Around Nelson – Part 3

Lastly, we took a short drive to explore the surrounds of Nelson. Just a short drive from the ‘burbs is Matai Valley, the weekend playground for Nelsonites.

Matai Valley

Can you believe that all this is a mere 15 minute drive from the centre of Nelson?

Matai Valley

Hubby wanted to visit here because of some obscure geological significance.

Matai Valley

The peaks and distances freaked me out though, and we hardly made it out of the car park.

Matai Valley

Instead, I contemplated the view of the dam.

Matai Valley

We did a short walk near the dam, which warranted a nice meal back in town.

Matai Valley

Around Nelson – Part 1

Our next stop was Nelson. Nelson is a small city of 53,500 at the top of the South Island. It is said to be the sunniest city in all of NZ!

It wasn’t quite sunny when we arrived. It’s certainly a very green city with the bush right behind the suburban streets.

Around Nelson

Since the city was established back in 1841, it has a mix of modern and historical buildings in the town centre.

Around Nelson

I liked these old weatherboard houses, very typical of New Zealand because of the availability of good building timbers in the past. Reminds me of the old Queenslanders.

Around Nelson