After chilling out in Wellington I set out on the ferry to
Picton. I had been told the ferry is
much rougher than BC Ferries due to the nature of the Cook Strait so I was
expecting a bumpy ride. It turned out to
be quite calm (in fact much more so than my last ferry from Vancouver to
Nanaimo in a November storm). The
scenery was absolutely gorgeous passing through a maze of deep channels,
sheltered waterways and secluded bays surrounded by luscious vegetation on the
hillsides. Many of the people I have met
are doing whirlwind trips of NZ (buying a cheap bus pass and stopping for one
night in each place). I however have
been taking my time in each place so have tended to be travelling with
different people every day. Arriving on
the South Island has been even more so this way and for people on tighter
schedules who have chosen to just “do the south.” I have to agree - although the North was
lovely – the south is spectacular and really has much of what the north had to
offer plus some.
Upon arrival in Picton we boarded the bus bound for
Nelson. A few stops along the way to
view the scenery of Marlborough Sounds and to taste the regional wines and
culinary specialties (olive oils, fudge, ice cream and candy). Now the hostel in Nelson, Accents on the
Park, was something else (much more like a guesthouse than a hostel – very very
nice). I have tried to abstain from
looking at each property from an industry perspective but I felt so strongly
about this place that I am certain it played a significant part in the
enjoyment of my stay in Nelson. It was
the cleanest hostel I have stayed in to date and extremely helpful reception staff
(the owners). Beyond that it was a
character house which felt more like a home away from home with comfortable
beds, completely user friendly facilities and extra touches I would expect in a
hotel and a balcony overlooking the park.
The park itself was centered around a beautiful Cathedral; the fact that
a Cathedral was built in Nelson changed it status from a town to a city
although all other aspects of Nelson resemble a town. A group of us decided to venture up the hill
to the “Centre of NZ” a beautiful lookout point at the geographical center of
NZ only steps away from the hostel.
Wine tasting the next day through the Richmond Plains on a
tour made the most of a gloriously sunny day.
A day filled with stunning views of beaches, vineyards and hills;
tasting of grassroots wineries, NZ fruit and viewing crafts from the area was
concluded with a cozy movie night back at the hostel.
My final day in Nelson started with a visit to the farmers
market, wandering around the town and
retiring to the hostel to escape the rain in the afternoon and evening to curl
up to my newly purchased secondhand book(books are expensive here generally
around $30).
Onward to Greymouth, there were quite a few lookouts along
the way. Getting to the wet west coast
the backdrop subtly changed to a more rugged coastline. Stunning beaches and rivers along the route
with a final stop at the famous “Pancake Rocks.” I did manage to get a few nice shots before
my camera battery died. The evening
concluded with a tour of Monteith’s Brewery and dinner a local pub. Not much more to do in this sleepy town. I got a few snapshots of one of the few
streets while I waited to board my bus en route Franz Josef. I will post more soon on my trip from
Greymouth to Wanaka.
