Blogs from Nelson, Nelson Region, South Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 25

On the road up the Buller Gorge We had a good ride up the Buller as you might see from the photo. We took our time and stopped at Inangahua for the night and were unexpectedly pleased with the remote accommodation. Met a German cyclist called Stephan who had got separated from his companions somewhere in the south. We met him again the following day in Murchison. We stayed two nights there in a delightful bach called the Riverside Cottages. The food was good in this tiny place right in the middle of the mountains with nothing else for miles. And on to Tapawera for a stop before the Nelson region proper.... read more

Hello Life is great...yes...life is great... Wellington was nice. The museum there was the best in this country. I wish i taught there because i would be taking field trips there every quarter. Lots of good people... I hopped to the south island.... and got in here to Nelson. A very great place this is. I could plant roots here. Tree lined streets, a pedestrian area where they have street theater, very sunny and warm, a laid back attitude, lots of climbing, indoor and out, and many parks and mountains nearby. Yes, this place reminds me very much of Boulder. I climbed today after watching street theater for a while. Had a four hour session. In the middle i jumped in a dynoing competition. Won that. Mostly locals though. A great bouldering wall that was. Progression ... read more

Yesterday, we spent the morning at a big open-air market in the parking lot right next to our hostel. We met up with Brent, the owner of the organic farm we had contacted about WWOOFing and arranged for him to pick us up Monday to start. So we've officially got our first job in NZ! We also picked up some really nice organic fruits and veges while wandering around the market. We spent the afternoon wandering around a bit and then sat and read at Queens Gardens for a while. Then we stayed in for the evening and watched 'The Piano', for its Kiwi pioneer theme. After dinner and some NZ white wine we headed back to the room. No one else had moved in so we took advantage of having it all to ourselves and ... read more

We spent most of this morning at an internet cafe looking for work opportunities around Nelson. It started raining while we were using the computer (NZ's sunniest city - yeah right!). We decided not to let that stop us, so we spent the rest of the day walking around in the rain and popping into all the galleries and art stores that we could find. Then we wandered into a museum that had a bunch of random stuff and also a big exhibit all about Lord Nelson (which I guess makes sense, considering the name of the town). So we learned all about Nelson's naval exploits and other facts about the commander - including his reported last words: "Kiss me Hardy". Ummm, a little of an unorthodox request for you subordinate officer, but okay! We also ... read more

Hello again. Well since I last 'blogged', I have walked lots, pottered about a bit in Wellington with friend Paul and made the journey from North to South Island. The first walk around Lake Waikeromoana(50k) was a good introduction to the wonderful world of tramping in New Zealand. DOC (Department of Conservation) huts are great invention. Hut 1 - two voluntary wardens, who even offered me a solar shower, plus showed me the local orchids etc. Hut 2 - had it to myself! Hut 3 - another lovely lakeside location but a bit busy (it was nearly full for goodness sake - a shock after hut 2), Hut 4 - on top of the 'bluff', got mistaken for a warden (what was I doing?!) and was surrounded by women and children (one poor man on his ... read more