Nelson

Here is one of the beautiful coves on the Abel Tasman Track.  The cave goes all the way through to the beach on the other side.  At high tide, one would have to swim through. 

This is the very old post box in Nelson.  It has been in service since 1864, and Kayla has already received her card which was mailed last Friday.  That's pretty good service for an antique.  Hope we all can do as well. 

Nelson is a small city surrounded by hills and has a large port for container ships.  It also has a wonderful historic district, a large botanical park, and the Queen's Gardens which is a one square block wonderland of fountains, roses, lily ponds, Chinese pogodas, and native shrubs, most of which were in bloom.  We walked to the top of the hill where a tower marks the "center of New Zealand." 

On the sports field in the botanical park, we found a class of four-year-olds beginning their first lesson in rugby.  In a nation as small as New Zealand, they start young to achieve a world champion team in their national sport.  (Notice the hats, which all schools require children to wear.)  Go All Blacks! 

Yesterday was the first anniversary of the terrible earthquake in Christchurch, February 22, 2011.  There was a huge memorial service that reminded everyone of the loss in that city, not just 185 lives, but 80 percent of the building in the central business district.  Seven thousand homes were "red-zoned" and demoliation has now been scheduled on the first 5000.  This alone will take five years.  It is very sad and still frightening for the citizens of the second largest city in New Zealand.  Imagine if 80% of the landmarks in your locale were gone.  It was announced that it will take 37 billion dollars to rebuild the city, which the Cantabrians (Canterbury citizens) are determined to do.  It is a story of great bravery and faith in the future.   

The Best Walking Track

Abel Tasman, the best walking track for scenery in New Zealand - at least as far as we have discovered.  I'm sure there are gorgeous mountain tracks in the NZ alps, and even a glacier or two, but the coastal track of Abel Tasman beats all for aqua clear water, golden sand beaches, and sub-tropical ferns and trees. 

These are the tidal flats at the very beginning of the track.  There is no track fee, so we simply drove to Marahau and began walking.  It was low tide and late in the afternoon.  There were lots of sea birds including Canada geese.  It's a long way to fly even on NZ Air. 
I've been trying to upload additional photos, but it takes about 10 - 15 minutes for each one, so I'm not patient enough.  Sorry about that.  NZ broadband is not fast, and I am told that at the end of the month privately owned internet services (as in cafes and hotels) begin to run out of megabites.  Does that make sense?  I was advised to upload pictures at the first of each month.  Something is strange, because earlier in our stay, the internet was much faster.

I'll try again tomorrow, and hopefully I won't have to wait until March 1 to send more photos. 

Short Trip to Nelson and Beyond

Wednesday morning we packed some things in back packs and drove over the mountains to Nelson and beyond to Marahau which is the entry town to the Abel Tasman Track.  On the way, we did a short hike at the Pelorus River.  For two nights, we stayed in a rustic cottage in a lovely valley near Marahau and the coast. 

Here's the swing bridge and the view down of the river with reflected clouds.  It's a nice hike, and beautiful scenery. 

Nelson Bay scallops on a citrus salad for lunch at the Apple Shed restaurant on Ruby Bay in Mapua.  We ate here four years ago, and loved it.  It's nice to return and find the little village thriving and growing.  There's even a new outdoor concert venue here and festivals are scheduled every few months.  What a change from a little sleepy harbor.  The outdoor deck overlooks the bay, and the views rival the food.  Our waitress, a Canadian, has moved back to NZ from Ottawa after five years away.  She said, NZ was just in her blood and she couldn't "settle" again in Canada.  I can understand that. 

Tomorrow I'll post more about Abel Tasman, Golden Bay and Nelson.  We had a nice trip, several long walks, and saw beautiful mountains and beaches.  It's good to be "home" in our apartment in Picton. 

Happy Valentines Day to All

This one is for all the "boys."  Happy Valentines Day to all, (girls, too).  There are so many antique re-furbished cars in New Zealand, obviously a national passion.  These are a few I have spotted on the streets of Picton and being brought in at the ferry port.  I wonder how many more have slipped through that I have missed? 

Of course, there are a few yummy new imports too, such as the bright red Lamborgini a few weeks ago and my new personal favorite, the Alfa Romeo Giulletti, a compact car for small families.  I think Bill and I qualify! 

Have a great day. 

Marlborough Wine Festival

It's such fun to be in a place where the majority of us are drinking WHITE wine.  The festival started at 10:30 and continued until 5:30, at which time I'm certain that most of the under-thirties still there were passed out or knee-walking.  Bill and I left about 2:30 after tasting lots of wine and eating great food.
As with most outdoor festivals in our country, it was a good excuse for the youngsters to dress up (females) and hangout with chums and ogle the ladies (males).

These ladies were in the fashion contest and graciously allowed me to take their picture.  The male winner was from Michigan!

There were 130 vendors at the festival, most of them wineries.  Since there are 140 wineries in Marlborough, the wines were  well-represented. 

Unfortunately, the weather was very cool and drizzly, so there were probably only 6000 people there.  The attendance is usually 8000, but it was extremely easy to negotiate compared to any ball game, for example,  in the US.  The parking was efficiently handled by the local Lions Club in the middle of a huge vineyard, and buses provided quick transportation to the festival site. 

Being in NZ is like living in a small town.  We've only been here three weeks, but ran in to a couple we know from Picton at the festival.  Here's Bill with the music tent in the background, and  his tasting glass in hand.   

Now, here's a picture for Matt who serves Momo sauvignon blanc in his restaurant in Greensboro.  We also went to the Seresin tent, the vinyard that produces Momo.  There they were serving their higher end wines.  

Don't forget to order a Marlborough wine the next time you are dining out.  You won't be disappointed.  

 

Food, Glorious Food

Well, isn't it one of the main reasons we all travel?  Here's NZ King Salmon at our local market.  It's fat, sweet, and fresh.  The fillets were $10.00 NZ each, or a whole fish could be had for $15.00 or $20.00 depending on size.  This is farm raised fish from the deep waters of the Malborough Sound. 

   Our local markets held on Saturdays or Sundays are our best source of fresh fruits and vegetables.  The strawberries are grown hydroponically in Blenheim, and most of the stone fruits come from the same area.  The best right now are "pick you own" nectarines.  They rival the sweetness of SC peaches, and that's saying something, 

Always looking for the next terrific meal?  Here's Bill's chicken curry from The Slip Inn, Havelock.  There's lots of Thai-influenced cooking here.

And, the famous green-lipped mussels grilled seven ways.  My favorite is the sweet chili sauce. 
Tomorrow is the popular Marlborough Wine Festival.  It's an all-day event that features wine tastings, food from famous local chefs, and live music.  We'll take lots of pictures there and hope for a sunny day.  Whatever the weather, a good time and glorious food is promised. 

Picton Cinema

We've seen two films so far at the famous cinema in the aquarium, Albert Nobbs with Glenn Close, and a documentary on Irish dancing called Jig.  The former was interesting, well-acted, and most unusual; the latter was very up-beat (no pun intended) and amazing.  Carlye, Jordan and Kayla would love it - maybe even Jake, as there are some phenomenal boys in the international competition - one only ten years old, and one a 17 year old American who moved to Englandwith his parents to train with the best instructor and Irish dancer.  You may be able to order it from Netflix.

The cinema consists of two "theatres" which are small rooms each with a large LCD projector (the movies are on CDs) and about twenty theatre seats.  There are four films showing daily at various times.  The Iron Lady is currently being featured, but we haven't made it the 300 yards across our park to see it.  When we have gone to a film, we were the only ones there.  The second time I took in my own popcorn and a bottle of lemonade.  I suppose you could bring something stronger as no one seems to care what you do once the door is closed.  Here's the photo I promised, but who could make something up as strange as this?

You really do walk through the exhibits and fish tanks to get to the theatre rooms.  It's sort of a two-fer.  But, I assume the aquarium has more extensive exhibits beyond what we have seen. 

Here are a couple of shots of our walk along the Queen Charlotte Track.  It really is an amazing place. 

A Re-visit to the Queen Charlotte Track

In 2010 we walked the length of the QCT, a gorgeous and challenging walk.  Yesterday, we drove up to the "end" of the track in Anakiwa.  Which end, you may ask, as lots of people walk the track or parts of it in reverse, but Anakiwa is generally where one finishes and takes a water taxi back to Picton.  It's about a 30 minute drive to Anakiwa along the QC drive, a very very curvy road along the sound.  It's narrow and as twisty as any of our mountain roads.  Brother Bob remembers it well as he and MJ drove it in a large camper van when they were here - it's one of those great travel stories about a not so great a travel experience.

Bill and I walked about an hour and a half up the track past Davies Bay, returned part way, enjoyed our picnic lunch in a lovely clearing and then enjoyed the rest of the track back to the entrance (or exit).  The well-maintained path in this section is lined with gorgeous thick bush vegetation ncluding a variety of ferns, birch tree forests, and huge fern trees.  The sun came out turning the coves emerald green. 

Here's our Picton harbor at sunset.



I'll include pictures of the QCT track on the blog tomorrow as well as a picture of our local cinema in the Aquarium.  First rate films (in the USA they'd be "art films") side by side with blue cod swimming in tanks.  Well, not in the same room, but it smells a little fishy. 

From the Library

I've found a free internet service at the public library where I don't feel obliged to buy a glass of wine to check my email.  Too bad.  Still it's another option, although I compete with a number of backpackers for a seat at the table.  They only allow each person one hour of internet time, which is plenty for my needs. 

This is NOT the library but the Allan Scott winery in Marlborough.  We were there last week for lunch.  Bob and MJ will recognize the garden and restaurant area.  Life is good and the food is even better.  We had a wonderful Thai Bang Bang chicken salad, and of course, a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. 

Typical bush walk here with fern trees.  This was along our hike to the Barnes dam last week.  And here's my hiking partner at the top of the dam.  Behind him is the huge reservoir. We walked up from below along the water pipe that feeds the water system of Picton.  The path is beautiful with lots of ferns and native trees.  Cicadas chip in great pusating waves in certain patches of the bush and there are lots of song birds, in particular the Bell Bird. 

We'll be watching the Super Bowl with you tomorrow although it is Super Bowl Monday here.  It's also Waitangi Treaty Day, a national holiday.  Look it up! 



Misty Weather for Hiking

Perfect weather for hiking, but not such a pretty view of the harbor as when the sun sparkles off the water.  This is Humphries Dam where we hiked for the second time today.  It's an easy walk through large fern trees and other native bush. 

And, here's our lovely bay in sunny weather and a youngster launching his dinghie to learn the art of sailing. 

We had a farmers' market here in Picton this morning, and bought more local salmon.  Just can't resist it!  Hoping for sunny weather tomorrow.  It's been a fine English summer day today. 

Best Fish and Chips Ever

Lunch today in Picton at the local chips shop run by husband and wife from Havelock who do their own fishing.  They are only open on Thursdays and Fridays and cook the fresh fish while one waits.  We had a choice of about 5 different fish, and chose the "lemon fish" which was very white and sweet.  After licking our chops and fingers, I asked about the fish, and found it is a type of shark.  The locals call them "grey boys," absolutely delicious.  Bill said it was the best he's ever eaten. 

Bill is, at this moment, enjoying the Dukies playing a basketball game live on our satellite TV.  He's a happy camper.  We get all the American sports as well as the Australian Open (now finished) and Kiwi Sevens start soon.  That's pronounced "sivins" for you non-Kiwis. 

Another hike this morning under still cloudy but warm skies.  This is a view of Picton Harbor from our hike last week.  Tomorrow is market here in Picton.  The fishermen will be there with more fresh fish!  We never get enough. 

Latte in Le Cafe

Here is finally a picture!  I'm in our local favorite cafe, and the internet works here.  Think I'll throw away the Vodaphone stick!!  This is a double rainbow shot from our balcony over the harbor after the last southerlie came through.  The park is right below our apartment.

The only problem now is I'll be drinking a lot of latte.  Well, we eat lunch and dinner here sometimes, so that works.  Yesterday, we had wonderful fresh Wahou for lunch.  They spell it Warehou and simply call it "fish."  (feesh).   Last night we had another southerlie gale, and it's pretty cool now and cloudy, but improving tomorrow.  

You'd all love the vintage cars we see everywhere.  Most are restored and in beautiful condition.  There was a green 1927 Sunbeam last Sunday on the dock.  Since this is a major ferry port, we've seen some brand new cars just shipped in from Wellington - one bright red Lamborgini, a silver grey Jaguar, and a yellow Porche.  Will start carrying the camera more and document the automobile culture here.  It's amazing. 

Going to Havelock this afternoon and look for the sun.  But, it does shine here as you can see from this shot, also from our balcony.  Stay tuned for more pictures now I have the connection.