Tuesday 17th: Nelson

We left Motueka fairly early this morning and planned to stay the next night at Richmond which is very close to Nelson but we had our doubts about a suitable camp site so reserved judgement until we arrived there.

Motueka is another place we are sad to leave, not to mention the beach at Little Kaiteriteri which has had numerous mentions.

Sorry to make all of our friends in the UK envious but it is another glorious day with clear blue skies and a high of 22C forecast.

It is a short journey today and if we take the direct route it should only take 40/45 minutes.  However, Ray decided that the scenic route was the right way to go and to visit Ruby Bay, Mapua, Rabbit Island and Best Island on route to Richmond. 

Ruby Bay and Mapua were lovely and the views across to the Abel Tasman National Park were awesome, as the locals say.  Mapua is the location for a small ferry which links the mainland with Rabbit Island and which is only for cyclists and pedestrians. It is part of the Great Taste Trail which stretches for over 200Km and covers coastal and rural areas. 

We drove on a few more miles and crossed the bridge to Rabbit Island which was definitely awesome and reminded us of the south of France or perhaps the west coast of France. Lots of pine trees and probably the biggest sand beach we have ever seen which seems to stretch for several miles in both directions. 

After Rabbit Island, Best Island was a disappointment and definitely did not live up to its name. It was pleasant enough but did not compare to Rabbit Island. 

On we went to Richmond and the LLW was not impressed by either of the camp sites so we had a coffee and a cake and then drove on to Nelson where we know there is a good site. No sooner had we checked in but the LLW decided that Ray should cycle to the shops to procure food for this evening's BBQ. I think she has gone all green and wants to minimise our use of diesel! The errand was completed and then Ray settled down to the joys of finalising Ciallco's Q4 VAT return. That is now completed and we can settle down to the BBQ which features pork chops!