Blogs from Nelson Region, South Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 7

Geo: -41.2708, 173.284We enjoyed a sleep in and leisurely start to the day. We woke to find the heavy rain of last night had passed leaving relatively clear blue skies. We checked out of our Blenheim accommodation and drove north to check out the coastal town of Picton, where the ferry departs for Wellington and the North Island. Picton was a pretty place, a small beach town, surrounded by lush forest overlooking a turquoise bay and impressive fjord. After some time here, we were ready to start todays main objective; tasting Marlborough wines.Our first stop at Saint Clair was a bit of a fail, the winery being closed for renovation. Fortunately there was a local foods business on site with cheeses, fudge, mushrooms and honey available for tasting. We walked away with one of the best ... read more

Finally, August has arrived and now a mad rush to get everything done in time.... read more

In Franz Josef, my new friend Luz and I, loaded up on the bus to Nelson. We continued to chat and watched the scenery go by, occasionally nodding off due to the lack of sleep (lots of snoring going on in our 5-share room last night). So, unfortunately I missed a lot of the spectacular scenery. We stopped for lunch at a creepy possum lunch place where I met a friendly goat and Luz met a man from Barcelona who only spoke spanish. So, I left them to their spanish chatting - he was getting off in Hokitika to catch a train that would take him over the Southern Alps back to Christchurch. We boarded and continued our journey to Nelson with short stops at Hokitika and Greymouth, both appearing to be worthwhile villages to explore. ... read more

The count down is in single figures, we leave on Thursday 20th March.... read more

Maandag 6 Januari 2014: Ik en Richard slapen lang. Als we ontwaken duurt het tot de middag eer we gegegeten en gewassen zijn. Richard start en wasmachine en ik vul het nog wat aan. In de tijd dat de wasmachine draait, wandelen we op de heuvel naar een windmolen. Een experiment uit 1993 waar nog niet veel mee gedaan is. Bezweet komen we op de hoge top maar we worden beloond met een prachtig uitzicht over de stad. Na wat foto'tjes dalen we terug af. We hangen de was te drogen en dan stillen we de hongerige magen. Ik ga nog naar het centrum met een rechtstreekse bus en Richard blijft dus. In het centrum ga ik eerst naar Old Saint Paul's, de eerste kathedraal in Wellington volledig opgetrokken in houd. Wat een meesterstuk. Dan beland ... read more