Saturday, May 01, 2010

Driving from Picton to Nelson

A trouble free transfer from ferry to hire car and I was soon on Queen Charlotte Drive heading for Havelock. This scenic route westwards is on one very good road (made hiring a satnav seem superfluous) with frequent lookout points. I can’t do justice with words to the landscape, its autumnal colours amongst the pine forests and the bird song that accompanied my photo-stops …  

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Havelock, the green mussel capital, was a good place to rest between the curvy mountain roads. I read how to eat mussels the proper way (!) while enjoying a very good chowder at The Mussel Inn. On leaving the waitress wished me luck driving over those slippy ranges but the sun came out as I left behind herds of dairy cattle and drove the hairpins through more pine forests. I soon rounded the last bend, saw Nelson tucked into its beautiful bay and found the next B&B. This one’s very different to the one in Wellington –lots of space, my own patio by a lovely garden with the gentle sound of water slipping into a pond and the sea just above the tree tops. I’m enjoying the last of the afternoon sun before finding somewhere to have supper. Its so good to have a car …

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