A couple of days of rain...Nelson, Richmond & Kaiteriteri

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The weather really hit us hard on Saturday. It rained most of the night and let up but continued through the day. We knew the weather was supposed to be a bit harsh today so we had plans to head into Nelson. The outdoor market that takes place every Saturday was not very inviting, as many of the booths did not appear to be set up so we didn't check it out. I ended up dropping off Suzy and the kids at a place called Beadz to make their own necklaces. We also visited a church up on the hill above the town and then went to the beach at Richmond to check out Kite Surf Beach. There were tens of kite surfers taking advantage of the strong wind and the high tide. The rain had subsided so after this, the kids played at the park on the shore. New Zealand has great children's parks with some play equipment that you don't see in the US. The kids even tried to use a swing designed for wheelchairs!

On Sunday the weather was better, although slightly. We went to Rabbit Island where the surfers were taking advantage of the high surge brought on from the full moon from a couple of nights ago. This coupled with the storm brought in some decent, although choppy waves. In talking with a local, this is about the only place to get anything close to good waves on this side of the island. From here, we headed to a cafe called the Jester House where you were supposed to be able to feed the "tame eels" in the stream out in front of the cafe. When we got there (we had to take the long way around due to a mudslide blocking the scenic coastal drive), there was a sign that indicated the eels were in hibernation. Also, the stream had transformed into a strong little river that would have made feeding impossible. The cafe's backyard area had a nice little park and other entertaining features. Since we were relatively close, we went to Kaiteriteri and the kids played on the zip line while we went to the beach. The sun broke and it was a relatively nice afternoon. Since it was Father's Day, Geddy & Ivy offered to watch Theo, so we got them pizza and rented a movie for them and Suzy and I went out to an excellent Indian dinner.

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Comments

[Michelle Gates]

Congratulations Theo!
Theo, Congratulations on the lost tooth. It looks like you are all having a dream vacation!