Nelson

Sunrise in Blenheim

Today was a relatively slow day, since the only thing we had planned was a relocation to a new city. We spent the morning wandering around the area around our hotel after we checked out. There was a small shopping center across the street where we had brunch and did a little shopping. I had a salmon and cream cheese quiche and purchased myself a merino-mink sweater. It might be worth noting that there is no mink in merino-mink clothing. It's a very Kiwi material, and it is a blend of merino wool, a little silk, and possum fur. New Zealand, just like the woods back home, is plagued by pesky possums, which kill lots of the ground dwelling native birds (like the Kiwi bird, the national icon). So New Zealanders found a very creative way to encourage people to help downsize the possum population. Possum pelts go for $7.00 per piece here, and I was told by a local possum hunter, that on an average night in the summer, he can catch 80 possums. Pretty lucrative business, no? The merino-mink sweaters are beautiful and soft. Maybe the states should adopt a similar technique for their own possums.

Possum-free Blenheim vineyards.

After looking around for a bit, we loaded ourselves onto a bus for the 2 hour ride west to Nelson.

Waiting for the bus.

Nelson is the gateway to the Abel Tasman National Park, and it's claim to fame is the beautiful podocarp forests and virtually untouched beaches there. Nelson itself is a really neat little town situated in a valley, with its outskirts creeping up the nearby hillsides. Driving in, we could see the beaches around town even though it was raining. We wandered around town for a bit and finally found a small pub to have some dinner in.

Vic's Brew Bar, Nelson New Zealand. Tasty lamb burgers.

After dinner, we got settled in our hotel pretty early, because we have a very early day tomorrow. Phase two of our New Zealand Adventure coming soon!

Nelson Cathedral

ALSO - We were 800 miles from Christchurch, where the massive earthquake hit, and we aren't planning on going there at all. We are completely fine. Please keep the Kiwis in your thoughts while they recover.