Okiwi Bay & Nelson

Sunday, 11th November I'm going to try and be a bit wiser about when to post these blogs - as I mentioned before we often have no internet or vodafone reception in the South Island so as soon as we leave a main town it is lost. From here in Nelson we will head up to Golden Bay/ Cape Farewell so I suspect that after Tuesday we will be out of range again for a few days. Last time I just did the blog in word but after transferring it I found all the paragraphs had disappeared and I couldn't edit it so it makes for solid reading! I've decided it's less hassle to do it directly on line.

Pelorus Bridge DOC Camp

Coffee at Okiwi

From Pelorus Bridge, our idyllic camp ground, we drove to just outside Nelson, going through the Rai Valley and then detouring along a very windy, hilly road for about an hour to visit Okiwi Bay, a lovely, little beach settlement which would be great for those who have their own boats and don't mind a bit of isolation.
We walked The Goat Hill track for a wonderful view of the settlement and wandered along the beach before continuing back through the hills to the North Nelson Country Club just out of Nelson where the parking was free and we were enthusiastically welcomed by Chris, a fairly permanent bus resident there. We weren't sure if we wanted to stay as there was still no cellphone coverage but she directed us to a farmers gateway, just along the road, where we could get full reception. We enjoyed a drink and a cheap, but tasty, club dinner and met the President, who also lives in a bus out the back. He is the front man for the Sealord TV ad - he has a very long beard and I would have liked to take a photo but thought about it too late so here's one of Len which I have to say is no match at all!

The next day, Saturday we moved on to Nelson where we got a little anxious when the GPS tried to take us the shortest way to the mechanic recommended by Chris for fixing the little bit of rust we have under the bus. We ended up in the hills on a very narrow street and it was a little nervewracking but Len, as always, kept his cool, just, and negotiated his way out. The mechanic is busy, but hopes to fit it in next week so we will probably come back this way. We arrived at the Tahuna Beach Holiday Park which is on the west side of Nelson about midday - it is a huge camp of 50 acres and woud be great for families with all the activities between here and the beach. There is lots of public parking along the beach and paths through the trees with water parks, bumper boats, water slide, go karts, skating rink, beach volleyball court, another huge slide, a pond for model boats and a little railway track - all set amongst the trees and right next to the wide safe beach. It was a nice sunny day and time to do another big wash so that was the first job once settling in. So great to get it out on a clothes line especially when rain is forecast for the next few days. Later we rode the 6 km cycle track to Richmond and back - an easy coastal track. We really enjoy being on the bikes. It's now Sunday and we both had great showers this morning. Unfortunately, after I had finished mine I realised, with some horror, that I had left my towel behind! I was half expecting Len to run in with it as he's used to looking after me, but, alas, he didn't! Now contemplate that scenario. All I can say is that I now have a very wet Pyjama top which is surprising as it was better for sliding the water off than for absorbing it. Now we are about to leave the campsite and will pop up to Upper Moutere, in Motueka, to visit my nephew, Mark, and his family.