Nelson, NZ

Sunny Nelson.

Our streak of good weather continued in unprecedented beauty. In fact, I recall it might have been close to a record high pressure, but we went seven full days with but a cloud or a breath of wind. Gee whiz.

Gravity winery was our first stop out of Picton. Save for a delicious butter chicken pie in Havelock of course. We found the most idyllic and otherwise empty winery where we posted up for a generously poured tasting and enormous platter of all good snacks. I'd love to say we did more with our day, but....ah the serenity.

According to our Sommelier (who surely wasn't a sommelier), there was plenty of business and they'd more or less had a steady stream of customers since the lockdown ended. Given our afternoon was interrupted only by one other pair, I couldn't believe her.

We posted up the night as psuedo kids of Annie and Stu who run an Air BnB in Marybank. Lovely folk. We cooked every meal in Nelson, save for the winery, and it was surprisingly easy and comfortable in another household's working kitchen.

Work and tramping prep were the order of Friday, breaking only for a leg stretch to the centre of NZ (disappointingly uncentral) and pausing briefly for a drink in town before cooking up a feed and hitting the hay. Angelus hut in the Nelson Lakes National Park was our weekend mission, we would need our rest! (Separate footprint).

Monday was a designated work day but I'd been dying to hit the Coppermine MTB trail from central Nelson. Unfortunately the weather had finally given way to light drizzle forecast to turn heavy in the afternoon. My luck too, had also taken a turn, with unsuccessful attempts to hire a bike at the first three stores. Looking at the $160 bill at the fourth, and with my legs waning from yesterday in the short walk around town in the deteriorating weather, I threw in the towel.

My disappointment and frustration prevented concentration at work so I popped down the road for a wet and steep jog up the Cable Bay trail from Glenduan and busted a gut. Cat all this time, being the hive of productivity and example employee we're all not jealous of.

Anny and Stu were great hosts. Unsurprisingly, they've had their rooms full almost non-stop, even throughout lockdown (long term guests). They had a couple right before us and another couple while we were there. I'm starting to get the feeling that there's more to the story of this so called 'tourist flop'.

Next stop: Westport. Yes, Westport.

Coronavirus update: two reported cases - prematurely freed from lockdown!!Read more