Nelson

Kia Ora!

Marae, a Maori meeting house

Back to Nelson.  I stayed at Tasman Bay Backpackers ($24/6 bed).  They served hot chocolate pudding and vanilla ice cream every night at 8 pm.  The line forms at 8 pm and winds through the hostel.  By 8:05 everyone is served and usually the huge roasting pan full of pudding is gone.  The hostel, located a couple of blocks from the middle of the CBD, also has a nice garden.

View from the Centre of NZ

One of the Nelson area's major drawbacks is that public transpo is dismal.  Even the iSites (national Visitor Info Centers) don't know much about the routes or schedules and they certainly don't promote it.  You would think that with 3 national parks and the Mt Richmond Forest Park and hordes of tourists, they could organize a good transpo system.  I would have loved to explore more of the towns near Abel Tasman National Park and the towns in Golden Bay if I didn't have to pay $20 - $100 return fare AND have to spend the night in each town.

Anyway, Nelson's CBD has heaps of restaurants and several arts and crafts shops and galleries, so lots to look at on a rainy day.  But I was lucky and missed all the rain on my walks except the big one at the end of my adventure.   The CBD's nicest feature was the Maitai Riverwalk which follows the river for a kilometer or two.

Chinese courtyard stonework

I also went through several gardens.  The Japanese gardens were very nice with lots of walkways, bridges, and water features.  I went over every path at least twice!   Although the Queens Gardens had several old large trees, the gardens are pretty basic except for the relatively new Chinese gardens where a new bridge is under construction.  The stonework in the Chinese courtyard must have taken a long time to chose and install.  All together, a nice place to stroll and chat with a friend.

The Chinese Gardens

I walked through the Botanical Reserve and tramped up the hill to the Centre of New Zealand.  The actual geographic center of NZ is actually a few kilometers away from the celebrated site, but who's measuring?  I was not impressed by the Nelson Provincial Museum, a little too provincial.

The Japanese Gardens

That's about it for Nelson.
Cheers!
Cyn