Nelson

We are now in Nelson, staying with Margaret and Gordon having a lovely time. The sun is shining and the temperature is about 23 degrees. Summer has definitely arrived. I am wearing a short sleeved blouse and skirt, Walter is wearing his shorts. What a shock it will be when we arrive back in the UK in two weeks time.

Tonight Walter is going to partner Gordon in a game of bowls in a competition. Walter has never played bowls so it will be interesting. He had a practice this afternoon and found it hard to keep the bowls on track! I have made the NZ speciality of bacon and egg pie, which we are going to take to the Clubrooms as our contribution to the pot luck tea. I hope the pie is edible – it smells okay but you never know and I would hate to embarrass Margaret and Gordon. Before I leave this country I intend to be proficient in bacon and egg pie, mousetraps and cheese rolls.

We are also feeling fit as we walked around the Airport this morning but then ruined it by going to a cafe for a latte afterwards.

The trip from Hanmer Springs, on Tuesday, was through the usual beautiful NZ bush. The broom on the hills as we left Hanmer was a blaze of yellow. Although not a native shrub it has taken over many hills and is beautiful when out in flower.

Yesterday Gordon drove us up to Farewell Spit, which is right at the top of the Tasman area and part of Nelson. We had coffee in a cafe which had beautiful views over the bay and spit. The area is a wetland of international importance, and a renowned bird sanctuary. When we were there the sea was full of black swans.

On the way we had to go up over Takaka Hill, which the Lonely Planet describes as ‘a stomach-churning meander’. It is extremely twisty and the hill is very high. Luckily we had a very good driver. The views from the top were spectacular.

We called into see Te Waikoropupu (Pu Pu) Springs which are the largest freshwater springs in NZ and probably the clearest in the world. About 14,000L of water per second surges from the underground vents at the beginning, and you can see the swirls and shimmers in the water where it comes out of the ground. There is no swimming and you cannot even fill your water bottles from the water in case you contaminate the water. There is a rather nasty introduced slime called Didymo (reputedly introduced from America) which they are trying to get rid of in NZ.We also had look at all the holiday homes along the coast, and the beautiful beaches with golden sands. We had a delicious picnic whilst overlooking one of the beaches. There are lots of artists and people living alternative lifestyles in the area, which is also the starting of points for the Heaphy and Abel Tasman Coastal Tracks.

Well, Walter played very well. He played on the right bias and a good draw out to get near kitty. He had three touches on three ends while we were watching. Walter and Gordon won by a good score but no money unfortunately. The two cheerleaders, Margaret and Nola, gave a gentle applause at appropriate times. The bacon and egg pie was a success, thank goodness. A few handles of beer deadened the pain of not winning money. Watch out England when Walter returns!