NEW: Harvest Weeks 6+ (Party, Dolphins, Wellington)

Ok this is my first catch-up post since my "Savalanche" post. Although harvest finished a few week ago, I'm writing this in mid-May because Shannon visited & our subsequent our travels got quite busy. There's work to get done - my writing and your reading...gear up!

The end of harvest came quickly, and I don't think any of us were ready to say our good-byes. The Villa Maria staff ended up harvesting 14,700 tons of grapes in 2025, and I made 40+ new friends from around the globe. Every harvest finishes with a "harvest party," which was held at a rugby club this year (with some yum food trucks present). Plus-ones were not allowed at the party, but the post-post-harvest party was held at The Yard Bar in town where we all continued the celebration with plus-ones included :) Was a fun night with emotions flowing due to our NZ contracts ending and our various pending departures. Some folks planned to stay in NZ to find more work, some planned to travel (within NZ and elsewhere), and some were flying home the night of the harvest party! As I've learned to say, "Ciao for now!!!"











My last two weekends in Marlborough were quite eventful too! I drove down to Kaikoura (again, one of my favorite places) to swim with the dusky dolphins. This was a highlight experience, as they're incredibly playful creatures, and we saw dozens of pods totaling 100+ dolphins throughout the day. The following weekend was Shannon's first in NZ, so we took the ferry across the straight to NZ's capital city, Wellington. A fun and funky town that felt SF-like, with parks + hills coming down to meet the ocean. Some great museums like the Te Papa and Weta workshop (special effects studio for Avatar, LOTR, Dune, etc.). Super fun!













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