Nelson

After my first week in the kitchen, I was in need of a break from the mountains. Needless to say, Christchurch isn’t in the condition to be a day trip destination, so instead, I went west. The town of Nelson sits on the west coast of NZ, about 3 hours northwest of Maruia Springs. Unlike the drive to the east, the journey west doesn’t change in scenery all that much. That is until you break free of the mountains, and catch sight of the ocean. Though I was there for only half of a day, just being at the beach for a few hours, and exploring a new place on my own was enough to satisfy my hunger for an alternate surrounding.
Like many of the towns here in NZ, central Nelson consists of older buildings, occupied by new and old businesses. As you move along the coast, the houses become larger and much newer. Many seem to follow the same modern motif, of solid colors and right angles. They looked quite nice, just not my style. It seemed like they belonged somewhere much more tropical. I may have gotten that feeling from the low hanging clouds that lingered for much of the day. As much as I love cloud cover and fog in the mountains, a sunny beach can’t be beat. Having said that, the evening’s sunset coupled with the breaking clouds was one of the best I’ve seen in some time.

Waterfall on Maruia River. Caused in a single day by an earthquake. (not the recent one)

Main stretch in Nelson