Where it turned out we couldn’t handle a longer than normal stay in one spot …
We designed our 6 months in New Zealand to have the three middle months in the South Island, with one and a half on each end in the North, so that meant early December was the time to cross over and start our Southern odyssey. And of course our plan is to start right at the top and work our way down and then back up.
When you look at a map of the SI, you see a deep vee in the middle of the top, with the Marlborough Sounds in the upper right, which is where the ferry arrives on a westward course from the NI, and a whole lot of green in the upper left, which is predominantly national parks. We’ll be exploring all these regions (although not all of the goodness in each region) over the next two weeks, but we’re starting right down in the middle of that vee in the town of Nelson.
Nelson is a small city of around 50,000 (making it the 12th largest in NZ), with a thriving arts scene and a long history established 1841 (making it the oldest city on the SI.) The area is relatively flat and situated along the 120kmx70km large Tasman Bay. It’s a fairly cosmopolitan city with a slight international flair because it has attracted so many people from around the world to either work or retire here. It’s also a cruise ship destination, and therefore time for us to become good at selectively choosing activities based on cruise ship days as the traffic can overwhelm these small towns.
Saturday – Move Day
We were at the ferry docks by 7am for our 8am departure and hung out in a long line of cars and campers before boarding and parking the car on deck. We were impressed with the interior of the ferry – loads of seating space, quiet places to sleep, a kids room, a movie theatre, a big café and plenty of tables near the front windows where we positioned ourselves for the 3.5 hour crossing.
It was super windy so while we did go out on deck now and then, it was usually to hover on the side deck out of the worst of the wind – which felt like it could tear you right off the boat. The scenery was obscured by the drizzle and low grey clouds as we left Wellington, but even a grey day cannot hide the beauty of the Marlborough Sounds as we entered them and cruised amongst their arms, coves and passages on our way to Picton.
Once arrived in Picton, we walked around the town a little, cringing at the cruise ship traffic and crowding in the small streets as I wondered why I booked us for a week in this town. But that’s next week and for now we were off to Nelson.
The first part of the drive the weather held for us as we took the scenic route, stopping to check out Havelock, but by the time we neared Pelorus Bridge where I had hoped to hike, we were hit by big storms with sheeting rain, thunder and serious winds. We waited it out until the worst of the rain stopped but the high winds made for a harrowing drive over the hills to Nelson. In any winds, our kayak acts like a sail and pushes the car around, while sometimes getting pushed off itself causing us to pull over and re-strap it down in some precarious spots. In these winds, it was the worst yet. This is the drive where we decided to sell it – the balance of fun it was bringing and stress it was producing tipped in the wrong direction.
We arrived to a lovely small apartment that is part of a large, heritage style home close to the center of Nelson. Our hosts Arlene and Greg are absolutely welcoming, plying us with good vibes and information about what to do in the area.
Sunday
The rain continued as predicted, but turned to late day fresh sunshine in the evening. I took a long morning walk along the Matai River and into the Matai Valley, passing swimming holes and dog walkers along the way and coming to appreciate the quiet beauty of this area. It wasn’t apparent to me as we drove in that I was going to like Nelson, but it started growing on me this day and continued to do so throughout the week.
Late brunch, computer time, and a pretty evening walk together through the town and its riverside parks to the marina and inner anchorages made for a fine and quiet day.
Monday
Weather was iffy but we set out for nearby Cable Bay, for a possible kayak and/or hike. Since this spot doesn’t get much press, we were astounded by the beauty. There’s a majestically blue bay with a perfectly curved beach between green hills on one side and a matching beach on the other formed by the estuary. The strip of land between leads out to the “island.” The wind was high so we decided to hike first and paddle later.
The hike was absolutely fantastic. We forged our way through steep pastures, including their packs of cows (we’re getting better at this!) and sheep before reaching what felt more like a trail. The views down into the bay kept adding to the array of colors in the aquamarine water and then growing to include the blue sea. We eventually dropped down to traverse a forest and then emerged into another area of pasture.
Here we met a couple from Germany who are spending 3 weeks in NZ and are dreaming of when they can do 6 weeks. They tell us our 6 months will be an inspiration to them. Then we were off to tramp around another pasture and basically play with sheep. They were everywhere. Lambs and sheep adorable as they come. They let us get just so close before running off wagging their cute little butts as they went.
While here, we also experienced our first sheep herding. We heard an ATV and barking and suddenly the farmer roared over the hill with his five sheep dogs. The sheep were running ahead of them as they were moved from one pasture to another. The dogs fanned out and searched amongst clumps of trees to flush out the stragglers. Later we saw the farmer and what must be the favorite dog riding the ATV together.
We could have spent many more hours laughing at the sheep and soaking up the coastal views overlooking the Tasman Bay with Nelson and its coming and going ships, but the sky had turned a scary dark grey so we reluctantly walked back. With the rain clouds threatening, we bagged the idea of kayaking and headed home happy.
Tuesday & Wednesday – Cape Farewell and Abel Tasman – See separate post
Thursday
Back in Nelson, I started the day with a walk to the “Centre of New Zealand,” which is not the actual geographical center, but was (in pre-GPS times) the point used by surveyors for all measurements about NZ locations. Now it’s a park with a high hilltop offering great views over the city and shoreline.
After a late brunch, we drove up to the small and touristy town of Matua and biked a great cycle path along the coast, via small towns and eventually through a real mountain biking park! I’m not ashamed to say this made me nervous, but I did alright – they have all grades of trails and the one we were on was the easiest. I think I’m ready to work my way up, but maybe not as far as the Devil’s Gulch Level 5.
We popped out at Kaiteriteri, which is the bottom of Able Tasman National Park. Here we saw all the parts we missed at the top – water taxis, kayak rentals, campgrounds and people lazing on the beach. The cycle home was just as pretty and fun, and a bit more relaxed.
Friday
Slow morning with a walk to the marina while Hale got the kayak ready to sell and listed it on TradeMe, then we drove out to Rabbit Island. This is a government owned island just northeast of Nelson which consists of protected habitat, a long beach and, primarily, a timber forest. There’s a bike trail that circles the island and connects to the mainland, but there are also rough forest roads open for mountain biking through the logging areas. I did both options while Hale took advantage of the beach for a great kite session.
Leaving the island, I cycled by a winery where I was surprised to learn that they are an Austrian family who specializes in Austrian varietals. I was delighted to taste a Gruner which I enjoyed while in the Vienna hills the last two summers and took a bottle for us to enjoy another day. Then I biked along boardwalks and sandy paths through farms and estuaries, and eventually back into Richmond, the small city nearest Nelson. From there, it was back down to the coast before a city roads ride home.
Saturday
If it’s Saturday in a New Zealand town, it’s Market Day. Nelson has a big one and we wandered exploring the stalls, leaving with a bag of expensive but delicious cherries. Next stop was dropping off the kayak to a couple who has bought it as part of their retirement dream. It was fun to meet them and tour their big motorhome and their garage that they are turning into their own apartment so they can rent out their bigger house for supplemental income.
Hale was headed back to Rabbit Island to chase wind, but first dropped me well southwest of Nelson near Belgrove for another cycle trail I wanted to try. I rode through Spooners Tunnel, built in 1891-1893 for trains and now the longest disused rail tunnel in New Zealand. It’s dark and cold, but not as spooky or long as I had anticipated.
From there, it was a rough and very country ride to the tiny town of Wakefield where the path switches to roads and sandy paths as it weaves through wine country on its way back up to Stoke where I met a mostly skunked Hale for a lift the last few miles home.
Sunday
There was one more enticing big hill in walking distance from our home for the week and I enjoyed a long and steep Grampians walk in morning, again with great views and friendly kiwis.
Then we were both off to Tohanui Beach, the sole and therefore very popular beach area right in Nelson proper. We enjoyed a beach and estuary walk and seeing all the families playing on the slide park, on the go kart racing track, with the model trains and in the BMX park. Then we split up and Hale had a great afternoon kiting off the beach while I took advantage of yet more of Nelson’s bike trails to explore the airport and the railroad trail as I made my way back home to prepare to leave.
Wrap
Nelson turned out to be an extremely enjoyable place to spend a week. I thought it would be slow paced and light on activities, but it was actually the first place I didn’t even find time to journal one single day. If we were moving more slowly, I’d be happy to spend two weeks here. Great mix of easy access to everyday fun like walking, biking and kiting paired with amazing dramatic scenery for day trips.
Week 8 of our journey