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.