Rutherford Hotel Nelson - Heritage Hotels

... kayak company cancelled. We were very disappointed and decided to make our way to Nelson for a two day visit. Had a couple really nice hikes the first day in Nelson. Check out the beautiful views. We hiked to the Center of NZ which is the geographic center of all the islands making up NZ. A gentleman took our picture atop the hill at the marker. The second day we visited the Wonderful World of Wearable ...

... unsuccessful. The only other ATM in all of Mapua was out of order. A bit disappointed we went back to the first vendor and she accommodated us by taking US dollars. We rounded up a bit to ensure she didn't take a loss due to fluctuations in the exchange rate. For the second (smaller item), we scrounged out every NZ coin we had which was 60 cents short... and we gave our sob story to the vendor and of ...

... our way out of the bay into the choppier open sea, unfortunately we were shunted from the rear by our fellow kayakers and grounded on some rocks - only momentarily until we pushed ourselves free (with a little help from the tide). We continued round 5 bays to Split Apple Rock, where we stopped for a short (stress) break and took photos etc. Our return voyage was less eventful and Gill sees this as a ...

... And living out of a backpack is starting to take its toll. Our last port of call was the Nelson lakes just before departing to Westport. This place was truly amazing with postcard perfect scenery round every corner. Already we can see a major difference between both Islands with the North more built up and the south much more rural and scenic. Well, enjoy the pictures from our new camera: only the best piccys for our loyal viewers! Kia Ora J & H xx

... seemingly endless drive through forest. Definitely a lack of petrol stations on that drive. The Kingsgate Motel in Nelson is lovely, and very close to town so we unloaded the car and surfed the net for a while, then walked into the city and checked out a few pubs. 05 December Lazy start to recover from yesterday's early one. Met another cousin in town for lunch, and wandered around the lovely Botanical Gardens. Back at the motel we sat in the sun for a while ...

... The drive to Marahau, the tiny village on the edge of the Abel Tasman national park, was short and uneventful, but the scenery as we drove in was pretty spectacular. The village is on the edge of a huge sandy bay that stretches for about a mile when the tide is out, and is home to a host of water taxis ready to take willing kayakers up the coast to the national park proper. We spent the next hour or so getting kitted out in all kinds of hilarious attire ...

We woke up to a beautiful, sunny day. After we had a cup of tea and some porridge outside on the picnic table, we packed up our things and set off for a second day of walking. We dropped our bags off at Miner's Wharf, where Ken would be picking them up later that morning. It was a bit warmer today and I didn't need my coat all day. The walk was a lot more scenic and open today. We were able to see lots of little ...

... log fire & deer heads on the wall etc...) was a great way to spend the day however it did leave us with a slight problem....how do we leave? As the hire car was picked up in Auckland snow chains do not come as standards. The following day the road had been partially cleared but snow had started to fall once again. After a trip to the local DOC office we were told the snow was here to stay so it was a race against time to hit the road. The signs said chains were ...

... hostel (at least it was nice and warm there) and did loads of writing. I talked to a few people that had just got back from the hike and it seems I need a bit more equipment; warm clothes, cup, spoon and pot. Being on a budget so tight it would make Ebeneezer Scrooge blush I went in search of a charity shop (the Saviour of all budget travellers). The best I could find was a Salvo (Kiwi for Salvation Army..it seems everything is shortened here). I managed to get myself a tin ...

... bezocht. Er was een tentoonstelling over de Traffelger War, de oorlog halverwege de 19e eeuw hier, die geleidt werd door Lord Nelson (waar dit dorpstadje inderdaad naar vernoemd is) en die een heroische dood stierf. Gek genoeg lag er in het midden van deze tentoonstelling een masker van Napoleon. Nu is Napoleon bij mijn weten nog nooit in NZ geweest, dus wat doet dat kopie van een kopie van zijn dodesmasker hier?? Nou, Lord Nelson en Napoleon waren tijdsgenoten en aangezien Nelson ...