Nelson - Part 2

The weekend came and with it the famous Nelson Saturday Market which I visited with Aunt Sarah and Granny. There were many nice stands with local crafts and alternative fashion and I can't resist buying a copper ring made of an old New Zealand coin. We also had a look at the ringmaker Jens Hansen and a street with very old New Zealand houses before I left at 11 am for Takaka.

A nice stop on the way were the Waikoropupu Springs that are sacred to the Maori. Apparently this is the clearest water in the region.

At 1.30 pm I arrived at Hack 'n Stay where I helped Bärbel (of course there were only Germans...) brush and saddle the horses. Together with another girl we would go horse riding on the Rangihaeata Beach. I had always wanted to ride by the sea and was really looking forward to this experience! My horse was a beautiful grey named Redwing and she was very easy to handle. For four hours we rode up and down awefully muddy slopes and through the retreating sea. On our way we saw an awefully thin baby seal but the Departement of Conservation wouldn't do anything about it.
When I got back in the evening I hurt all over and was quite exhausted but I had had a wonderful day and I wouldn't have missed it for anything!

The next day the whole family went out to the movies to see "Swallows and Amazons", a children's story that apparently is quite popular in New Zealand. Afterwards the Mathesons prepared their boat and we went out on the waters. It was a nice sunny day but we could only spend about an hour on the boat itself for preparing it and cleaning it afterwards took such a long time!

By now cat Pippin trusted me enough to occupy half of my bed but I didn't mind.  The next day I started off on a hike up the Whispering Falls but even before I reached them there was a river crossing with no bridge and after wading in up to my knees I decided to turn around. Instead I hiked up to Hacket Hut and as soon as I reached it it started raining. Heavily and continuously. For an hour I still hoped it would stop but because I didn't really want to stay there over night with the family worrying about me I had to make my way down again. The water level had already risen quite dramatically and the path was flooded more than once. I was glad that I had a staff to help me with the crossings. It was quite a dangerous situation and reminded me of how quickly the weather can change here and that you should always be careful.

On my way there...

...and on my way back, only 2 hours later.

That had been my last day in the Nelson region for on Tuesday I continued to Christchurch, my New Zealand hometown. Again it was a lovely warm day and Lewis Pass was just beautiful. I had lunch at an Alpine walk before I finally arrived in Christchurch about 7 hours later.

Nelson - Part 1

I took the Bluebridge ferry at 8 am on the 24th of August 2017 - exactly a month after I first arrived in New Zealand.. It was sad saying goodbye to Ciara and all those new friends I made in Wellington but by now I'd been travelling for a month already so it was time to continue to the South Island. The ferry ride itself wasn't too exciting. The screened movie didn't really catch my attention and for the rest of the time I wrote postcards to friends and family back in Germany.

We arrived in Picton at 11.30 am, a nice little city beside the harbor. Omega Rental Cars was just beside the terminal and I was allowed to leave my bags there and even got a ride to the Tourist Information. Their service is absolutely amazing! I decided to have a look at the Edwin Fox Museum where the 9th oldest ship is on display. It was interesting and in such a small city pretty much the only thing you can do.

The drive to Brightwater would take about 3,5 hours in total. On the way I stopped at Pelorus Bridge where I used my break for strolling along the Totara Walk and climbed down to the river. This is where the dwarves were washed ashore after their barrel-ride. The water was emerald green, it might even be the most beautiful place I've seen so far!

A viewpoint along the road

Pelorus Bridge

None of these pictures are photo shopped - this is what it looks like!

In Brightwater I was greeted by Theo's aunt, her husband, three kids and her mum who I had met five years ago. She said she still remembered my smile... The family was so lovely and hospitable and I felt very comfortable sitting in front of the fireplace with their two cats Merry and Pippin. You might notice that they like Lord of the Rings just as much as I do!
After a delicious Porridge breakfast with Granny I started to explore the Nelson region, which is nestled between three National Parks. My first stop would be at the Riwaka Resurgence, a nice short walk along freezing cold pools. In summer I would have ventured in anyway!

The Ngarua Caves were closed so I continued West down Canaan Rd all the way to the end. There I met the same couple I had seen at every single stop on this road and we decided to walk to Harwood's Hole together. We reached the huge sinkhole after climbing through rugged rocks and bush and at the lookout we were rewarded with nice views.

Upon my return to Nelson I had still some hours of daylight so I also walked up to the Center of New Zealand and went geocaching on the way. After that I returned home and the whole family played Articulate together. With English as my second language that was so hard for me!

Wellington 3 - A City Tour

Fortunately Ciara had a nice long lunch-break on Monday so we decided to use the nice weather to have a coffee at the Chocolate Fish Cafe. It was a little further away from the city but had a nice setting and pretty views of the bay. Afterwards we went shopping at the local St. Vincent's, a second-hand store where I expanded my collection of Merino shirts for future hiking trips. On the way we also found a geocache...

Whilst the others had choir rehearsal in the evening I went to the Embassy cinema, a beautiful building, to see Dunkirk. What a tragic movie! With a creamy hot chocolate from Scopa I waited at a street corner for them to pick me up when suddenly Theo and Julien walked past! Some of my readers might remember Theo at least. We had been in SMP together and he had visited me a few times over the last 5 years. What a surprise to just meet them on the street! New Zealand is so small and at least in my age group every young musician seems to know ALL the others!

Tuesday's lunch I spent with Theo for we had a lot to tell each other and it was nice to simply walk along the waterfront and hear the latest news. When he had to leave I decided to visit the Te Papa museum again and see what has changed recently. The Gallipoli exhibition was particularly interesting. Weta Workshop had created giant statues and the visitors got to know the stories of many soldiers and officers. It was heartbreaking to hear of the events in all those details!

While listening to the last letter of William Malone to his wife before he died on the battlefield I even had to wipe some tears from my eyes. I came to stand next to a guy and somehow we started a conversation. Cameron and I continued to walk through the exhibition together and also had a quick look at the other exhibits but most of them had already been there in 2012. Afterwards he kindly helped me find the right bus stop so I was back just in time to go swimming with Ciara and Amber. While they went to the sauna I preferred the hot pool and afterwards we went to vegetarian restaurant for dinner.

An amazing conference hall in Te Papa, all made of carved wood!

Once again I had lunch with Ciara, this time at Midnight Espresso. There are so many nice cafes in Wellington! Afterwards I walked through Zealandia, a wildlife sanctuary protected by a high fence. Usually I like to listen to music while walking but here the birdsong was so various and beautiful that I enjoyed it for all of three hours before the park closed. Definitely worth a visit!

In the evening I met with Cameron again and we went for a drink but he was sick and I'd have to get up early to take the ferry in the morning. It was a short but nice conversation and I am glad that I have found so many new friends here!

Wellington 2 - A Weekend Tour

The weekend came and finally I could spend some time with Ciara. We decided to drive to the Putangirua Pinnacles, the location of the Dimholt, the Realm of the Dead.  On our way we stopped shortly after Poet's Park to have lunch at the place where the Elven boats had been launched into the Anduin many times.

At Putangirua we walked up the stream-bed to the base of the pinnacles and then up to a look-out. The views were absolutely stunning and the long drive was definitely worth it. In total it was four hours drive and three hours hiking.

We got back just in time to take a shower and dress up for the ball we would attend tonight. It had been organised by and for the music students of Victoria University and had the motto "Roaring 20s". Of course I couldn't find anything suitable in my suitcase... They had a live band and although they were great it was a little too loud and very crowded. But I met Sam and two other girls from SMP again unexpectedly!

crazy, funny, wonderful flat-mates

After such a long evening it was hard to get up the next morning but Ciara and I wanted to go to the market to go grocery shopping for the flat. The least I could do for their hospitality!
Afterwards I continued my location hunt alone. I visited the giant eagles at the airport, Fort Dorset (where they built the Bree Set), Dorrie Leslie Park (cliffs of Dunharrow) and Red Rocks (the Black Gate). None of these locations were particularly interesting but I went on some nice walks and was rewarded with breathtaking views - not of Middle-Earth, but of the equally beautiful New Zealand.

In the evening we had tickets for the ballett at St. James' Theatre: "Romeo and Juliet" by the Royal New Zealand Ballett. The production was quite old-fashioned, with beautiful costumes and realistic and variable scenery. Although I'm not a huge ballett fan it was absolutely wonderful to watch and if any of you have the chance to see this production at one of the other location I highly recommend it!