Nelson
20 - 25 February 2023
Julie and Anthony on the Sailboat at Abel Tasman.
On Tuesday we drove out to the Abel Tasman park. We took a sailboat from Kaiteriteri Beach to Anchorage and hiked back to the parking lot at Marahau Beach.
Kaiteriteri Beach
Apparently, alcohol is not welcome on Kaiteriteri beach.
Our boat left us on the beach at Anchorage, for lunch and our “11.8 km” hike back to the car park. We made friends with the Weka and Ducks while we had our lunch.
First there is up.
Not done yet. (Julie was not having fun)
This sign lies!
We made it back to the car, our GPS said 14 km. To be fair, the track was pretty flat and the views were wonderful. However, Julie psyched herself out from the beginning, and when 6 miles turned to 9 her mood did not improve. There was a totem at the trail head that matched the one at Anchorage.
The Abel Tasman trail head.
Our crew on the Nelson Winery Tour.
Fortunately, we had a relaxed day visiting wineries around Nelson after our day long Abel Tasman hike. We tasted wines from Flaxmore, Te Mania, Richmond Plains and Kahurangi estate. We also saw the world’s largest rugby ball, constructed from grape vines.
Richmond Plains uses bottle caps, not corks for their sparkling rose.
Two of the ladies on our wine tour had just come from the North Island. Their ferry crossing had been cancelled, forcing them to leave their rental car and fly to Nelson. Once we got back from the wine tour, we called to verify our crossing. We found out that our time had changed from 2:30 pm to 11:00 am!! Glad we called!
Julie found another fun hike on the shores of Lake Rotohiti. It was warm and sunny in Nelson but much colder and very windy at the Lake. Julie had her jacket, but Anthony had to convert a beach towel into a poncho to keep from freezing.
Anthony’s buddy, the fantail thrush.
Julie fighting the wind
We were rewarded with terrific views of the ocean when driving across the large hill that separates the coast from the city center.
Pukekos hanging out on the side of the road.
View from the Center of New Zealand
The geographic center of New Zealand is located up a steep hill in a park in Nelson.
We took the scenic route through Havelock and Momorangi Bay to Picton to catch the Interislander ferry through Cook Straight to Wellington and the North Island.
