Around the World (Again) Nelson

Nelson South Island New Zealand.

We had arrived in Nelson mid-afternoon, Steve was off fishing (catching our next day evenings meal) and Birte was working until 18:00, but the key had been stashed in a secret (grin) place. We got our baggage out of the taxi and into our bedroom and made ourselves comfortable. Birte had been able to get away early and was actually home at about 16:00 so we had all of the welcomes and Wiedersehens earlier than expected.  

We sat out on the patio in the sun, drank coffee and watched the butterflies on the vine, life doesn't get much better than this.

 

Birte made us a meal and the rest of the evening was spent with the girls nattering about old times and friends, I just went on to the computer and blogged and caught up with news from home. I had an early night as we had been up early and yesterday’s session with Bill had been a bit hard.

Next morning up with the larks or whatever is the New Zealand equivalent (they sure make a lot of noise). The sunrise is quite spectacular, it starts with a faint glow behind the mountains and then whoosh it is there climbing into the heavens. We breakfasted and decided we would walk down into town (it is great going down, but oh boy is it a good hike on the way back).

Birte took us to a couple of nice Galleries and to the main Nelson one, called the Suther Gallery, very nice lots of paintings and plastics by local artists, you can sit out and enjoy a coffee 

 

 and watch the Mallards playing at ducks and drakes, wink, wink.

 

 

 It was a very nice day for us and I am sure for the drakes, we then walked through the park and returned through the shopping area, Birte pointing out where the Saturday Farmers market took place. We then hiked it back up the mountain (I wouldn’t fancy this every day, no wonder the Kiwis are fit). After a quick lunch, it was now time for Birte to go to work (she holds down two jobs as well as running an au-pair agency). She took us to the harbour (I wanted to see if I could get a fishing charter boat, alas to no avail), she then headed off to work.

We legged it right along the promenade, there are some nice pieces of information about the first ships that came to settle in Tasman Bay, some nice bronze plastics depicting the early settlers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We walked until we hit the intersection where the road heads off towards the airport, Stoke and Richmond, so off course we had to have a photograph didn’t we! 

By this time Linda had a blister and needed some plasters and so we went to a chemists), across the road was a nice pub, so we decided to have a couple (the All Blacks game was on tele) of beers, do I hear 2 birds one stone.

After it was finished we went outside and low and behold, a whole load of schools where having a touch rugby competition, we sat and watch that for about an hour, bloody great all mixed teams.

Linda Texted to Birte and she said she would be with us in about 30 minutes.

She picked us up and suggested we go for fish and chips, do I heard what again, well as I love the stuff and have not had a bad one in NZ to date, why not. Now this is a one right on the harbour, there are at least 8 types of fish to choose from, I chose the blue Pacific cod (it actually tastes like cod), Linda the Hokey and Birte the Gurnard. If you ever venture down this way do not be tempted to have a whole scoop of chips, I can tell you Birte and I shared a scoop and I must say half a scoop would have sufficed (though Linda almost finished her ½ a scoop).

That eaten (well I ate all of my delicious fish) we drove home, I was absolutely bloated, stuffed and could do nothing that waddle into the bedroom and collapse into a satisfied sleep.

 

Saturday turned out to be not so nice, in fact it was quite overcast Steve had returned from his fishing expedition, (with some success) but was already up and about. Birte had also to go to work and so this meant we would walk down to the market and then be left to our own devices until afternoon.

The market was quite wonderful, a lot of artisan food products, local crafts and fruit and veg, we took in the very nice laidback Kiwi life style, we just wandered, stopped to try some of the delicious produce, be it honey, German Sausages and smoked hams, apples, cheese, juices, finally to sit at a coffee stall to drink a (now our drink) flat white, the owner had a Chelsea shirt on, poor lad got some ribbing from me (Newcastle had beat them 2:0). there was even a German Brattie stall (bit far to come!

 

We then popped into see Birte as Linda wanted to buy her niece and (very new) nephew presents for when she visits them in Bangkok on her way home. Birte is a trained pedagogue, but due to her non-residence status she is not able to get work fully in her field, so she work part-time in the toyshop and part-time teaching children with learning disabilities. She also runs her Au pair agency for Germans from home. 

We then went and done a bit of wandering the streets of Nelson. The main Nelson shopping and business area isn’t at all large and once down is very flat, so easily covered on foot. We once again ended up at the Suther Gallery, but this time just to eat and drink, Linda ate and I drank.

Linda had an excellent vegetarian meal on offer. It was a curried dal and a pear and blue goats cheese salad.

We then decided that rather than exert too much pressure on our weary limbs (we had a hard day ahead the next day) we would get a taxi back up the hill, we arrived and guess what? I had a nap.

I awoke to the smell of cooking, it was Steve preparing the evening meal, it was the fish he had caught the day before, so it was very nice flounder and whitebait omelette , we ate it with potatoes, carrots, broccoli and drank a nice local white sauvignon blanc with it (what else).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the meal we sat and chatted, I read a bit in my travel guide about Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. Steve had bought an underwater light for flounder fishing at night; this is done in the shallows with a harpoon, it is also used for prawn and crab fishing in the rock pools after dark. This is a very interesting method of fishing and I shall have to look into it in greater depth (pun intended) for later days.

It was time for bed as the next day was to be a hard one. We would be doing a bit of walking in the Abel Tasman National Park! Birte's idea not mine!