16th December 2009
In a fit of what can only be described as pure madness we decided to borrow some bikes from the hostel we’re staying at and explore Nelson sans voiture for the day. The hostel is about a 20 minute walk from Nelson city centre, so they have plenty of bikes which you can borrow for no extra charge. We’re staying at a hostel called the Bug which does indeed have its own VW Beetle in lime green. So much better than the last place with a great homely atmosphere, well equipped kitchen and comfortable, proper sized beds :).
We cycled into Nelson city centre where we locked our bikes up and walked up to the famous Christ Church cathedral (yes another one!). The dark gray cathedral is constructed from marble which has been ground down and mixed with plaster, which gives it its unusual appearance.
Inside the cathedral, they had a Christmas tree festival going on, with trees decorated by various local charities and organisations, as well as the big cathedral Christmas tree. Very festive.
We came out of the cathedral and walked down the hill to South Street. This contains a row of quaint workers cottages built in the 1860s and is purported to be the oldest fully intact street in NZ. Most of the cottages now seem to be holiday lets, but I suppose that’s better than living there full time and having loads of tourists come and gawk at you.
As we wandered back to our bikes, we passed the Nelson Provincial Museum which was running a ‘Science of Sound’ exhibition. We went for an investigation, starting with the regional historical and cultural exhibits which were really interesting and detailed the area’s industrial and natural history. Then we moved onto the science of sound museum and found it was aimed a little more at youngsters than adults with exhibits that illustrated how musical instruments work such as different lengths of tubing and different sized strings. We had a quick wander around before we were inundated by about 20 pre-school children on a trip so we made a sharp exit.
Back on the bikes we headed off along the riverside cycle path to Queens Gardens where we sat in the sun and enjoyed a thrown together picnic lunch.
Then we continued on to the Botanical Reserve, where we climbed Botanical Hill to to a viewpoint overlooking the city. This also had a spire which proclaims the spot as NZ’s geographical centre. The climb up there was really hard work (so unfit now!) but the views from the top were well worth it.
We decided we had had enough exercise for one day and just about managed to get back to the hostel without having to wheel our bikes. The hostel is on a slight gradient and we were pedalling into a headwind, and by now our bums were starting to feel a bit sore.
This evening we had arranged to meet an old friend of Fay’s and ex-pat welshie, Carol Thompson and her husband Trevor. We drove out to the lovely area of Nelson that they live in, near to the beach and with great views over the bay and out to the Southern Alps. We had a fantastic evening, with Trevor kindly giving us a personal guided tour (he’s orginally from Nelson, so who better!) and Carol preparing our first homecooked meal in a while, and one of Ed’s favourite - chicken with stuffing and salad. Very yummy, and dessert as well. A perfect evening spent chatting and eating.