New Zealand Part 9 - Nelson, Abel Tasman, Queen Charlotte Drive and Picton

The road from the West Coast via St Arnaud to Picton is basically through steep wooded valleys.  These look more like commercial forestry in the main, rather than the variety of trees and plants in the birch woodlands further south, or the rainforests on the coast.  It felt much like areas in Scotland and Scandinavia we've passed through.  

Nelson was the largest place we visited on the South Island and a bit of a shock after nearly a week of staying in places with populations in the hundreds to somewhere with a population of 55,000.  I didn't feel great so probably did not explore what Nelson had to offer.

What we did see was Santa's parade, and it was strange seeing people in shorts and T-shirts waiting to see Santa and his reindeer.  The parade was surreal, with a few Christmas-themed floats, floats from local businesses and the Indian, Thai and Chinese communities,  and an ice cream truck decorated with tinsel in the parade and serving outside Santa's grotto!

Nelson's Christmas tree, with the cathedral tower in the background.  The Christmas tree really does not look out of place with blue skies and palm trees and leaves on all the trees.

Nelson is a good a base for a trip to Abel Tasman National Park.

We took the extended tour with Wilson's.  We sailed the full length of the coast from Kaiteriteri to Tōtaranui, then disembarked for around two hours for a walk at Medlands Bay before returning. The trip was a bit of a trade-off we could have walked for longer, but would not have seen as much of the coastline.

The scenery from the boat was wonderful.  

The coast was an unbroken woodland, usually with a couple of metres of rock between the trees and the sea, though there were some glorious golden sandy beaches.

The walk was around 5km along good paths with a couple of swing bridges and a couple of small waterfalls.  There were great coastal views.

We saw a lot of Weras including this fur ball!

The next day we headed to Picton.  We had a leg stretch at Peloras Bridge, which had several walks centred on the rocks, it was going to be a five-minute stop - we ended up staying around an hour.

Then we took Queen Charlotte Drive to Picton. This is a wonderful scenic road with a fair number of stopping points.

Picton was nice enough, we were only staying there because we had to be there at 6:30am for a ferry. It was late.

And then the ferry crossing from Picton to Wellington.  Much of the journey is through the Marlborough Sounds with steep, tree-covered sides and only occasional buildings.

After 13 days in the South Island it was time to leave for the North.

New Zealand - Part 8 - Arthurs Pass to St Arnaud

There’s one thing that is often overlooked in New Zealand.  The weather especially in the west is unpredictable, variable, and usually involves a lot of rain. The last time we visited in January/February (Mid Summer) the country was hit by a tropical storm and when we were in Te Anau, over 300mm of rain in about 12 hours and the bridges at both ends of the road serving the glaciers were closed.  

When we left Arthurs Pass, the weather was dull and grey, with low clouds and drizzle, and we made our way along the coast to Punakaiki, it was not the most inspiring. When we arrived at the Paparoa Park Motel, the room was a big airy log cabin. The view from the window was one of my favourites.

We had a walk from the motel to the swing bridge

And we had our first close encounter with a Wera bird.  Who seemed as interested in us as we were in it.

In the evening the sun came out for a brief visit.  The view from the garden of the motel.  A view of the west coast at its best. 

The other side of the beach is the headland with Pancake Rocks - another New Zealand strange rock formation.

The next morning it was back to being grey. The sea was rougher and spectacular waves were breaking in the pools.

The grey cloud continued the next morning but brightened up when we went up the Buller Valley.

We stayed at the Alpine Lodge in St Arnaud.  It was a stunning setting in the Nelson Lakes National Park.  Opening the door to the patio - this was the view.

In the evening rabbits grazing and the following morning we had a family of ducks for company.

It was only a short walk from the hotel to Lake RotorIi, with it's woodland walks.

There was a final sight for the night.

I looked out of the window, to see one of the best night skies I have ever seen. I went out for a better look the photos from the phone do not do the sky justice it was amazing.