With a name like Nelson. . . .

Cathedral in Nelson

Nelson Marina

So I wasn't expecting a lot from Nelson. It sounds like a dreary British port town, gray and unwelcoming. Visions of a lot of rain. I could Not have been more mistaken. It is a beautiful small city (45,000 souls, according to my landlord there). It's a port town, being the main ferry destination from the North Island; lively and interesting and full of great food and drink. A great Sunday Market. Really. I could live in Nelson in a heartbeat if they'd have me. We also had the very best accommodations of our visit. . . a contemporary 3 bedroom flat that was right smack in the middle of downtown, though not noisy at night. We were just off the cathedral square, which was surrounded by a large city park. And we had 6 days there.

Cathedral Bell Tower

We had intended to have 7 days, but realized that the trip back would be onerous, since the SH1 was still closed.

The bell tower did the usual hourly thing, but on Sunday had a Very Long concert of bells. Very loud, and honestly, a little longer than I would have liked. Still. No good to silence someone's song, is it?

A "local" place in Nelson.

The marina was lively, as was the Sunday Market where we purchased our "big" purchase from this local artist. The wood is from an ancient buried tree that he goes around the country collecting and then fashioning into Useful Items. Beauty and Function. I love that.

Images for each of our daughters. . . the Lone Star cafe, which is actually a chain restaurant we saw in a couple of places. American references are all-too-common here, imho.





And the Theatre Royal which reminded us of S, our actor daughter!

Live Theater in Nelson

Wearable Art Entry

There is also a
Museum of Wearable art here in Nelson, which we didn't have time or $'s to visit, but several of this years entries were displayed in the window.  L, J's wife, is an artist who participates regularly in this event.

Blankets for outdoor dining

The last image is of a basket of blankets. It's at a cafe that has night hours, night heaters, and provides blankets for folks sitting outside. A hearty bunch, considering it's the middle of winter!