Jan. 1/16: To Nelson

I am now in Nelson. What a glorious  day it has been. High 20s. Some might say too hot! I made the trip by bus (Intercity), which works perfectly from my perspective as I can sit back and see the sites while someone  else does the driving. The bus drivers are generally excellent, and often provide  useful commentary along the way. The scenery was spectacular. It was not possible to take pictures on the bus so just imagine glorious turquoise  ocean on one side, and wonderfully rugged, but treeless mountains on the other.

We stopped first in Kaikoura (our Maori guide told us it meant “to eat crayfish”), a popular destination for those interested in whale watching. I spent some time there last  year.

Downtown Kaikoura, 

with mountains in the background

The scenery changed  as we were approaching Blenheim, the centre of the Marlborough wine region, and the spot where I changed buses. The  route then took us inland, first with views of  vineyards that go on forever, and after that up and down windy roads  through  mountains that were covered in trees.

i SITE in Blenheim, where we changed buses

This is the iconic symbol for the NZ tourist offices

NZ does tourism so well!

So here I am in “my” home for the next 3 months in Nelson. It’s a wonderful older home literally on the edge of town with a spectacular  view of the Bay of Tasman, and a path just in front of the house which is perfect for biking or jogging or walking. To walk to the centre of Nelson takes about half an hour.

View through my window  to the Bay of Tasman

(Above in the afternoon, below  in the evening)