Nelson has become one of our favorite cities in New Zealand. Walking through the streets of this little town during the past (almost) 2 weeks, we’ve really come to love what’s around us.
We spent quite a few days just wandering through the shops in the city center, browsing the exhibits in the regional museum, visiting the Queen’s Garden, and checking out different cafes & coffee shops (our favorites included the curried lamb naan wrap at Mango Cafe and our Beet, Carrot, Celery juice from Sweet As Bakery & Cafe).
We happened to stand on the doorstep of the One Ring’s true home, Jens Hansen Gold & Silversmith, who are the original designers and creators of the One Ring as featured in the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy.
Christ Church Cathedral is Nelson’s biggest architectural landmark.
Our hosts in Nelson live in the bush on top of a big hill just a ten minutes drive from the city. We stayed in our own little ensuite cabin with an incredible view!
Their sweet dogs, Joe & Nell, kept us company while we worked on the land.
Raking away gorse and moving branches wouldn’t be on the top of our list of fun things to do, but we were glad to help out with what needed to be done. Gorse is the archenemy of landowners in New Zealand. Brought over to the country by the British who wanted cheap fencing and a plant that reminded them of home, this prickly bush spreads like crazy–burning it will actually encourage the seeds to spread! So we cut it, raked it, and moved piles of it to the corner of the paddock. The scratches on our legs are still here to remind us of all our hard work. (And all the pock marks on Drew’s bum from falling in it! The steep hill on which we worked didn’t exactly lend itself to sure footing!)
We also helped Rosemary set up a new blog and designed some posters to spread the message of her condition, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity.
During the week, we were also invited to come over and spend time with an amazing family we met at Freedom Church on Easter–Josh & Cilla and their 4 kids. Such an awesome couple! We wish we had been able to spend more time with them.
As I write this post, a rice milk latte and a pumpkin feta basil pesto scone sit by my computer at Zumo Coffee Shop. Perfect brain food for reflecting. Leaving is always bittersweet as we look back on where we’ve been and look forward to what comes next, but we wouldn’t change a thing!
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