Nelson Area & Abel Tasman Park... and lots of sheepWelcome to the South Island of New Zealand! After spending a total of ten days in the North Island, on November 1, 2014 we arrived in the South Island via interisland ferry. The ride took about 3 hours. South Island greeted us with lots of sunshine and much warmer temperature than what we have experienced so far in NZ. The top region of the South Island (Nelson and Marlbourough) are known for sunshine and wineries. We stayed few miles south of Nelson in a small town of Wakefield which was extremely picturesque. Green rolling hills and mountains surrounded the Airbnb house in which we rented a cozy room. There were sheep everywhere and we loved listening to them in the evening. In the morning, chirping birds woke us up. This place was so lovely that we extended our two day stay to three days. On our first night we went for a walk in the evening and came across a lady chasing after her misbehaving tiny dog. We ended up chatting with her for about half hour. She was telling us about the town's sheep, cat and dog population as well as her life in Wakefield and family around the world. Once she found out we were from New York she asked lots of questions. Funny how people think that NYC is just like in Sex in the City or Friends or that there's crime on every corner. I love bursting those unrealistic bubbles. Anyhow, the north region of New Zealand's South Island is known for beautiful hiking trails which we set out to explore the day after our arrival. We drove to Abel Tasman National Park and did a 4.5 hour hike along the coast. The views of the blue Tasman Sea water peeking through lush greenery were very beautiful. We often stopped to examine various trees and plants. During the entire hike we passed very few people which is one of the beauties of New Zealand. On the following day we relaxed around the house making plans for the next part of our trip. We also went for a scenic drive in the area and even stopped by the road to take some photos of sheep and cows. While we were doing that some local guy passing by in a pickup truck stopped and looked a bit concerned. The conversation went something like this: Local Guy: "Are you all right?" Vlad: "Oh yeah, we're fine, just taking pictures of the cows" Local Guy in a very surprised and somewhat suspicious voice: "For what?" Vlad: "Hmm, for fun. It's something we don't see everyday where we're from" Local Guy just shook his head and drove off. He probably thought we were some silly city folk. And he was right. And that sums up our stay in the Nelson region. Next stop - colder climates of Franz Joseph Glacier.
Next stop, Franz Josef Glacier.
Comments
Gabu(non-registered)
Oh man, those kiwi lambs have stolen my heart. I'd stop to take pics of those lambs ANYTIME ANYWHERE. The cows are cute too - that local was just hating!
ewa(non-registered)
haha love the story about the cows :)
i can just smell the fresh air there! the views are priceless!
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