Nelson

We left Blenheim for Nelson about 10:30 and arrived on the outskirts of Nelson about noon. At first the land was flat and mostly devoted to vineyards. Any other time I have seen vineyards, in Europe and the Okanagan, they have been on hillsides. I guess there is no reason why you can’t grow grapes on flat ground if you have enough sunlight and good drainage.

Leaving the vineyards, we turned into a wide valley with low forested mountains on either side. At the bottom of the valley, there were mostly sheep grazing. As we climbed higher toward the mountain pass and the valley narrowed, cattle grazing took over. Near the summit, it was all forested, except where it had been harvested. There were many areas of reforestation in various stages of growth. It seems so odd to see pine trees in the mountains growing in rows like any other crop.

The road was pretty good except for 7 km of cart track near the summit of the mountain pass. And another thing about those roads – You are driving on this narrow, winding road with no shoulder above steep cliffs, and most of the time there are no guard rails. I think it is because there isn’t room for them between the edge of the road and the edge of the cliff! And then, you have these whacko cyclists on the same road! It is barely wide enough for two cars to pass, and they want to overcome their personal challenges there. Go find somewhere else!

Suddenly, we emerged from the mountains to a sun drenched coast at Nelson. We had lunch and wandered the downtown for awhile. It was a beehive of activity with shoppers and sidewalk cafes, but they have created a very calm atmosphere with trees, paving stones, and other tricks, so it felt quite welcoming and relaxing.

We then found ourselves a motel around 3, walked about 1 km to the beach, then walked another km up the beach. It is very long and wide with fine sand, sand dunes behind it, and shallow, relatively warm water. There were about a dozen kite surfers out. It was interesting to watch them as their kites made a colourful contrast against the almost clear blue sky. I will see later if the camera was able to capture the effect.

Spotted a cool looking pub earlier in the day and went there for supper, thinking we would fit right in. We fit in alright! We were the youngest ones in the place! Well, not really, but there sure was a lot of white hair in there. I am sure it is a happening place after the suppertime crowd clears out. After supper we did some more walking and touring around town.

And what is with the sun in the North? That sure wreaks havoc with your sense of direction!