First we drove to Mapua, about thirty minutes away. It was once the home of fruit cool stores for the surrounding orchards, but now the home of two cafes, a smoked fish outlet, and a few shops. There is a large rebuilding project beside the old cool stores, with the aim of opening up more shops.
A very picturesque place on a lovely sunny day, and luckily it was today.
The Jellyfish Cafe.
Looking out to sea. The tide was coming in, very fast, when we arrived.
Rabbit Island (Moturoa), is the largest of a group of sandy islands lying in the Waimea Estuary, twenty kilometres west of Nelson. It is the home to a variety of seabirds plus it is a popular area for picnics, cycling and walking. The cycleway from Richmond to Motueka runs through the island. There is a causeway west of the island and a ferry service which connects the island to Mapua.
As the tides flow quickly the ferry needs to go for a short distance against the tide so that it can cross over with the tidal flow.
A view over the water towards the mountains.
Fish and chips, bought from the smoked fish outlet, which also serves takeaway fish. And accompanied with Watties tomato sauce for Margaret and me. Perfectly cooked, fresh, and totally delicious. All eaten straight from the paper wrapping, while sitting in the sunshine at a picnic table. And surrounded by seagulls. Perfect.
Next stop was a cafe a few metres away, for a cup of coffee, plus a large slice of ricotta and apple cake, shared between three of us. Eating all this excellent food is fatal for the waistline. But oh so delicious and scrumptious.
The view from our table at the cafe.
After all the lovely food, and with full stomachs, we set off to visit the show homes at Richmond. Always high on our list when visiting Australia and New Zealand. One can but dream when visiting these wonders, looking large and perfect, with wonderous entertaining spaces, and filled with smart furniture. Not at all like our first home bought on a visit to a show home. It was tiny, with a garden that was difficult to establish. All that we could afford. Not quite the showhome we viewed. Realism.
One of the houses, set against the green hills, and surrounded by a landscaped garden.
I found this sunny window seat, a perfect place to spend a few hours. Love it.
An interesting piece of art. Narrow ribbons rolled up and glued onto a board. A colourful 3D effect.
An open plan living area, pristine and no mess.
An interesting green bed cover to keep the bedlinen clean, and provide a little colour to the room.
And more delicious food for dinner, fresh asparagus, new potatoes and strawberries, straight from the hot house.
Contentment.
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