New Zealand week 4 (Nelson)

Another week of great weather. We have stayed fairly close to home this week apart from our day trip to Nelson Lakes, so I can't promise an exciting blog post.

Marlene's likes the tap water in Nelson, as it has no taste of chlorine, so of course I was tasked with finding out more about it.  Nelson has had a membrane filtration plant since 2004, and they only add a small amount of chlorine to kill any bugs introduced between the plant and your tap.  The result - no horrible chlorine taste.  They also generate electricity from the flow of water from the dam to the filtration plant and save $26,000 a year on power costs - very creative.  I will have to compare Nelson water costs with Parksville costs, but that can wait for a rainy day, of which we are expecting a few this week.

One day we walked up to the Japanese Garden and had a picnic on the deck that you see in the photo below. Nelson is a twin city to Miyazu in Japan, and the people of Miyazu gave them this garden, which is a very peaceful spot to wander or sit and ponder.

Miyazu Japanese Garden

Marlene at Miyazu Japanese Garden

While we ate our lunch, a very small praying mantis appeared on my hat, and he became the most photographed subject in the garden.  He was not much more than an inch long and very cute.

Praying Mantis on Jim's Hat

Yesterday we walked to the Queen's Gardens and enjoyed a walk in the shade of the large trees. The gardens were very busy with several people feeding the ducks in the lagoon.  One enterprising young boy was catching eels using the nearly empty bread bag with a few holes in it. There were lots of willing participants among the eels and we saw him catch one while we watched. 

Eel Fishing at Queen's Gardens

In the afternoon, after a last coffee at Yello Cafe, we drove Fredda and Nick to the airport for their flight home. I think that they were sorry to be leaving, and it will be very quiet here without them. Their flight to Auckland was boarded, doors closed, and then the doors opened and all the passengers disembarked, due to a problem with a radio.  But they left only 30 minutes late, leaving them ample time for their connection in Auckland (we hope). 

Marlene wants to do some serious hiking this week, so I have been nursing my blisters the past few days to be ready for it. So stay tuned and we will see how it turns out. 

Day Trip to Nelson Lakes National Park

Yesterday we took advantage of a favourable weather forecast and headed to the Nelson Lakes National Park.  The lakes are about 2500 feet above sea level, so a little cooler than in Nelson.

Our first stop was at a cafe in St. Arnaud, where we sat outside in the somewhat crisp morning air and enjoyed the mountain vistas. 

View from Cafe in St. Arnaud

Once fortified with caffeine, we headed down to Lake Rotoiti, which is less than 1 Km from St. Arnaud.  The lake is home to a native eel which is protected and seems to be flourishing in Lake Rotoiti. Standing on the dock we saw eels, a trout, ducks and a black swan. 

Native Eels At Lake Rotoiti

After taking in the views from the dock, we set off on a two hour walk to West Bay and back, which we accomplished in an hour and twenty minutes.  This prompted Marlene to suggest that perhaps we could walk around the lake.  We discovered that we cannot walk right around the lake, but we can get a water taxi to the far end of the lake and walk back down the East side.  It seems that this could be in the plan for next week.

Lake Rotoiti and Mountains from the dock

Lake Rotoiti from West Bay

The walk gave us an appetite and we enjoyed our picnic lunch in the campground kitchen, trying to avoid the voracious sand flies (a small black fly) which were abundant near the dock. We shared the kitchen with a young Norwegian guy who was organizing his food before setting out on a nine day solo camping expedition in the surrounding mountains. 

The day was still young, and the sun still shining, so we headed to Lake Rotoroa, another picturesque lake within the national park.  But it seems that the sand flies had heard that we were coming, and sent a large contingent to greet us, making life quite unpleasant. So we took a few quick photos of the lake, and scrambled back into the protection of the car.  Even a car without air conditioning was better than facing the onslaught of the sand flies.

Lake Rotoroa

We encountered a heavy rain shower on the trip home, grateful that it had not spoiled our time in the national park. 

New Zealand week 3 (Nelson)

After two weeks in Nelson we have settled into somewhat of a routine - I get up early and do any work that has to get done, then after breakfast we get out for a walk before the day gets too hot, meet for a coffee in town around lunchtime, then hibernate in the apartment to avoid the afternoon heat, before venturing out again in the evening.  Some days we all walk together, but most days Marlene and I walk a little further, a little faster.

One of our walks we refer to as "the ridge walk", as it runs along a ridge with great views of the city (see the previous post).  We climb from the flat coastal plain, through the trees, via a series of 17 switchbacks to the top of the ridge (left side of the photo below).  The trail then runs along the ridge (just below the bush line in the photo below), to the Centre of New Zealand, from where we can descend directly into the city, or descend on the other side of the ridge into the Maitai River valley, making a longer walk to town.  Either way we get 700 feet of elevation gain and at least an hour and a half walk.

The Ridge (photo taken near the mouth of the Maitai River at low tide)

Walking along the tidal portion of the Maitai River is also very interesting, as the height of the water varies 14 feet between low tide and high tide.  At low tide the river (in a dry summer) is not much more than a small stream, but at high tide it is bank to bank and teaming with small fish.  We stand on the bridges and watch the Pied Shags (Cormorants) diving for fish, which they are very successful at doing, frequently surfacing with a fish wiggling in their beak.  They will work in pairs or small groups, with some chasing the fish towards the waiting mouths of the others.  They are lightning fast under the water.

Upstream of the tidal portion of the river, we see brook trout in the clear water, and people swimming at Black Hole and Dennes Hole on the hot afternoons.  On one river walk this week we saw a bucket of plums sitting at the back gate of a house, with plastic bags and a sign scrawled on cardboard, telling people to help themselves.  While Marlene was filling a bag, the homeowner appeared with a large bowl full of plums to refill the bucket, which he obligingly poured directly into Marlene's bag.  So we have been enjoying the plums with our breakfast, along with the Nashe pears, nectarines, and other fruit that we pick up at the Saturday Farmer's market.

On Thursday we had our first dinner out, at the Sprig & Fern pub on Milton Street.  The Sprig & Fern is close to where we stayed during out 2013 visit to Nelson, and is a good place to people watch while enjoying your preferred libation.  The pub does not serve food, but has a symbiotic relationship with the take-out restaurant next door, which will deliver your order to your table at the Sprig & Fern - increased business for both enterprises without competing. 

Dinner at the Sprig & Fern

Marlene thinks that New Zealanders (with the possible exception of her husband) are more appreciative of art than Canadians are, and we see lots of art work for sale or in public places - at Mapua we saw a horse made from horse shoes, at the Farmer's Market one person was selling art pieces made from recycled metal (including one made entirely of old wrenches and bolts), and along the river we saw the lonely looking lady pictured below, stroking a Pukeko.  

Lonely Lady Stroking a Pukeko

I can't mention the Pukeko (Purple Swamphen) without sharing this recipe for cooking a Pukeko, which has been passed down in New Zealand families for generations - place a Pukeko in a large old boot, and boil it for a week with herbs and spices of your choice.  After a week, throw away the Pukeko and eat the boot.  I guess they can be a little tough to chew.

We all hear about the healing properties of New Zealand's Manuka Honey, and I have often wondered when it flowers.  On a walk around the marina on Friday night, we came across a Manuka shrub in flower, but there were no bees feasting on the pollen.  Apparently the Manuka flowers through Spring and Summer, giving the bees a long period in which to make their honey.

Manuka in flower

Sunday brought our first rainy day, but this did not prevent a walk - Marlene and I walked 10.5 Km in the rain, along the coastal path to Atawhai and back.  It was very warm and humid, so the rain did not feel so bad.

Today we had planned to take a road trip to Nelson Lakes National Park, but the weather is not looking so good in the mountains so we will postpone until later in the week.  I guess we will find something to do here in paradise instead.

Day Trip To Golden Bay

On Monday we went a little further afield, to Golden Bay.  The drive took us from sea level, over the Takaka Hill at 2500 ft. ASL, and back down to sea level again on the other side - the only way to get to Golden Bay by road.  On the Nelson side, the road winds slowly up the side of a long valley, but on the other side, descent is a series of switchbacks down the side of the hill.  Fredda was not sitting on the cliff side of the car, but she was still holding on for dear life, as we wound higher and higher up the hill, and the vertical drop off the side of the road got larger and larger.  She was particularly impressed by the lack of guard rails.

Our first stop in Golden Bay was Takaka, a town of 2000 people, with a mixture of artsy stores and cafes.  The photo below is a mural painted by 48 people.

Mural in Takaka

After a coffee and sweet to calm everyone's nerves, we headed up the East side of Golden Bay, and stopped for lunch at "The Grove", a short but interesting walk amongst large rocks and a variety of native trees.  The picnic tables were both in use, so we (Marlene) carried our lunch up to the lookout point, which is halfway up a cliff, and accessed through a fissure in the rock.  Nice views over Golden Bay and Farewell Spit from the lookout.

Trail Through Rock Fissure at The Grove

We continued up the East side of Golden Bay, as far as Wainui Bay, and at one point the road passed through a rock.  Near the Tata Islands we stopped for a walk on the golden sandy beach, which gives the bay its name.

Road Through The Rock

Beach With A Glimpse Of One Of The Tata Islands

I also liked the traffic warning sign on this street near the beach.

Golden Bay Traffic Warning

On the drive home we stopped to pick up fresh corn and watermelon at a roadside stall, and made it to Richmond before the organic butcher shop closed.  Dinner was barbecued sausages and fresh corn....hhmm. 

All in all, a great day out.

New Zealand week 2 (Nelson)

We spent our first week in Nelson getting refamiliarized with the area and making short local trips.  Thankfully all of our favourite cafes are still here - Red, Yello, and the Suter Cafe, although there was initial panic when we first went to Suter Cafe and found the place being demolished.  It has moved to temporary digs while the associated gallery is being rebuilt.  Relief!

One of walks was around the community of Monaco, a small peninsula close to the airport, that isn't more than a few metres above the high tide mark.  On one side, the road utilizes the beach, so is closed at high tide.  I got a kick out of the speed warning sign pictured below.

Speed sign in Monaco

A few days after overnight rain, Marlene and I walked up the river to a spot where we had gathered mushrooms on our previous visit.  Unfortunately, no mushrooms, but I did pick up a hitchhiker on the way back down.  The media says that Cicada numbers are down this year, but we are hearing them everywhere we go, so the numbers cannot be all that low.

Cicada Hitchhiking

On another day, we did a power walk up Walter's Bluff, along the ridge to the Centre of New Zealand, and back down to town, and a stop at Yello Cafe.  The photo below was taken from the Centre of New Zealand, looking down on the City of Nelson.  Our apartment is near the top of the street running vertically in the centre of the photo, just before it reaches Trafalgar Park.  So we are very central, and close to everything.

Nelson From Centre Of New Zealand

Our Sunday drive took us to Rabbit Island, a popular beach and destination for cyclists.  The bike rental companies even offer special bikes for riding on the beach.  The weather was beautiful, and we enjoyed a long stroll along the beach, before heading to nearby Mapua for a well-deserved ice cream.

Beach Bike

After being fairly sedentary in January, my body is being punished by the increased activity in February. I have gone from a 2,500 step daily average to 14,000 steps a day this past week.  The joy of Summer!

New Zealand week 1 (Wellington / Nelson)

As we have now been in New Zealand almost two weeks, I decided to get off my butt and post something.

The flight from Vancouver to Auckland was uneventful, although we battled head winds of up to 190 Km / hour.  As usual I slept most of the time, and Marlene was not as restless as on previous long flights.  Marlene's Mom, Fredda, and step-Dad, Nick, where in the row in front of us, and managed the flight well.  I recommend the gluten-free meals.....special meals are served early, and the gluten-free offering is more palatable than the lacto-ovo vegetarian.

Wellington lived up to its name, "Windy Wellington", while we were there, with strong winds throughout most of the 6 days we were there....mainly warm north westerlies, but with a shot of cold southerly.  But the wind did not stop us from doing stuff.

We spent a lot of time with my sisters, visited my Auntie Noeline twice, and managed to fit in some walking, sightseeing and a movie....The Theory of Everything, which we thoroughly enjoyed.  Noeline was pleased to see us, but, at 94, she is becoming very frail.

As we did not have a car, we used train and bus passes to get around, visiting the Cable Car / Botanic Gardens, Eastbourne, and the Wellington Waterfront / Te Papa (Museum of NZ).  There was a Sunday farmers' market adjacent to Te Papa, which was a hive of activity.

Wellington's Sunday Farmers' Market

On the Monday we flew from Wellington to Nelson, where we will spend the next four weeks, and Nick and Fredda will spend three weeks before heading home.  Wellington airport, claiming to be at the middle of Middle Earth, is still capitalizing on the Hobbit connection, with a very large Gollum and other characters from the Hobbit / Lord of the Rings adorning the terminal.

Gollum in Wellington Airport

Our accommodation in Nelson is a two bedroom / two bathroom apartment which is only a block from downtown, close to the ocean and the river walking paths, and most importantly, it is on the flat, not up a 300 ft. hill like our last Nelson stay.  We all have space when we need it.

Our first road trip was to Pelorous Bridge, a picnic stop on the road from Nelson to Picton.  Nick and Fredda walked the wide flat paths with no obstructions, while Marlene and I were a little more adventurous.  We then got together for lunch at the cafe, before heading back into Nelson.  There were many people enjoying the cool, clear water below the bridge.

Swimmers below Pelorous Bridge

Now that I have started, hopefully I will post a little more regularly, but don't expect daily updates, as it is just not that sort of holiday.