7th August - Nelson Day 2 The centre of NZ and off to Kaikoura.

 Today we leave Nelson behind. Of all the places we have visited it is one of our favourites and we are sad to be leaving so soon. Before we leave we climb the ridiculously steep Botanical Hill - 

 

a horrible climb up winding paths in the Botanic Gardens. The path starts at the location of  the first documented rugby game took place in NZ and leads to the geographical centre of NZ. 

  

The scenery changes again as we travel through Blenheim and down through Marlborough "wine country"  and then hit the easterly coast and the crashing turquoise ocean - leaving the Tasman Sea behind us.

Several fellow travellers advised us never to pay to see penguins, sealions or seals in NZ as we could easily see them for free. We are heading for Kaikoura - a town rich in marine life where we hope to have another wildlife encounter - but cant quite believe  the roadside views of the plentiful groups of seals laying on the stony beaches and grassy banks all along the road into Kaikoura. 

 

 

We stop several times and venture unimaginably close. Another remarkable afternoon. 

6 August - Nelson - Markets, Morris Dancing and Ducks in the park!

A very easy start to the day and we wander into the centre of Nelson and the Saturday market. Nelson has a thriving "arts and crafts" scene and the market is filled with local produce, artisan bakers  and smokeries as well as local craftsmen selling jewellery, ceramics and sculpture. 

It feels fantastic to have the luxury of time to wander amongst the stalls browsing and the girls enjoying sampling and tasting as we go. We are also a little astonished to find a group of Morris dancers! We sit and watch with a steaming cup of very good coffee and the girls eat a fresh cooked crepe.

 We walk to Queens Gardens with armfuls of bread from our backpackers. Fresh bread is provided free in the communal kitchen each day but there were lots of odds and ends left over this morning and so we decide to go and find some ducks to feed. The seagulls also descend and enjoy the feast! 

 

 
We pass a peaceful hour or so in the park, wandering along the paths and through the ornamental gardens. There is something to be said for time spent doing ordinary stuff to keep us grounded!

 

Nelson Cathedral at night. Just across the road from our backpackers.

Friday 5th August - Greymouth, Punakaiki and Nelson

We are heading north again and leaving Greymouth. Before we go we head to the beach and hunt for greenstone in the surf. Greenstone or pounamu is the local name for the nephrite jade that comes from the South Island of New Zealand. Greenstone has a long tradition of being used and revered here starting with the first Maori inhabitants who fulfilled an ancient prophecy by travelling over the seas to find 'the God stone' as it was known then. It was shaped into tools, weapons, and jewellery. This tradition for jewellery making has continued through to today and the girls are desperate to find some for themselves. We see many waves crashing on the beach but sadly no greenstone and so we head back to the car - Tiegan has a welly boot full of sea water and is not amused!

Some 45km north we make a quick stop to see the Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki. These are limestone formations that began forming 30 million years ago, when lime-rich fragments of dead marine creatures were deposited on the seabed, then overlaid by weaker layers of soft mud and clay. The seabed was raised above sealevel by earthquakes to form the coastal cliffs and coastline. The sea, wind and rain have since etched out the soft layers to form the unusual rock formations we see today. Punakaiki is located near the centre of the “Coast Road”, one of the most spectacular coastal drives in the world. When conditions are right, heavy ocean swells thunder into the caverns beneath the rocks and huge water spouts blast skywards through the blowholes in a truly spectacular sight.         

At the visitor centre we find a local lady with greenstone necklaces for sale and the girls each choose one to buy.

The landscape is changing again and we are leaving behind the lakes and mountains. We can admit that we are a bit "lake and mountained out"  now having seen 8 out of the 10 largest lakes in NZ and many of the tallest peaks here. The coast has an almost tropical forest look about it and the drive to Nelson is as scenic and beautiful as we have been told.

Nelson, on the eastern shores of Tasman Bay, established in 1841, is the second oldest settled city in New Zealand and the oldest in the South Island. It is ranked as New Zealand’s 9th most populous city and the geographical centre of New Zealand. It is also said to be one of NZ's most liveable cities. It received its name in honour of the Admiral Horatio Nelson and many of the roads and public areas around the city are named after people and ships associated with him - Trafalgar Street is the main shopping axis of the city. It is also one of the few New Zealand cities to have its own flag. We are planning a 2 night stay here and are looking forward to having a whole day to explore making sure we find a backpacker in the heart of the town so we can have a "car free" Saturday.