NZ Day 17 - Nelson to Picton

Day 17 didn't involve much photography, because most of it consisted of a ferry trip back to Wellington.

But, I did go for a run in Nelson that morning. And I did take some photos. This time of the Japanese Gardens at the edge of town. They were small, but pretty.

The drive from Nelson to Picton has some really nice views over Queen Charlotte Sound

Timber waiting to be shipped from Picton. An eye-opening reminder of what happens to all those beautiful pine forests we had been driving through for the last 2 weeks (yes, I know they're plantation, but I still think they look nice).

NZ Day 3 - Nelson to Kaikoura

From Nelson we were making our way fairly quickly down south as we were starting the Routeburn tramp in a couple of days (more about that later). But first I had to go for a run in Nelson. It was even prettier early in the morning, with lots of meandering paths along the river like this one.

I was heading back up the hill to the Centre of NZ, as I'd seen a runner doing it the day before and thought it was worth a shot. The track was very pretty.

I'll admit, I didn't run ALL the way up - the path gets pretty steep near the top. But I got most of the way. And the views were predictably beautiful on that clear morning.

On my way back to the hostel, I passed the library and had a peek through the windows - it looked very inviting inside.

Later that morning we filled up on coffee & breakfast at a cafe near the hostel. I can't remember what it was called, but it had this awesome sign in the window - how appropriate for a librarian! (though I don't follow the advice myself - my reading choices can get pretty shameful at times).

We drove the Coast route, passing through Kaikoura on the way. The landscape was stunning, with the ocean framed by the snow-capped mountains.

And of course, there's the fur seals.

Kaikoura has a sanctuary where you can see dozens of them right from the carpark.

They were so cute, I had to get my photo taken with one!

What a life!

Walking back to the van, I suddenly realised there were heaps more sleeping under the trees.

This guy came up the beach as we were walking along - what a poser!

Then he went for a bit of a walk & kindly did some more posing for us.

I loved this guy the most - he was just laying on his back under the sea wall, soaking up the sun. I don't think it's possible to be more chilled out.

NZ Day 2 - Nelson

Day 2 in NZ started bright & early (with only a little bit of a hangover) with a trip on the Interislander Ferry to Picton. We stood on the deck for most of the trip to catch the view. It was just a little bit chilly.

The views were amazing - here is Wellington from afar, with a tiny speck of a plane coming in to land at the airport.

The landscape is beautiful - very dramatic.

And very Middle Earth :-)

As we headed into Cook Strait, the wind got even stronger. I can't think of a better place in the world for a wind farm.

Eventually I had to pry my frozen legs from the deck & go downstairs to thaw out. We went back up as we entered Marlborough Sounds.

This was only a peek at the South Island and already it was beautiful.

From Picton we hopped back in the van & headed straight for Nelson. I loved it - a very artistic town with lots of character & loads of friendly people. There was a public knitting display happening when we were there. Dozens of lamposts, trees, rubbish bins and anything else you could think of, were all wrapped up.

The Nelson Cathedral is a commanding art-deco building at the top of the town, with an impressive bell-tower for a relatively new church.

The other side of the cathedral.

South Street is a row of beautifully preserved Victorian workers cottages.

Wandering around, we stumbled across Queens Gardens. They were really lovely, with lots of quiet places to sit & contemplate life. Plus this pretty bridge.

And this awesome water wheel.

After wandering around the gardens for a while, we headed on to our destination for the afternoon - the CENTRE OF NEW ZEALAND!

Yep, that's right, Nelson boasts a big hill with the geographic centre of NZ in the middle of it. It's a short, but fairly steep climb up to the monument.

The views are pretty special - I would love to see it on a clear day.