New Zealand week 5 (Nelson)

Our last week in Nelson was a very active one, and I have already posted the details of our four day hikes, so all that remains is to cover off the other things that happened during the week. 

On Friday we had our first significant rain and the Maitai River which was normally just a small stream flowing through town, was soon running fast and bank to bank.  The photo below was taken on the Saturday morning above the tidal portion of the river.  At Trafalgar Street, with the high tide, the river was cresting higher than we had seen it in our four weeks here.

A side note here - the river height varies more than 10 feet from high tide to low tide, in the tidal portion of the river. 

Maitai River After A Day Of Rain

We also spent some time studying the night sky, assisted by a neat app that I found, called Skyview, which I loaded on the iPad.  Standing on our balcony we were looking almost due North and we had great views of Jupiter, and the Gemini and Cancer constellations.  On the South side of the apartment we could easily make out the Southern Cross.  You just hold the iPad up toward the sky and it identifies the stars and planets that you are seeing.  When you point it towards a constellation, it identifies the constellation, shows the stars that make up the constellation, and superimposes a picture of the associated astrological sign. The two photos below are screen captures of Jupiter with Gemini and Cancer. The horizontal line near the bottom of the first photo is the horizon, and the N indicates North. 

Jupiter And Gemini

Jupiter And Cancer

For those interested in the topography of the area, I have included below a screen capture of the topographical map of the area around Fringed Hill, our last hike. 

Topo Map of Fringed Hill and Area

All good things must come to an end, and on Monday we left Nelson, and flew back to Wellington, our base for the next week or so.  I snapped the photo below at the airport....it truly is great scenery, and the beer is not bad either. 

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Nelson's Good Points

- one of the sunniest cities in New Zealand

- very calm, warm and stable summer weather

- big enough city to have everything that you need, but small enough to get around on foot

- great hiking and biking trails

- wonderful cafes

- excellent farmers' market

- friendly people

- affordable housing within walking distance of city centre

Nelson's Bad Points

- our grandkids and friends do not live here