The centre of Nelson is based around the Cathedral with a war memorial alongside it. It’s a favourite for visitors.
There are also a few art galleries scattered about town, the Suter being one of the best ones.
There are vineyards up this way as well. We had lunch at Fossil Ridge Winery, which unfortunately now has closed down due to COVID-19.
The next morning we took one last look at our vineyard retreat in Renwick.
We then drove up the Wairau Valley, over 90km – and incredibly, most of that way was past vineyards. No wonder the Marlborough region produces so much wine. At the end of the drive were the Nelson Lakes at the foot of the mountains.
We visited Lake Rotoiti, although there are two of them. These mountains form the start of the Southern Alps, which run 500km down the spine of the South Island.
Strange to see sea-birds here, but the lake is only 70km or so from the sea.
Let’s take a walk through the vines.
It’s only early summer so the grapes are just starting to fruit. They won’t be ready until Easter time.
There aren’t many predators around so the rabbits still run free.
And Mother Duck can still rear her ducklings.
The hydrangeas are blooming nicely.
There might be a storm overnight, but in New Zealand the weather doesn’t usually hang around too long.
Time to head inside for the night.
Static and Silence 