Welcome to Nelson!
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| Sunrise up Barnicoat Walkway, Nelson |
This is part two of my 2016 summer holiday blog post.
New years at the Balmoral Street Flat, camping on a friends back lawn - it was similar to the University of Otago's orientation week 'Tent City', although on a much smaller scale. After New Years I shifted to the Scotia Street flat having been recommended and put in contact with the tenants there through a physio mate of mine late last year. With my New Years mates all gone, this was my new temporary family... and what an amazing family they were! I was very lucky to be one of their many travelling friends who have stayed at their flat (there flat is a legacy). We would later go on a few tramps and swims around Nelson... I've become a part of their adopted family.
I looked at a flat in Washington Valley over new years. I went down the wrong street thinking I was in the right place, and pulled my car up at the house number I thought was my destination to be greeted by an unfriendly voice hiding in the darkness of their garage. Needless to say I couldn't work out where the voice was coming from. They stated that I had better move my car before their mate arrived or else he would smash my car in. Great neighbourhood, right? [sarcasm]. So I promptly drove back to the street, rang the contact for this room for rent and discovered they were a block over. Thank goodness! I viewed the house, it was alright - there were a few alarm bells ringing there too [metaphorical]. On returning to the main road I witnessed a learner driver going slowly around the round-a-bout and a rough looking car behind them tooting, with a rough looking lady pulling the fingers out the window and cursing at this car. When this car reached their exit, they revved giving their car guts [planting their foot on the accelerator]. I was less than impressed with the area - I've decided it's the ghetto of Nelson (although I'm sure there are more welcoming people around the area).
Poverty is prevalent in New Zealand. It didn't take long for me to find the low socioeconomic areas of Nelson (obviously, they have the cheapest rent... alluring for students living on a budget). But more disheartening was to find people sleeping under bushes in the public gardens in Nelson, and by day sitting outside shops in the main street hoping for charity from passers by.
Poverty is prevalent in New Zealand. It didn't take long for me to find the low socioeconomic areas of Nelson (obviously, they have the cheapest rent... alluring for students living on a budget). But more disheartening was to find people sleeping under bushes in the public gardens in Nelson, and by day sitting outside shops in the main street hoping for charity from passers by.
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| Tahunanui Beach - super warm and shallow to swim in! |
10th Jan: I've found and moved into a house in Stoke, Nelson. I'm feeling stoked! [Pun]. One useful tip for getting a flat is to arrange the first viewing of the day, that way the nice owner feels obliged to give the room to you. Hah! I'm flatting with the owner and her brother, and a Canadian couple who are on a working holiday. The neighbourhood has a good vibe too. Hooray! The first day, before I had even moved my stuff in, we were off to the pub for an afternoon of introductions. Subsequent days at the flat were filled with home-baking / cooking and Monopoly - I think it's going to be a good year!!
... Oh and if you thought that was high (I sure did) then downstream is a spot called suicide rock. This rock is probably greater than 20m above the stream.. My Canadian flatmate (Nick) jumped off it twice just to have two different angles recorded on his GoPro (he had concussion like symptoms upon getting out after the second jump) - I didn't dare jump off. Here he goes (image below)...
My flatmates and I went to an an epic swimming location in the Lee Valley Stream...
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| Substantial drop, 5 - 6m (or more) |
... Oh and if you thought that was high (I sure did) then downstream is a spot called suicide rock. This rock is probably greater than 20m above the stream.. My Canadian flatmate (Nick) jumped off it twice just to have two different angles recorded on his GoPro (he had concussion like symptoms upon getting out after the second jump) - I didn't dare jump off. Here he goes (image below)...
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| Aaron, another flatmate, took us 4x4ing along a river out at Appleby at 11pm one evening (we waited for Valerie, Nicolas's partner, to finish work). |
Getting to know the Nelson area wasn't too hard. I was fortunate to begin New Years with mates who had their GPS on hand. Lucky for me, I had my own GPS once they left. I've since tried weaning myself of the GPS - trying to get to and from places without its use. Nelson has many round-a-bouts, which initially I found very confusing (I still take the wrong exit now and then!). I also took my bike out on multiple days to explore Nelson's awesome cycle network - Dunedin should take a lesson from Nelson's cycleways.
Walking around Nelson is another good way to get to know the area, and pick up on details like signs/shops/views that you would otherwise miss if you were biking or driving. I walked from Stoke to Nelson to pick up a capo and a couple of picks for the guitar and timed myself - 45min to the hospital and another 20 to the Nelson main shopping area. Good to know. On my walk in, via Nelson South, I passed a Maori lady and gentleman with three children whom I'm guessing were around 5 years old. They were picking up a box of smashed glass & pottery kitchenware from the footpath (near a round-a-bout... see, I told you there were lots of round-a-bouts in Nelson...). I stopped to ask if they needed any help cleaning up. The lady said somebody had gone to retrieve a brush, and continued to say that the mess wasn't theirs - they had only stopped to clean it up. She said "It's our community, we've got to look after it". I walked away feeling a sense of pride for their community.
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| Sir Stanley Whitehead walk track overlooking Nelson at sunset |
- There's a street which is a large pedestrian crossing... in fact, there are lots of raised platforms around which serve as pedestrian crossings (local by-law - elsewhere in NZ pedestrians must give way to traffic before using these). Whilst on the topic of law, there are lots of police enforcing driving speeds.
- There are three surrounding national parks: Nelson Lakes National Park, Able Tasman National Park, Kahurangi National Park... oh and I suppose Malbrough Sounds National Park and Richmond Forest Park should be counted too... so five surrounding national parks for tramping and outdoor recreation.
- Lots of warm weather, sunshine, ants, bear feet.
- It is rumoured that the further toward Golden Bay / Takaka, the more hippies there were to be found... and yes, this means a lot of Marijuana around that neck of the woods.
- There are not many Chinese Takeaway shops in the Nelson area when compared to Dunedin.
Useful websites listing things to do in Nelson:
The local lingo:
- Motuaka is called Mot
- Kaiteriteri is called Kaiteri
- Tahunanui is called Tahuna
- Barnicoat Walkway
- Grampian Hills
- Centre of New Zealand
- Sir Stanley Whitehead walk track
- Maitai Valley caves
- Airport perimeter walktrack
- Maitai valley stream & Lee valley stream
- Tahuna beach & Rabbit Island beach.
- Kite festival
- Busking festival
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| Buskers Festival |
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| Buskers Festival |
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| Centre of New Zealand at sunset (9minute exposure) |
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| Cathedral / Church in Nelson |
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| The rear entrance to the cathedral / church in Nelson |
I was fortunate to be given a head start on making new friend networks. These guys have been absolutely awesome - taking me on a few day trips and hanging out in general.
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| Photos before entering the Maitai Caves |
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| The Maitai Cave is a short drive from Nelson down the Maitai Valley |
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| Sylvester Hut, Cobb Valley. |
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| Lake Sylvester |
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| Wrapped up warm after swim in Lake Sylvester!! |
"Summer Movies El Fresco" Outdoor movies, under the stars, in summer!
For $2 you can attend an outdoor movie. I went along to Guys and Dolls (1955).
New Zealanders will be quite familiar with Grab-a-seat, an app for cheap flights around NZ. I've just discovered https://www.transfercar.co.nz/ which could be just as exciting - so much so, that I'm making it a goal to use their service for a road trip before 2016 is through. Check it out!
Forms,
forms, physio forms. There are a few forms to be read, signed and dated
- police vetting in compliance with the Vulnerable Children's Act,
personal information for the DHBs (name, DOB, address, contact info,
next of kin etc), information technology, codes of conduct,
confidentiality etc... The easiest way to manage these forms is to fill them in and sign them electronically, then email them back to the sender.
More Physio Blogs I've stumbled across.
- PhysioJackThinksBlog
- BecomingMoreHumanBlog
I've had a good introductory taste of Nelson. My first impressions of Nelson are very positive. I could see myself living and working here after this year of placement... we'll just have to wait and see.
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