South Island Pictures: Nelson, Picton, and Wellington

The two of us at the geographic centre of New Zealand. How many geographic centres have you been to?


It seems that everyone I travel with has a habit of taking pictures of public restrooms. First Amy and Meredith started the trend in Taupo, and my mom has continued it in Nelson. She was fascinated with the 'Superloo.'

I love this picture. I took it inside the cathedral in Nelson. It's just very peaceful.

This is what downtown Nelson looks like. Everything is bricked over, the buildings are well restored, and it has a pleasant small-town feeling while still having a good amount of shopping and eateries.

This is Mom and me on our wine tour. This is about the third vineyard (pronounced vin-YARD) we visited. You can see the grapes in the background. It was a great day for a wine tour, with lots of sunshine and warm weather.

I have to include a picture of the dive-bombing birds of Picton. It looks like a very pretty bird, but don't be fooled. It's actually a terror in disguise. This bird is so bold that it won't wait for you to leave your food before it swoops down to steal the scraps; it will dive bomb you at your table while you are trying to enjoy a pleasant meal at an outdoor cafe. If you're ever in Picton, watch out. Just a warning.

Yes, my mom did get swallowed by an elephant accidentally. No, not really. We found this sculpture thing in the Botanic Gardens in Wellington, and we still can't figure out what it really is. It makes an interesting picture, though. Feel free to submit your own captions in your comments.

A nice picture to end the trip. This is on the cable car on the way back down to Lambton Quay.