Nelson

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DATE VISITED: 22nd Jan - 23rd Jan

The 2 hour drive to Nelson was pleasant taking us through thick forestation and bush. Nelson lived upto what it was described as the most 'liveable city in New Zealand'. As we approached the town I soon realised why and immediatly had a good feeling. Such a compact city and full of tree lined streets, fountains and gardens, it had a really nice vibe. The south west alps provided a lovely hilly backdop to the city. Cafe's and bars filled the streets including a really good variety of shops.

Our hostel was called the Trampers Rest where we enjoyed a relaxing afternoon in its sub tropical garden complete with hammock garden herbs and a picnic table to enjoy our lunch. The place was more like a homestay than a hostel - we met some entertaining travellers here and met the chilled-as-a-bean owner who sensilbly fled the UK years ago to run the place.

The first day we just chilled around Nelson's beautiful parks (so clean!) before grabbing a Thai curry and sitting in the park. The second day was more a functional one obtaining our camping gear (our latest cost saving initiative!) before hitting an Irish bar at night and listening to some delightfully played acoustic music by a sister brother pair.

Nelson is a large town than a city - enough to keep you busy in the day with the shops, cafe's and lively streets, without the noise or hectic feel of a city. I could quite easily get a job here tomorrow!

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