Nelson & Abel Tasman

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Hello!

Leaving windy Welli for the South Island across the Cook Strait. It was a three and a half hours crossing with the ferry between Wellington and Picton.
The region around Nelson is believed to have the best climate in NZ and so there's plenty of orchards around, some of them with hi-tech features like giant fans to prevent frost or UV filter screens.

Not too far from Nelson is the Abel Tasman national park in which I spent a day trekking. I went down the coastal track which is really a narrow one with cliffs on one side and impenetrable forest on the other. Something surprising was that although the weather was cold, all the vegetation was so lush and looked tropical.

I could have stayed in Wellington to see the 2nd rugby test, but had other plans and had to move on. So I watched the match in a pub in Nelson. It was another hammering for the French side with a score of 61-10 for the All Blacks. It ranks as the biggest defeat ever for the French rugby team. Kind of a Waterloo... or rather a Trafalgar as I saw it in Nelson, if I may.
Sweet as.
Oli

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Photos

Hoody Oli
On the ferry's upper deck.

Cruising across Cook Strait
A nice and smooth cruise it was.

Nelson's main street
The town seemed quiet and had a frontier atmosphere to it.
The South Island is much less populated than its northern counterpart.

Standing at NZ's geographical centre
The first rugby game in NZ was played on a pitch, which is still there today, just at the bottom of this hill back in 1870 when a local bloke came back with an oval ball from England where he had been studying.

Beach landing
We were dropped off at Torrent Bay and then walked along the Coastal Track.

Green green Abel Tasman
With lots of fern all over of course.

Secluded beach in Abel Tasman
There were quite a few of them. I think it should really be fantastic in summer.