Nelson

Arrival in the south island - and what a contrast. As soon as I hopped off the ferry the mountains were noticably more stunning than in the north. I decided to leave some of my bus mates behind and chose to stop off here for four days. I stayed with some friends of Mum and Dads who moved here 5 years ago. Nelson is a charming little town (or city as it claims to be) where I felt more at home than elsewhere in NZ. This could be because its a bit of a British ex-pat hotspot which is apparently because Nelson recieves more sunlight than anywhere else in New Zealand. The first day I helped out at a small farm where my hosts heelp out from time to time. I got to have the inevitable farmers chat to find out more about farming on the other side of the world. The next day I went for a days walking in the Abel Tasman National park which was beautiful. So many deserted little beaches to explore, with stunning bays and views across to the mountains. Day three involved going to an eco-event which my hosts were attending - no Dick Strawbridge in sight which was a good thing. In the afternoon I went to see Tasman (the local side) take on Canterbury in the ITM cup. Surprisingly the local team won in a close finish to the match. Saw Chris Jack play who is a player for the All Blacks.