The beginning of the end

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March 19th - 26th 2011

We didn't get up to a lot of exciting things over the past few days so hopefully it wont take me too long to catch up with blogging. Also hopefully this wont turn into a “we went here then went there” kind of blog, but I have a feeling that it might, so I'll apologise in advance. Once again, its not like we didn't have fun but there was nothing spectacular or amazing, and we once again only too a few photos too. But please read on and find out what we did get up to.

Nelson

From Riwaka and our lovely French hosts we drove to Nelson, stopping first at a place called Rabbit Island for lunch and a walk along the beach. This is the kind of place we'd love to have at home, a big area set aside for recreation with walks, a huge long sandy beach, bbqs, open grassy areas... We came across two kids birthday parties and what looked like a large group of foreign school kids playing on the beach, plus many other people. But best of all it was free of sand-flies so we could all sit outside and enjoy the warmth.

We got into Nelson mid-afternoon and headed straight for the i-site. We picked up the usual map and info on camp grounds, but we also found out about a couple of places in the city that are official free camps, one where you must be certified self contained, the other where it doesn't matter. As we needed to do some laundry, we headed out to a cheap camp ground just outside town.

We were in Nelson for business as well as pleasure. The van needed a tune up, new tyres and a WOF, and we knew a good VW mechanic in town. But we had to wait for Monday to go see him. That left us Sunday free to entertain ourselves. We went to the World of Wearable Art (WOW) and Classic Car Museum in the morning. We heard on the radio on the way there that they were having a red & black day in support of Christchurch and that entrance fees were going to the earthquake fund. So as soon as we pulled into the carpark we rummaged through our clothes to find red & black to get changed into. Colin and I were fine, but we couldnt find any black baby clothes for Samara, so she wore red and sat in her black buggy.

The WOW section of the museum was really good. They had some costumes on static display and a catwalk type set up where more costumes came round hanging from a conveyor. There were some awesome costumes, really cleverly done, with a wide variety of materials used. There was also a room of outfits that glowed under UV light. It was in this room that we found one that totally captivated Samara. It was based on Jack Frost, and the enthralling part was all the snowflakes glowing and spinning in the breeze.

From there we took Samara to the Natureland Animal Park at Tahunanui Beach. While she seemed to enjoy seeing the birds and animals, we were left thinking how small the cages were. There were mainly some native birds, budgies etc, small farm birds and animals (ducks & sheep etc.) but also a couple of meercats and some capuchin monkeys.

We went back into the town centre where we were stopped by someone doing a treasure hunt type quiz. He was the local guy and we were the tourists, but we managed to answer some of his questions, or point him in the right direction for finding something out. We left him counting the steps leading up to the cathedral and went inside the cathedral ourselves for a look. It is made of Takaka marble and is a mix of new-new and new-old. The style in places is old European but with a modern twist. There are some traditional stained glass windows and some modern ones. Walking round the inside with its marble and wood, you can almost imagine walking on flag-stones, but no, the floor is painted concrete. The only thing missing is the graves or memorials to hundreds of years of dead bishops and knights.

We treated ourselves to a second night at the camp ground before taking the van to see John, or to see how busy he was and if he could fit in a service for us. He was busy on Monday but freed up time the following day for us. So Monday we got two new tyres, went to the provincial museum and used the free internet in the library to post a blog from days ago. The museum was in two parts, upstairs there was a good exhibition on people emigrating from the UK to Nelson. It was based on the diaries from different people on the same ship. Downstairs were the permanent displays of local history. That night and the night after we parked in a council car park on the edge of a large sports park with loads of other backpacker vans.

While Colin spent the morning with John and the van, Samara and I went to a playcentre nearby. We'd hoped she'd be able to interact with other babies, but she was the youngest there by at least a year! No-one minded us turning up for the morning and included us as much as possible in the activities going on. We had a play with the baby toys, including one the same as we'd played with in Riwaka with Sam and Eugenie that Samara once again went wild over, so we'll have to look out for one for her. We joined in making shakers – the other kids made their own but Samara had one made for her, then made “music” outside with them and other instruments. We had some morning tea and sang 'The Wheels on the Bus'. And generally had fun.

That afternoon we walked up the hill to the Centre of New Zealand marker. This doesn't really mark the geographical centre of the country, but as Nelson province is more or less the centre one and the marker is the reference point for surveying the region, they have cheekily called the spot the centre of the country. There were great views over the city and bay.

Wednesday morning began with a quick trip back to the mechanic to have a part fitted (it came up overnight from Auckland) then we were off to pastures new. Nelson seems to be a great city, small enough for country lovers like us but big enough to have everything you need, plus great beaches and parks. We met some people later in the day, just past Havelock, that had begun their day in Marahau (edge of Abel Tasman NP) and were finishing in Waikawa, the other side of Picton. They'd not stopped in Nelson because it was too early for lunch! Sure we spent more time there than we might have done if we'd not had the van serviced, but we never planned to just drive straight through. But then these people had also hired a small campervan and were complaining that it was too much hassle putting down the bed each night and packing it up in the morning and they couldn’t leave it down as it got in the way of the gas burner, so they'd been staying in hostels. We mustnt mock, I'm sure people say things about us too.

Marlborough Sounds

From Nelson we drove towards Picton via Havelock and Queen Charlotte Drive. Our ferry wasn't till next Tuesday but we wanted to see if we could cross earlier. There was still so much to see and do on the South Island, but we wanted to spend more time driving up the North Island getting home. We'd also found ourselves a couch surf host that could host us if we arrived, stayed and left before our ferry was due as they were moving house that day.

We had a crazy lunch stop in a nice reserve. I sat in the front with the door wide open and didn't see a single sand-fly. Colin and Samara sat in the back and got hassled by them. When I moved into the back to feed Samara some more of the pears we had left from Motueka, I was also bitten, but when I took Samara back into the front, the sand-flies left us alone. Bizarre!

Not having time to fully explore the sounds area – we'd need to organise boat rides and walks for that – we drove a little way up the Kenepuru Road and up to Anakiwa. We were disappointed in the Kenepuru Road, it wound too far away from the edge of the water and there were too many trees in the way to see much. It probably improved greatly in the part after we turned around! We did get glimpses of water between the trees though. It is a lovely area, but I think Abel Tasman NP is nicer! And perhaps Fiordland, but that could be because there were less people. We camped at the Aussie Bay DOC site. In the book it said there was space for six there, but there was at least twice that number and people had pulled in, looked around and left too. The further north and east we have been going, the busier everywhere is.

The next morning (Thursday) we finished driving along Queen Charlotte Drive to Picton, stopping at many of the view points to admire the scenery. We have driven this road before but the scenery is still breath-taking. Until you get to the log port just before Picton, then things get industrial.

Picton

We'd originally planned to turn up at the Bluebridge terminal a little before the 2pm ferry left to see if we could get on. Our tickets were the cheapest ones, and while they allowed for transfers, we were meant to pay the difference if the “cheap seats” were all booked. But we took a chance and went in first thing when we got to Picton. They didn't even question our tickets and transferred us to the next ferry, the one at 2pm, quite happily. Full marks for customer service!

We still had a few hours till check in time so parked up in Picton town centre and had a look at the guide to see what we wanted to do. We made a list and didn't get very far down it before running out of time. For a place that most people probably only stop at to wait for the ferry, there is a lot to see and do. We headed for the aquarium first while Samara was still wide awake. We were a little surprised at the high entrance fee, and after going round don't really feel it is worth it if it was just us, but the enjoyment Samara got out of looking at everything made it worth the money. She jumped and wriggled and squealed and generally tired herself out with excitement at most things she saw. The big favourites, if thats what you can call the things that made her jump and wriggle and squeal the most, were the large tanks of large fish with windows in the side (the tanks not the fish) and the turtles (red eared and snake necked). She even got to “pat” a turtle, though to be fair she did try to grab it rather than pat it. She also got up close to a tuatara and a little blue penguin, the latter not to touch as it tended to bite back. Its amazing how much excitement you can get out of tanks of everyday sea life! Sharks and rays got the same attention as snapper and kahawai.

Next to the aquarium was the Edwin Fox museum. The Edwin Fox was, or is, NZ's oldest sailing ship and the 9th oldest in the world. It was built in India in 1853 and has had a varied life. It has carted goods, soldiers, convicts and settlers all over the world. It is the only surviving convict ship used to transport convicts to Australia. It is the only surviving ship used to transport troops to the Crimean War. It is the oldest merchant sailing ship still afloat. Technically its not actually afloat at the moment, its in a dry dock built specially for it, but it did float in there. And there's not a lot left to say it was a sailing ship, there's only the hull (teak covered with copper) and parts of the decks left. You can climb aboard and have a wander round and try to imagine being crammed under the deck with loads of other people. Whether you were a convict or an immigrant, there wasn't a lot of space. The museum is small but covers the history of the ship in all its roles and the story of its recovery. They do admit that its become preservation not restoration now.

And that was about all we had time for in Picton, the rest of the things on the list will have to wait for another time. We just had time to grab a quick bite to eat before checking in for the ferry.

We were lucky with the crossing again, there was a little swell once we exited the sounds into the Cook Strait, but nothing to churn the stomach. We found the childrens corner in one of the lounges, just a fenced off area with some couches and child sized chairs and tables, no toys or anything, but there was space to let Samara roll round on the floor knowing she wouldn't get walked on.

Wellington

We drove straight from the ferry to our couch surfing host in Newlands. They are a Russian family with two boys, one a similar age to Samara. We had a very relaxed evening at home with them.

The next day dawned bright and clear again (not typical Wellington weather 😊) and we got a ride into the city with Elena. She dropped us off just round the corner from Te Papa. Slightly crazily we planned to spend a beautiful day inside. We spent an enjoyable few hours wandering round looking at the various exhibitions before treating ourselves to lunch in the museum cafe. Then we went back for another couple of hours looking round, finishing up with the Brian Brake photo exhibition. It was one we had seen advertised and wanted to see. The photos were a mix of really good and really ordinary. Not poor quality or anything, just some ordinary everyday subjects. The pictures were a selection of ones he'd taken for various magazines and assignments. We did go for a walk along the waterfront to enjoy the sunshine after several hours of artificial museum light before catching a bus back “home”.

We had one more day in Wellington, but it was damp and windy. We took a scenic drive (yeah I know, scenic drives in the rain aren't always the sensible thing to do!) round Oriental Parade out to the Miramar Peninsula. As Samara was fast asleep we drove right round the peninsula – the weather did clear in patches giving us some awesome views – before heading in to Miramar itself. We were going to Wellywood! We'd heard mixed reviews about the Weta Cave so went out ourselves to check it out. Its basically a small “museum” of figures and items from various movies Weta Workshops have been involved in, a short film about what they do and a shop. It was worth going.

We stopped at the Early Learning Centre on the way back 'home' but were quite restrained in our spending. We might need to stop at the one in Auckland as there were a couple of other things I think would be nice to get.

Elena made a Russian meal for dinner that night, buckwheat and an egg & potato salad. Simple but very tasty. We left the next morning heading onwards towards home.

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Photos

"Hooters"
WOW costume, Nelson

Comments

[Erika + Willi]

the beginning of the end
The last three months we followed your travels throughout the South Island feeling as if we were accompanying you. We found some places we visited a year ago, but also a lot of places we have not been to. Rabbit Island was a favourite spot, with nice weather, marvellous water for swimming (just the right temperature) and last but not least: no sand flies! And in Nelson we too drew on John’s services for our car. He is so familiar with Volkswagen and spoke Dutch and German with us. We think you have made a good job of travelling as threetravelbugs and hope to read more.

[thetravelbugtribe]

Thanks Willi and Erika, we are glad you have been enjoying our blogs. We still have one more to post from this trip. Hopefully there will be more another time!