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Tahunanui

Here you’ll find travel reports about Tahunanui. Discover travel destinations in New Zealand of travelers writing a travel blog on FindPenguins.

24 travelers at this place:

  • mg.bigadventuremg.bigadventure
    Day205

    Grapes, guinea pigs and golf

    March 30, 2017 in New Zealand

    After visiting the seal colony near Westport again before we left, yesterday we drove inland past rivers, forest, orchards and vineyards to Nelson, on the North coast of the South Island. Apparently this is one of the sunniest and warmest parts of NZ and the weather is being kind to us so far here - 25C and sunny today. Although the air temperature in NZ is often not that high, we've noticed that the sun here feels particularly strong - stronger than it would be at a comparable temperature in the UK. Sadly, we have had to cut Kaikoura (where we had planned to go whale watching) out of our itinerary, as the most direct roads both in and out are both closed at the moment (one temporarily and the other is still being repaired following the earthquake in that area last year)... Happily this has given us more time to slow down our pace of travel a bit (moving on most nights was getting a bit tiring) and o explore the Marlborough region in a bit more depth. Internet access is more difficult here in NZ, so I'm not keeping up with the blog daily like we usually could in Asia - going forward there may continue to be days with no posts, then several posts at once when we have decent internet.

    Today was a fun-packed day of family fun, exploring the area around Nelson and Richmond. We started off with a morning vineyard visit and wine tasting - we got to see the ripe grapes, ready for picking and to taste half a dozen different wines - a great way to start the day. We then went to a place that had a guinea pig village - a funny place where the "hutches" were mocked up as a school, castle, bakery, hostel and even a maternity hospital! Solana absolutely loved it and it has made her even more desperate to get a guinea pig as a pet when we get home (I think I'm going to have to give in on this one...). We then went to Waimea vineyard, where we did more wine tasting, this time whilst enjoying a delicious lunch sitting outside in their gardens. Across the road from there was a farm where we were able to go raspberry picking, eat a fantastic berry ice cream and buy some fresh fruit and vegetables (including the giant celery she's pictured with here) to help improve our diet! After visiting one more winery and sampling their wares, we drove across to Rabbit Island and spent some time on the beach there. It was a lovely beach and we all went for a paddle. We hadn't taken swimming stuff with us but that didn't stop Solana stripping off, streaking across the beach and into the sea (you'll be pleased to hear that we didn't follow suit)! Back at the holiday park where we're staying, we rounded off the day with a round of crazy golf - the first time Solana has tried it. A fun day was had by all.    Read more

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  • mg.bigadventuremg.bigadventure
    Day206

    Groundhog day?

    March 31, 2017 in New Zealand

    We all enjoyed yesterday so much that we had a similar day today. This time we started the day with a trip to Natureland in Nelson, a cross between a farm park & a zoo. We enjoyed feeding the farm animals (though Solana enjoyed that less than us, after choosing to feed the slobbery cows first!), touching lizards and seeing more native but rare NZ birds. We visited another vineyard for a wine tasting and lunch - all enjoyed a delicious lunch platter there, sitting in the gardens next to the vines and lily pond (felt like we were in a Monet painting). After lunch we visited the Berryland farm again for another of their berry ice creams - some of the best ice cream I've ever tasted. And afterwards we went back to Rabbit Island, this time with our swimming gear, to enjoy some more beach time. We rounded off the evening with another round of crazy golf - it got more competitive today and ended in me & Laura having a dead heat! We're enjoying this area of NZ a lot and we're pleased we decided to slow down the pace a bit here.Read more

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  • LouisaJamesNew Zealand
    Day7

    Nelson Again

    February 13, 2017 in New Zealand

    The expected rain and wind arrived over night with force - literally! (The same forecast that made us cancel our plans of a 5 days sea kayak trip and hire the car earlier than planned). We pitched our tent so it was well sheltered from the wind coming off the sound which worked well until the wind changed direction and turned into gale force at about 1am and the rain started. Needless to say we didn't get much sleep so once it was light and we had braced the tent a few times in the really big gusts we decided to get up and get packed away before it broke. The wind had pushed the rain onto our ground sheet so had soaked it and our sleeping mats. A quick dash with the tent to a covered shelter and we could pack it away and get some breakfast while watching the weather.
    We then re-traced our steps back to Nelson, through storm debris and a fallen tree, stopping of on the way at Pelorus Bridge to see the river again. We'd had a small concern about the legality of the tread on the hire car so had a chat with a Policeman (strictly off the record in case they weren't legal!) who explained the NZ law to us. He was a very helpful and friendly person who moved here from Edinburgh 8 years ago, so chatted for a while about life in NZ, particularly the bike trails. The tyres were fine too..... Later the lorry directly in front of us shed a portaloo on a corner, bouncing across the lane and onto the verge on the opposite side of the road. Understand the term 'hitting the fan' now, wouldn't want to deal with the aftermath!
    Spoilt ourselves at a camping park with fantastic kitchen/lounge facilities, amazing powerful HOT showers and drinking water straight from the tap - it'll never catch on!    Read more

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  • Lukas SchalteggerReise 2017
    Day47

    In Nelson

    February 2, 2017 in New Zealand

    Heute nur ein kurzes Update: Ich habe in Marahau noch einen Ruhetag gemacht und bin gestern nach Nelson gefahren. Weil es zufälligerweise geschifft hat bin ich in ein Hostel gegangen. Heute hat es wieder den ganzen Tag geschifft weshalb ich den ganzen Tag im Hostel rumgegammelt bin ;) Ist aber super gemütlich hier und ich habe wieder mal einen Schweizer getroffen. Morgen gehts dann wieder aufs Velo in Richtung Picton.Read more

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  • Wacholder2GoWeltreise 2016 bis 2017
    Day106

    Nelson

    December 16, 2016 in New Zealand

    Unser Ziel heute ist Nelson, nur 1,5 Stunden Fahrt entfernt. Wir lassen uns Zeit, denn wir haben das erste Mal keinen Plan!!! für Zwischenziele bzw. Aktivitäten am Endziel! Uns werden heute noch nicht mal Lookouts oder kurze Walks zu sonstwas am Wegesrand angeboten! So sind wir schnell in Nelson und haben Glück, unser Zimmer ist fertig. Also alles ausladen, einkaufen fahren, Mittag kochen. Und nun? 😀Die Stadt kennen wir schon vom letzten Besuch, da sind wir nicht besonders neugierig.
    Da wir in einem kleinen Vorort in einer Siedlung ähnlich wie zu Hause wohnen, gehen wir einfach spazieren. Der Unterschied ist, die glücklichen Kiwis hier haben das Meer vor der Nase - also wird es ein Strandspaziergang. Es ist Ebbe und der Strand ist riesig. Bei viel Wind können wir die Kiter beobachten. Und danach? PLÄTZCHEN backen!!! Von der Vermieterin haben wir ein Nudelholz geborgt und im Supermarkt gab es für 2 $ Ausstechformen - los gehts! Habt ihr schon mal in kurzer Hose Weihnachtsplätzchen gebacken? Man gewöhnt sich an alles 😀!
    Die Kekse sind lecker und ich bin zufrieden. Dirk kämpft mit der Technik und hat auch seinen Spaß 🙄.    Read more

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  • Travelling WoodysNew Zealand April2018
    Day14

    Franz Joseph to Westport (Omau)

    May 7 in New Zealand

    Sadly the weather set in and we were unable to see the Glacier as it was a 45 minute walk in and the rain was tumbling down! We have another long drive today to Westport so we just head off hoping the rain will ease along the way.

    The day started very wet and cold in Franz Joseph and continued until Greymouth! We stopped for a cuppa in Hakitika (check out the retro tea set!). A very pretty little town.

    The rain was just so heavy and we had a fair bit of winding mountain roads. We arrived in Greymouth and had lunch at Cafe 39! Still drizzling! Had a bit of fun with an older kiwi lady in the cafe - she was the first to mention the ball tampering! After Greymouth the road opened up and we travelled by the ocean. The weather lifted and the change of scenery amazing.

    We stopped at The famous Pancake Rocks. Since Graeme and I were here in 2001 they have made some fantastic paths and board walks all around them. Takes a good half to transverse not counting all the stops to admire the Rocks and the views. They are just like layers of pancakes - hence the name! Absolutely worth stopping at if you pass this way!

    Back in the car - the weather is warm and sunny so we all had an icecream! So funny after the freezing cold!

    The rest of the drive to Westport was very pleasant with ocean beside us. We arrived in Westport at dusk and discovered our motel was 12 kms out in Omau. Pleasant surprise to find it in a remote area near the ocean. Lovely new place and a really old pub a bit down the road where we had a great meal. Big log fire and a gorgeous bull mastiff called Gov!    Read more

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  • Travelling WoodysNew Zealand April2018
    Day15

    Westport to Nelson

    May 8 in New Zealand

    We had a nice continental brekkie at our motel and then headed 5km down the road to the seal colony. Gorgeous morning - damp and overcast but no rain or wind. Lots of baby seals - hard to see as they blend in with the rocks. We stayed quite a while and it was a lovely boardwalk in to see them. We then headed out back through Westport on the way to Nelson. It didn’t take long and we were back not winding roads and mountains! Scenery over here is certainly spectacular but it reduces how far you can go in a day!

    We passed the longest swinging bridge in NZ and Graeme was very keen. So in we went and paid our $10! I got not quite half way over and just panicked totally. Long way down with a fast flowing river. Made Graeme - who was behind me - go all the way back as I was too panicked to pass him! LOL! Graeme went all the way over and back. Greg - who absolutely hates heights - went halfway which was amazing for him! Janice took one look and went and got her money back!

    We stopped at a cafe right on a remote area in the mountains. Called Berlin’s! Very cosy, had a cuppa and shared a toasty with Graeme. Then back on the road. Took quite a while to wend our way out of the mountains and then we were on the flat heading to Nelson.

    It is an amazing place - everywhere is so different and so beautiful. We came through a little town called Wakefield. So quaint and pretty. We had a loo stop and found a gorgeous cafe called Rhubarbe! Graeme and I had one of the nicest veggie soups ever!

    We pulled into Nelson around 5pm. Had a drive through the town. Very nice and quite big. They have a road along the water that feels exactly like you are driving around Mounts Bay Rd! The sun was getting low and it was very pretty with lots of boats moored. Then drove out to a beachside area and found our motel. We unpacked the car and then went and found a supermarket so we could just eat in our rooms. The long driving days are quite tiring!    Read more

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