South Island: Day 7/8/9/10

South Island: Day 7

Day 7 was the day that my mom and I spent in Nelson.  We had arrived very late the previous evening, so we didn’t see much of the city before going to bed, but I had high hopes.  Amy had told me that this was the city that she and her parents enjoyed the most.  So, the next morning we woke up early once more and set off to explore.

Nelson is a very cute little city.  It was one of the first ones settled in New Zealand, and it enjoys some very nice weather as it is sheltered from the southerly winds (for the most part) as well as the rain.  Mom and I set out with our trusted Lonely Planet as well as some advice from Amy.  One thing I was particularly interested in was the Botanic Gardens.  There is a trail leading up the mountain in the gardens that brings you to the exact geographic centre of New Zealand, and I wanted to stand on that spot and have my picture taken.  The trail was much steeper than I anticipated, though, so we got a bit of a workout on the way up.  My dad had also chosen this particular time to call us to check in on our trip, so he got to talk to my mom as she huffed and puffed her way up the hill.  The view at the top was definitely worth the climb, as was being able to say that I have been to the geographic centre of New Zealand.

We climbed back down and headed back to the city centre.  We passed some gardens on the way, so we went in to explore.  These were the Queen’s Gardens, and it was a lovely spot.  It had a small river running through it, with fountains and walkways and well-placed benches.  After wandering through there for a time, we headed further in to town to go check out the cathedral, something else I wanted to see.  We didn’t have too much time for exploration, though.  We had a schedule to stick to!

While the Nelson region isn’t as famous as some other parts of New Zealand for wineries, it does have several good ones, and this was where my mom and I did a wine tour.  This was my first wine tour, and I was really excited about it.  I love New Zealand wine, and here we were at the source!  The tour company, Bay Tours, was excellent.  Not only was the driver/leader very friendly but she also took us on a bit of a sightseeing tour around the city on the way to the wineries.  Tasting all the wines was good fun.  The first place was a combination of two smaller wineries, and we also had a food compliment platter so we could test how changing the food you eat affects the taste of the wine.  We had a good group, good to talk to, and I discovered that I enjoy un-oaked chardonnay best (chardonnay that has been made in metal barrels as opposed to oak so that it doesn’t have any of that taste).  I really want to go up to the Hawke’s Bay region, or Napier, and do some more wine tours up there as that is where most of the chardonnay is made.

The next day was really just our travel back to Wellington.  We took an early bus over to Picton to catch the Interislander Ferry across the strait.  This was the major concern of the trip as Mom tends to get seasick, and the waters across the strait can have some major swells, but a little Dramamine and everyone was OK.  This was the biggest boat I have ever been on, as I have never been on a cruise, so I definitely explored around.  Mom wasted no time getting settled in the bar area, crunching on some nut mix and watching Dr. Phil, before falling asleep on the benches (which also helped her not to be seasick, I think).  After travelling so much for so many days, we tended to sleep whenever we got the chance.  Mark picked us up at the ferry terminal, and we went out to a nice dinner at Shed 5 with him and Anna so that my mom could actually meet the people who are somewhat responsible for me here (in case you forgot, Mark and Anna are my host counsellors here in Wellington).  I hadn’t had a meal in a place as nice as Shed 5 the entire time I have been here – I am a student, don’t forget – so that was highly enjoyable.  The big excitement for my mom that night was that there was an earthquake during dinner.  It was about a 4 or 5, if I remember correctly from the papers the next day, and it was actually the first one I had really felt in Wellington.  They happen all the time, of course, so none of the other diners paid any attention to what was happening, but you would have thought the world had come crashing down to hear my mom talk about it later.  It was funny.  The whole earthquake situation in Wellington is actually quite funny in that I will pick up the paper in the morning, read about how a such-and-such strength earthquake was felt in Wellington the night before, and think, “Wait!  I missed it again!”

We’re now getting into the homestretch of my mom’s trip to New Zealand.  We spent the next two days wandering around the city, exploring the shopping districts and figuring out what was really different between New Zealand and the USA.  Mom was as amazed as I was at how expensive cosmetics are.  We met up with Meredith for lunch at the Backbencher, a restaurant I have been meaning to go to, so it was nice for Mom to meet someone who I am around quite a lot in Wellington (especially as I now live with her!).  We also spent a good deal of time in Kirkaldie & Stain’s, New Zealand’s equivalent to a Macy’s, exploring their Christmas store.

This was also the evening that we had tickets to the ballet!  We went back to our hostel, got all dressed up, and headed over to the theatre to enjoy The Nutcracker.  Don’t be fooled, though.  It was a contemporary version of The Nutcracker, complete with dancing invalids and Clara having severe head trauma rather than a dream.  They even got rid of Drosselmeyer!  I really enjoyed watching it, and the changes were rather funny.  This was the first time I had seen The Nutcracker since actually dancing in it ages ago, which means it is the first time I have seen it all the way through.  Because the ballet was at 6, we had skipped dinner, so after it was over we went down the street to a really flash bar to have small nibbles for dinner and some good drinks.  

The next day was the last day Mom had in New Zealand.  She didn’t fly out until that evening, though, so we basically had the whole day.  We checked out of our hostel, moved all of her stuff back to my flat, and spent about an hour packing up some of my stuff to send home with her as well as ship.  The big plan of the day was to go to the Botanical Gardens because they are really nice in Wellington.  The last time I had been in the gardens was in mid-July, so none of the flowers were flowering.  Now, in early November, most of them were out, and it was great.  We spent a lot of time in the rose garden because my mom loves roses.  There are all kinds of different species and varieties and cross-overs, and of course we checked out each one.  We also ended up with some very interesting pictures, the best of which would be my mom being swallowed by what looks like an elephant trunk.  We also got to play around on the cable car for awhile, which is always fun.

So, that’s the end of the South Island Expedition!  It was a great 10 days and my only family visit the entire time that I am here in New Zealand.  We saw lots of cool stuff, and I really enjoyed being able to tour around the South Island.  I never did make it down to Southland, so we’ll have to work on that still!