard, overlooking this '98 terrace of Pinot Noir just beneath us. And we're about to try the wine from this vineyard from the 2012 vintage. Yeah, try that and tell us what you think. GLASSES RING Cheers. Boy, that's good. Really good. Mm. So, guys, thanks so much for your company. Brilliant wine tasting, great setting, but it's time for a little bit of romance, Southland style. I'm going to take, if you don't mind, this Pinot, and my wife, and we are going to go and enjoy the view. Thank you. All righty. Thanks, guys. Enjoy. Sounds good. Bye. Oh well, this is not a bad finale to what has been a magnificent trip. The valley is incredible. Isn't it? Four days without the kids. What an experience. Enjoyed it? I've loved every minute of it. It's been incredible. It's shown me a Marlborough that I'd never seen before. Yeah. Absolutely. Would now be a good time to tell you I've actually already booked flights to come back? (LAUGHS) Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if you told me that. I will remember this forever. Magnificent. Thank you, Marlborough. LIGHT, UPBEAT MUSIC I've just had such an incredible time in Marlborough. I've really enjoyed seeing more of the region, and I've really enjoyed seeing and doing things that I've never done before. It'll be lovely to get home to our children. I've missed them. But at the same time, I've just had such an amazing holiday. I feel like I've been away for six weeks. This trip, for us, as much as we love our children and love holidaying with them, it's always nice and refreshing to go back to where you were before kids, you know, which was experiencing things together with your best friend. Explore more of the country with Air NZ. Book now at Air NZ. Captions by Glenna Casalme. www.able.co.nz Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2016 Head to... 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