It really feels like we are on holiday now; we have not been dashing from place to place to see something different, just taking it easy and relaxing. Today was another warm sunny day (23 degrees, no wind), and we walked around the property for the first time. There is a small jetty overlooking the inlet, and with the tide being out we noticed several tiny sand crabs scuttling about below us. Following this leisurely start, we drove to Nelson. We thought Nelson seemed a nice place, although we didn't have time to see much of it. Walking past Nelson College for Girls, we noticed a huge old eucalyptus tree, planted in the 1850's, which has a circumference of 18 m around the base, part of which had totally enveloped a wooden fence post. We saw the Cathedral, built in 1967, which had an interesting design for the organ, which was sat on four wooden pillars. Otherwise it was nothing remarkable and you could se some minor evidence of earthquake damage in a few places. Near the Cathedral is Jena Hansen, the jeweller who made the rings for the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Several such rings are on display, including the movie ring. All the items are unique, being hand crafted in the workshop behind the sales desk. Judi was taken by a pair of earrings, but they didn't suit when she tried them on.
We had to leave Nelson and head off to Wakefield to visit one of Judi's Flickr friends. They were a little tricky to find, being some way off the main road. They have a very large property with amazing views, and have worked wonders in transforming bare land into woods, gardens and pasture. They have two marvellous, gentle dogs and we spent the afternoon wandering the property, chatting and enjoying their generous hospitality. We decided to eat out at Mary's, and Andy got to sample yet another of the New Zealand fish species. So far he has had John Dory, hapuku (or groper), tarakihi, snapper, and cardinal. There was a spectacular sunset as we left the restaurant and headed back for our last night in Bronte.