Ferrari Purosang Grand Tour of New Zealand: Stage 3

Emotion

Ferrari Purosang Grand Tour of New Zealand: Stage 3

The journey from Blenheim to Christchurch is a new adventure filled with vineyards, dolphin encounters and a pleasant surprise in the form of a Ferrari 166 Inter Coupe.

“There’s a lady out front who says she has something we want to see,” says the receptionist at our hotel, Hapuku Lodge, near Kaikoura, a former whaling town on the east coast of New Zealand’s South Island. Intrigued, we head into the square, where a small silver Ferrari stands among the red and blue Purosangio trees. But nothing. This is the fourth Ferrari ever built, a 166 Inter Coupe owned by Amanda and Phipps Rinaldo.

“The pharmacist told us you were here, so we thought we’d take it out to show you,” Amanda explains as we stare, speechless, at a car that Enzo Ferrari himself would have known intimately. It’s a great moment.

The roads around Blenheim provided the perfect opportunity to showcase the Ferrari Purosangio's agility and power.

Aotearoa, New Zealand’s Maori name, is loosely translated as “land of the long white cloud,” a reference to the cloud formations that allowed Polynesian navigators to discover the islands 700 years ago. That morning, as we drove north from Blenheim, a small town surrounded by vineyards that produce some of the world’s best Sauvignon Blanc, the long white clouds touched the hilltops and rain fell.

With the Manettino in wet mode and the suspension in the softest setting, the Purosangue set off on winding roads suspended between rough sea and virgin forest, following the rugged coastline overlooking Cook Strait, the expanse of water that separates the South Island from its more populous neighbor to the north.

Cook Strait, 14 miles long at its narrowest point, separates the North and South Islands of New Zealand.

The Ferraris had weathered the morning conditions, but the sperm whales were now swimming peacefully in the deep underwater canyons near Kaikoura, 130 kilometres south of Blenheim, clearly preferring the cool comfort of the South Pacific. We saw no sign of them on our whale watching trip that afternoon. On the other hand, the sight of a large pod of dolphins happily frolicking in the waves had everyone smiling.

As Purosangue headed towards Christchurch, the alpine roads of Route 70 and Route 7 provided plenty of beautiful scenery.

The next day, under brighter skies, we headed for Christchurch, the South Island’s largest city. But instead of following Highway 1 down the coast, we took Route 70 inland and Route 7 through New Zealand’s lofty alpine and Pacific region. Here, on empty roads that sometimes wind and sometimes twist along green valleys, through gentle hills, and over broad, gravel-strewn riverbeds, the Purosangue’s credentials as a 21st-century gran turismo came into sharp relief. It’s a Ferrari that will carry you effortlessly across all terrains and in all weathers.

Click here to watch the five episodes of the Ferrari Purosangue Grand Tour.