Jan 13-16 Road Trip to Nelson

The big free weekend finally arrived.  Once Mommy was finished with classes on Thurs. morning, she was free until Sunday evening at dinner time.  We took the opportunity to do a road trip up to Nelson, which is a favorite summer destination of Kiwis.  It is situated right at the top of the South Island, and is know for its beautiful beaches, perpetual sunshine and close proximity to Abel Tasman Park.  We drove north along the coast road, and stopped for a late lunch in Kaikora, a quaint little coastal town
 Known for whale watching opportunities.  From there, the road headed back inland towards Blenheim and the Marlborough region.  Marlborough is New Zealand's wine country, and is full of stunning vistas of vineyards as far as the eye can see.  Back into the mountains we began our descent into Nelson, which is about 2 hours worth of ever increasingly sharp switch backs.  Pop-pop was salivating at the thought of how it would be to ride his motorcycle here.  Incredible scenery, smooth roads and twisty turns all add up to a bikers paradise in his mind.  We arrived in Nelson rather late, so all of the shops and restaurants were closed.  We ended up picking up pizza and taking it back to our hotel to eat.  The following morning, we donned bathing suits and enjoyed a lazy day on Tahunanui Beach.  We went out to dinner at a cute little Thai restaurant and made reservations for the Water Taxi to take us to Abel Tasman the next day.  To be continued......









































Jan 11 & 12

 On the 11th Mommy took the class to another farm that she had never visited the farm.  This farm is owned by Alistair and Jeanette Maxwell.  It's a low country farm, located right at the base of the popular ski area Mt. Hutt.  We drove up the Mt. Hutt access road until we started to get into the clouds.  This afforded us an excellent view of the Maxwell farm.  They grow beef and sheep and enjoy lots of rain because of the mountains that they are nestled against.  On the way home from the Maxwells, we went by way of the Rakaia river gorge.  Pictures from the Gorge and a scenic lookout are attached to this post. 


 The 12th was a day of preparation for the long weekend.  While Mommy was in class during the morning, Daddy was busy doing laundry and making last minute preparations. Oh yeah, you wouldn't believe it - but we went to the grocery store again!.......