winding down

Well, we are preparing to head back home today. It has been a wonderful trip and we have thoroughly enjoyed it. We were able to re-kindle some friendships and do and see many things. It has been an adventure.

But we really need to acknowledge our good friends John and Jane for taking us under their wings and treating us like royalty. They have taken us golfing and cycling, invited us for lunch(dinner)and dinner(tea), and acted as our chauffeurs to just about everywhere. They are truly ambassadors of good will for Nelson and are a big reason we continue to return here. So, we'll miss you John and Jane!

snow in the mountains

We woke up to 40 degree temps this morning and fall is definitely in the air. It has been an abnormal summer in NZ this year. It has been cool and as I've previously mentioned, wet. So the locals are feeling a bit denied of summer, but it hasn't been all that bad. The western ranges have snow at the peaks today. I've never seen that before here. It is beautiful, but a little early I think.

We had to shift out of our apartment as it was booked to someone else beginning today. We found another place a mile or so away and have a new view now and a different perspective on the city.

We were invited to a barbeque at our friends John and Jane's today. Some other of our golfing mates and their spouses joined and it was a lovely time.

green beer and Al Franken

We were heading into town the other day and noticed an Al Franken bumper sticker on a car. It didn't register at first since it was such a common sight at home. Then it hit me; hey, wait. That was an Al Franken bumper sticker. I couldn't believe it. So, I took a picture.

We do most of our grocery shopping via bicycle. It usually means buying small quantities on a daily basis. But when it comes to beer, a 12 pack is a 12 pack. So, onto the back of the bike it goes. That is what I call "green beer".

The weather seems to have taken a turn toward autumn. It is quite cool (highs in the 60's)and some color is starting to appear in the trees. The days are getting shorter and I think it must be time for us to start making our way back north. We'll be leaving next Wednesday, March 7th.

NZ's favorite son

On the outskirts of Nelson is the birthplace of what many call New Zealand's most famous person. He was Ernest Rutherford, the father of nuclear pyhsics. He discovered the concept of radioactive half life and won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1908 for his work on radioactivity. He was the first to split the atom in 1918 and discovered and named the proton.

There is a very well done memorial constructed at his birthplace in Brightwater, just outside Nelson. Rutherford spent his formative years schooling in Nelson and is a graduate of Nelson College (high school to us North Americans). After his university studies in New Zealand he traveled to Canada and eventually the UK to take prominent positions at prominent universities. It was interesting reading about him to find out he had been passed over for a few different scholarships during his youth in favor of others. How foolish that must have made some people look after he achieved what he did.

He is buried at Westminster Abbey in London near other scientific giants. It seems a shame he is not buried here in New Zealand.

punctures

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we bought 2nd hand bikes shortly after our arrival and we use them for most of our transportation around town. Yesterday, I repaired our 9th puncture since we arrived. To put this in perspective, in the past 15 years at home, I have experienced one flat tire. I don't understand what the problem is here, but cycling luck has not been on our side. Yesterday we went on a ride with our friends John and Jane and we ended up at a favorite coffee spot in a beautiful setting. Photos of Scott doing a little repair work and the 4 of us enjoying our coffee break. Video of the Nelson hills from Monaco peninsula.

beaches, bikes, and vineyards

We went for a bike ride on Sunday with our friends John and Jane. Our route included a ride on the forestry road on a nearby island called Rabbit Island. This is a popular public greenspace destination used for swimming, picnicking, cycling, etc. We rode 20 -25km on a variety of surfaces including this very bumpy forestry road. That part was challenging for us since our bikes do not have any shock absorbing capabilities. After our ride we found a vineyard cafe where we were able to take a break over a cup of coffee. These vineyard cafes are dotted among the vineyards around the Nelson region; very quaint. Our day was topped off by a meal at the home of our gracious friends.

the beach at Tahunanui or gotta bucket hat for my bucket list

Nelson has a beautiful beach on the Tasman Sea. The waves roll in gently and the beach is very gradual and seems to go on forever. We walked along it today when the tide was out and it seemed a massive place. Besides the incredible beauty of the place, another aspect is there are very few people who are there. There just aren't that many people here and places like beaches are not over-run the way we often see beaches in the USA or Europe.

By the way, it's not as windy as my camera makes is sound in the video.

city of trees

The founders of Nelson apparently had a love of trees and made an effort to plant unusual types in many of the public spaces in town. The "church hill" park that surrounds the Cathedral that is a focal point of the center city has many different varieties of mature trees that are very unique. These range from California Redwoods and Sequoia to Himalayan Cedars and fan palms among many others. Some are nothing short of gigantic and most are majestic. Many varieties are ones I have not seen before with branches or leaves of shapes I am not familiar. I think the founders were wise to plant such trees in their town. It is a long term perspective that is required when planting a tree. It is likely that the one who plants the tree will not enjoy its beauty in maturity. I am thankful for whoever is responsible for planting the trees. They add immensely to the feel of the city and provide a lovely setting on a summer day.

public art

Nelson is blessed with much public art. I don't pretend to be an art expert or even a novice for that matter. However, I like it, some more than others. It usually makes me smile and reflect on what the artist might have been thinking. What were they trying to say? What reaction were they looking for? I don't think there are any right or wrong answers about public art. But I do think communities are better off when it's there. I've included a couple photos of public art in Nelson.

worse than mosquitos?!!

While New Zealand is a stunning place, we have encountered one little drawback. It is only little is size. It's referred to locally as the sandfly. Brenda and I refer to them as worse than mosquitos! I know that may be hard to believe but the bites itch more and for a longer period of time; dreadful! Wikipedia reveals this legend: New Zealand sandflies (which are actually a different insect and a type of black fly)have a native Māori legend wherein "the god Tu-te-raki-whanoa had just finished creating the landscape of Fiordland, it was absolutely stunning... so stunning that it stopped people from working. They just stood around gazing at the beauty instead. The goddess Hinenuitepo became angry at these unproductive people, so she created the sandfly to bite them and get them moving". (Women...)

These sand flies were able, according to another Maori legend, to revive the dead hero Ha-tupatu.

Let's just say we are not enamored.


Photos of Brenda (blue)and our friend Jane (orange)at the Waitangi day street market 4 Feb, 2012, a panoramic view as I sit on our deck enjoying my coffee this morning, and a little cafe we stopped for coffee on a bike ride with John and Jane.

parting the waters

We stumbled upon some work in the local river the other day. They were installing a conduit underneath the river bed and it was an amazing thing to watch. Basically, they blocked up the river, installed a couple culverts for the water to go through, then dug up the river in order to place the conduit in. The conduit is to hold cables that I assume will be used for data and information transfer. A sign of our age.

We went by the same location a couple days later and you can see how it looks after the work was done. Aside from some scarring on the river bank, you wouldn't know anything ever happened. I'm sure the river bank will be green again in no time.

1st picture is after, 2nd picture is before.

float like a butterfly...

The summer weather is beginning to heat up and the locals are beginning to mutter a bit about the heat. As I've mentioned before, the sun is extremely intense here. It feels different than it does at 45 degrees north latitude. I don't know the scientific explanation but assume it has to do with the thinness of the ozone layer near the south pole. In any event, even though the sun feels hot, it is amusing to hear complaints about the heat when a light jacket is required in the morning and the temperature barely gets to 75F in the heat of the day. At home, we'd call that a beautiful spring day!

Similar to home, Kiwis love their dogs. They are frequently seen with their owners and seldomly on leash. I must say they are very well behaved and I have not had one loose dog chase me either running or on my bike. They seem to be voice-command trained and are very obedient.

I managed to get stung by a yellow-jacket a couple days ago. We were on our bikes and one got tangled up between my jacket and my arm and took it out on my arm. He won the battle but I won the war. Thankfully, I don't usually react too much to bee stings. Mind you, it did hurt and my arm did swell a bit but I think I've recovered now.

Photos of a dog hitching post outside a grocery store, a panoramic view of Nelson from the port, enjoying a coffee with our friends John and Jane overlooking the estuary of Tasman Bay.

National Mountain Bike Championships

Nelson is hosting the NZ National Mountain Bike Championships this weekend. There are two classifications, downhill and cross country with age groups within each. They take place in multiple runs over 3 and 2 days respectively. The surrounding hills of Nelson provide a perfect backdrop for such an event. I attended one of the races on Saturday. The temps were hovering around 23C/72F and the winds were very, very gusty. The course was about 2 miles from our place and, appropriately, I rode my bike. They actually allowed spectators on the course and I rode up part of it. However, I do know my limits.

solar dryer

As I've noted before, Kiwis are very eco-conscious. They have seen their unique and pristine environment change before their eyes as predators have been introduced, both by design and accident, and have wreaked havoc with the native species. They understand the risks of not wearing sun protection and they do not mess around. They have no nuclear power plants. In fact, the entire south island is powered by renewable energy sources. So, it should come as no surprise that most households do not have a clothes dryer. Most laundry is dryed on the line, like it was done in the USA in the 60's and before. Granted, the climate is conducive to hanging out the wash whether it is July or January. Nevertheless, it is enlightening to see that these old traditions are not yet dead.

Photos of wash on the line, Brenda crocheting, Scott by the ocean.

g'day, or not?

New Zealanders, like the rest of the world, are becoming more and more dependent on their electronic devices. There are more wireless internet locations, smart phone users, i-pod listeners, etc. One thing they've done right is to outlaw cell phone use or texting while driving. This seems so obvious to me, but at home, I am apparently in the minority. Can you imagine outlawing cell phone use while driving in the good ol' USA? I think there could be a revolt if that came to pass. Even though it makes so much sense, logic sometimes does not prevail.

I've noticed an increasing use of listening devices (i-pods, mp3 players, etc.) here. In the past I would get a "g'day", or "how're ya going" to those I crossed paths with while out and about. Now, more and more frequently, I get no acknowledgement as people are focused, head down, no eye contact, as they listen intently to whatever it is they have on their device. It's no different than at home, but equally disappointing.

I hope you have a "g'day!".

Photo of ANZAC park and video of dredging of the creek to open up a culvert under a ford due to debris build-up after all the heavy rains in the past few weeks.

Bill and Ted's excellent adventure

So, the car story continues. You see, Bill and I thought that Ted would just be renting this car to me. As I mentioned in earlier posts, because of Ted's business and the insurance problem, I actually needed to own the car so I could get coverage. After I had the registration changed and I had taken the car, Ted wanted me to pay him a purchase price of about $3500 NZ or $2800 US and then he would somehow pay me back at the end of our stay less some rental amount. The problem was that Ted could not process a credit card transaction. Then I got to thinking, how is he going to pay me back when the time comes? A check would do me no good, $2500 of NZ dollars cash would do me no good at the time I'm ready to leave the country. The only way I could see it working was if he could process a Visa credit card transaction and a credit. Since that did not seem possible, I returned the car to Ted. Funny, it's still in my name and Ted doesn't really seem to care about having it changed back. It's a crazy system. I think it's best for both of us that the deal is over.

We're now renting a car the old fashioned way. I found the place I've rented from before and am using them. It's a little more pricey, but I don't have to buy the car.

Pictures are of Brenda with her bike looking down our street, and Brenda and our bicycles taking a break in Nelson city.

on any given day

We were riding into town on Saturday to check out the local arts/farmers market. On the way in we happenned upon a group that I can only describe as percussion dance. They were fantastic.










We then made our way to the market. This gathering is a weekly event and is very well attended with many arts and crafts people as well as clothing, produce, massage services, etc. It is very popular.

Finally on our way back to our place, we happened upon an art fair where local painters were displaying and selling their products. It was a beautiful day and a typical one in the town of Nelson.

diggin' our digs

We have an apartment/flat rented just a couple kilometers from the city center of Nelson. Nelson is a city surrounded by hills and looking out to the Tasman Sea. Our place is small but lovely and has everything we need (except a phone). In any event, it is half way up one of the hills with a beautiful vista over the town and out to sea. The recent rainfalls have caused horrendous damage to many of the hillside homes. Landslides, or slips as the kiwis call them, have made many, many homes uninhabitable. As I mentioned in a previous post, they received nearly triple their previous December rainfall record and nearly half their normal annual rainfall total during December. This absoulutely wreaked havoc with the hills that surround this area. Many roads were closed with dirt and debris spilling across them. Many homes were ruined. Fortunately our location is okay for now. More rain is predicted for tomorrow so I think everyone has their collective fingers crossed. New Zealand seems to have had more than their share of natural disasters with the Christchurch earthquakes and now the slips and flooding. There is discussion that the country won't be able to afford to rebuild everything. This is really a small country and they cannot possibly have the resources that a larger nation might have.

I've attached a few photos of our place. I tried to upload a video but it simply takes too long.