Tag: Nelson NZ

THE RETIREES VISIT THE SOUTH ISLAND ACROSS THE DITCH blog 495 Episode 7

19TH MAY TO 10TH JUNE 2026

Day 17 Nelson

Our accommodation was just on the outer edge of the centre of town. We had not made any forward plan about the next day beyond looking around the CBD and we would take it as we found it. We awoke and decided that we would eat breakfast at a café. The CBD was close but not that close so we bundled into the car and parked where we could and started the exploration of Nelson but the shops were in most cases closed for the weekend. We were on the hunt for a cafe and noted the town centre was interconnected with arcades. The town’s designers must have had the notion that arcades were the retail design of the future. Travelling through just one arcade we came to what would have to be one of the smallest of coffee shops – takeaway only. That would not suit so across the road and down the end of another arcade we found our breakfast destination. Finishing breakfast, I noticed a neighbouring building – a two-story barber’s shop with a delivery hoist on the first floor. I thought that was unique but in a heritage sense maintaining a disused warehouse.

Photos             tiny coffee shop, and barber’s shop.

We motored around Nelson then drove along Queen Elizabeth II Dve, toward Picton, and then back to Wakefield Quay and Rocks Rd. At some point we turned around to head back to the motel and in doing so we noticed the Boat Shed in Wakefield Quay. I don’t know how we missed it earlier particularly with a container ship tied up nearby. We pulled off the road to visit the café and faced a public warning notice on the handrail announcing that there had been a sewerage spill and that contact with the water was not advised. Well, we had no intention of swimming, but we would check where the café drew its water. On entering the café, we became aware this was a restaurant. They were happy to serve coffee so long as we finished by 5.30pm. Also, they assured us their water didn’t come from the harbour – what a relief. A picturesque site but the menu was a bit rich for us, so we moved on to obtain our dinner elsewhere.

Boat Shed Cafe inside the Shed and view to the strait container ship, and public notice, .

Day 18               Nelson to Kaikoura   

We left Nelson and travelled into the Marlborough district and vineyards. There were a few things we wanted to do on the way to Kaikoura one being to visit the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre at Blenheim. Located in a hangar in Omaka aerodrome on the outskirts of Blenheim, Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre houses an astonishing collection of World War I and World War II fighter planes, along with artefacts and possessions from the battlefields of Europe. Inside, the story of the people who fought on both sides of the lines are brought to life through a series of stunning displays and dioramas. Covering everything from legendary heroes, like Eddie Rickenbacker and Manfred von Richthofen, to local New Zealanders who travelled back to Europe to defend the crown, the museum’s two exhibitions are fascinating and sobering.

Lord of the Rings director, Peter Jackson, brings his personal collection of war memorabilia to life in the stunning Knights of the Sky exhibition. The exhibition features several re-enactments of real-life WWI battles, with each scene being brought back to life with unerring realism through dioramas produced by Wingnut films, accompanied by unbelievably believable mannequins from award-winning special effects company Weta Workshops. There is a picture of Captain Clive Franklyn Collett MC (28 August 1886 – 23 December 1917) in the museum. He was a World War I flying ace from New Zealand credited with 11 aerial victories. He was the first British or Commonwealth military pilot to use a parachute, in a test. While serving as a test pilot, he crashed to his death in a captured German fighter. There is a diorama of the Australian soldiers having shot down the Red Baron’s Fokker Triplane stealing his boots and later the original fabric fuselage cross cut from the side of the Red Baron’s Fokker Triplane displayed in the museum.

The Museum, the DC3, the café, the planes, diorama of German plane in flight, life size German plane, more planes, de Havilland DH2 “Scout”, British plane and USA ambulance, Fokker E III Ein decker, French Breguet 14 A2, bomber, Curtiss MF Flying Boat, British fighter plane RAF R.E.8, planes, British Vickers Vimy, 2 x diorama “Over the trenches” RAF S.E.5a, diorama “Crashed in a tree”, German Siemens – Schuckert D.IV, French biplane Nieuport model 27 and Nieuport 24, diorama “Australians down the Red Baron”, Pfalz D III, British De Havilland DH4, Halberstadt D.IV, early machine gun carrier, Captain Clive Franklyn Collett MC (28 August 1886 – 23 December 1917) tries his parachute, original fabric fuselage cross, cut from the side of the Red Baron’s Fokker Triplane.

You can tell how impressive this museum is by the photos I have taken. History presented vividly. I have not included Pfalz D III, British De Havilland DH4, Halberstadt D.IV, early machine gun carrier, Captain Clive Franklyn Collett MC (28 August 1886 – 23 December 1917) tries his parachute. I don’t know why but those pictures when posted are viewed in landscape.

We then called in at Villa Maria Vineyard Cellar door where we did a wine tasting and picked up two bottles of Sauvignon Blanc for our card games, followed by Tekahu O Waipuna Library and Art Gallery.

After lunch in the café, we journeyed onto Kaikoura and our apartment at Waves Kaikoura Waterfront Apartment. Easier said than done. Finding how to access our apartment was not so easy. To gain access saw Kerry running around trying to interpret the means of gaining access. After an hour of stuffing around we finally had the formula to access the keys and codes to get in up 2 flights of stairs.

The apartment was quite acceptable for us to share. So we had a few hands of cards then off to bed so that we were up bright and early for the THE RETIREES VISIT THE SOUTH ISLAND ACROSS THE DITCH blog 495 Episode 8.

THE RETIREES VISIT THE SOUTH ISLAND ACROSS THE DITCH blog 495 Episode 6

19TH MAY TO 10TH JUNE 2026

Day 14               Christchurch to Greymouth

We were booked in to stay at a quaintly named Apostles View Motel in Coal Creek Greymouth but to get there we had to travel through Arthur’s Pass. Unfortunately, it rained all day, so the journey was not as picturesque as we anticipated. The mountain pass was grand in scale and Roaring Meg lived up to her name. More about Meg later.

Photos of the scenery through the Pass

Our first stop was at Moana on Lake Brunner and the Lake Brunner Hotel. Hotel Lake Brunner acts as a central hub for the Moana village. There was a jolly young fellow sitting drinking under cover in the beer garden who greeted us to the hotel. He is a local and driven under shelter by the rain (and the love of a cold beer I would bet). Inside was old fashion English country home style with taxidermy stag heads on the wall and wood panelling. As I recall we shared pizza and took a doggy bag home: good pizza.

Photos of the hotel and it’s dining rooms.

We continued into Greymouth, but Coal Creek was not there but nearby. However the entrance was no longer the entrance and the bridge across the creek was unsafe. We found a notice on the former reception directing us to the new reception approx. 200m back the way we had come (no sign on the entry to tell us that the reception had moved). Having solved the puzzle of how to register we drove back to the former reception to find our accommodation. Two conjoined flats. Comfortable and commodious with disabled bathrooms – go figure.

Photos – Apostles View Motel

The weather was not flash, and the forecast didn’t promise any change. After dinner we settled into playing cards with a glass of wine then to bed. We also discussed a change of plans as there seemed no point going to Franz Joesph glacier or Mt Cook in this weather.

Day 15               Drive to Hokitika

Hokitika jumped out as the place to go. It is a town in the West Coast region, 40 kilometres south of Greymouth, and close to the mouth of the Hokitika River. On a clear day Aoraki / Mount Cook can clearly be seen from Hokitika’s main street. It also claims to be the National Kiwi Centre, and that was appealing to see wild kiwis. So, we boarded our wagon and proceeded to Hokitika. The National Kiwi Centre took a bit of finding and it was not particularly appealing from the outside. As the proclaimed national centre, I was expecting something more auspicious but instead it was rambling and untidy and even dirty. It appeared to be running on an oily rag. AND there was 1 lonely kiwi exhibited in a glass cage and it was impossible to take a photos due to reflection. All of the other exhibits and there were plenty of them were interesting, but we came to see the national fauna emblem of NZ. I think it needs a sustainable source of funding to improve.

Photos of Inside the national Kiwi Centre, Dead eel and live eels, Axolotl from Mexico, and freshwater lobbies (crayfish) – no Kiwi

Now it was past 10.00 o’clock and no café at this place so off we went walking in hunt of the coffee bean. Found it in the Regent theatre. Coffee shop theatre and museum all in one. Our thirst sated, we stepped into sunshine: not the damp and overcast weather forecast. Our eyes turned to Mt Cook; it was still concealed in cloud cover. A view up Tancred St and a memorial to the Pioneers of Westland District; the place looked fairly quiet. Furthe along the street, a glass maker was busy at work before the furnace and whilst their work was good and the articles produced had some novelty, we both decided we had enough trinkets and not enough space in our luggage. Back to the car and leaving town, we came to a rail crossing. Normally there is no action on the line but not now today the Great Journeys of New Zealand train was crossing. As you will see in the photos the rain had returned.

Regents Theatre and Tancred St, Great Train Journeys

Day 16               Greymouth to Nelson

Rising early on day 16 we planned our trip to Nelson in the northern end of the Southern Island. It was a 4-hour drive to Nelson, and we decided to break the journey with visits to the Pancake Blowholes and the Buller Gorge swing bridge. We were about to drive what is said to be the most beautiful scenery of the West Coast of South Island. Ocean views beaches and towering mountains.

Scenery Greymouth to Pancake Blowholes

Rising from the sea at Dolomite Point, the Pancake Rocks are part of a heavily eroded limestone area where the sea bursts through underwater channels and escapes via vertical blowholes. The easy Pancake Rocks Track is a 20-minute loop but double (or triple) that to leave enough time to view the blowhole action. It’s most impressive at high tide. You can check the tide times at the Department of Conservation visitor centre opposite the entrance. Well worth a visit for coffee and cake. The Pancake Rocks and Blowholes are immediately adjacent to the village of Punakaiki, in an area that is protected and forms part of the Paparoa National Park. The limestone of the Pancake Rocks has been uplifted by geologic forces and then eroded into the current landforms by a combination of two processes – karst erosion (a slow process where chemical erosion of the limestone occurs through the action of water flowing in joints and caverns), and coastal erosion (including the collapse of caverns).

The scenery, the walk, the tracks and feathered friends

Yes, we did stop for coffee and enjoyable it was. Moving on from the Pancakes we headed inland to Buller Gorge. It is located in the northwest of the South Island. The Buller River flows through the deep canyon between Murchison and Westport. Land Information New Zealand lists two sections for the gorge, Upper Buller Gorge and Lower Buller Gorge. State Highway 6 runs alongside, but considerably above, the river through the gorge. The Stillwater – Westport Line railway also runs through the gorge. On many occassions we encountered single lane birdges and mountain roads – on a few occassions they came with traffic lights.

The road trip – turning off the coast and along the river and gorge

 We were headed for Buller Gorge Swingbridge Adventure and Heritage Park – the Swingbridge is New Zealand’s longest Swingbridge at 110 metres (360 ft) in length spanning the Buller River 14 kilometres west of Murchison. The park also offers rides on a zip-line across the gorge as well as several short bush walks. We turned into the carpark finding it empty bar 1 car. The entrance displayed a water pump of a past era. The sole person in the reception took our money and reminded us that it is the beginning of winter hence not a soul in sight. The reception and in fact the whole park was damp and it wasn’t until we were crossing the bridge that we saw the sun. Crossing the swingbridge was a little hair raising but having got to the other side the ground was very damp and slippery. We decided to take the loop walk (see map below) turning right at the bottom of the foot of the bridge (no we were not going zip lining today) and making our way to the stone stacks where we found the “White Creek Fault Line”.

The information sign at this point told us that the White Creek Fault is an active geological fault located in the Upper Buller Gorge near Murchison in the South Island of New Zealand. It is famous for the 4.5-meter (15-foot) high vertical fault scarp—a towering rock face—created when a section of the fault ruptured during the massive 7.3 magnitude 1929 Murchison earthquake. We all felt a bit shaky, but it was probably the uneven and wet track not an earthquake. On a warm summer day, we could have stopped at the gold panning site, but this was not summer, but we did note the flood marker showing the height of the river in 2010 and 2012 was more than 2m over our heads. The slip along the fault line could still be seen with a sudden drop in the ground level. We continued the Loop and came upon a relic of a past time – the rusting 2nd world war relic with its sign “picnic area” – the back of the truck was the only dry spot on the Loop this day. There was not much to see at the Miners cottage so we returned to the swing bridge with luch waiting on the other side of the river. The return across the bridge was uneventful and a warm change with pleasant sunshine. Time for lunch so we served up the sandwiches and coffee then hit the road.

Having finished our picnic it was Nelson here we come. As we approached Nelson around about afternoon teatime, we pulled into a roadside café for coffee. They we just closing but were kind enough to serve us then load us up with the unused products from their display cabinet. We had arrived on the outskirts of Nelson. Our accommodation was at a motel called “Admirals Nelson” in Waimea Rd., a few blocks from the CBD. Our apartments were on the ground floor and quite large. We organised some dinner and then settled into a game of cards before bed.

Leaving the swingbridge another narrow bridge queue and arriving in Nelson

We located our motel and were quite pleased with its location and amenities. It had been a long day and some dinner was needed. We found a takeaway nearby and returned to the motel for our feast and a game of cards. So up bright and early for the THE RETIREES VISIT THE SOUTH ISLAND ACROSS THE DITCH blog 495 Episode 7 as I am off to get a coffee. Cheers!