Te Araroa Trail – Zero day in Nelson
I enjoyed a pretty cruisy day today and spent a zero day in Nelson. I went out for an early coffee and had a leisurely breakfast in the hostel garden. I spent the morning researching alternative trails in the upper South island. Whilst idly Googling I noticed there was a little music festival going on in Nelson this coming Saturday ‘Out of the Blue’ … so booked tickets with Susie and Bruno. I’m a huge fan of the Kiwi summer music festival and haven’t managed to get to any this year, being otherwise engaged on Te Araroa trail, so it’s a must-do!
What’s the next move?
Later, I spent some time at the ISite information centre looking again at the Heaphy and Abel Tasman trails. I’m still undecided about what to do next, but still happy to wait out the expected bad weather in Nelson.
Whilst at the ISite, Anja and Markus arrived from Havelock, they too are waiting out the weather. We went our separate ways, then reconvened later for a coffee in the River Kitchen cafe, who happened to be hosting a jazz festival gig at 5pm. We hung around to hear the band, the Alexander Bolton Quintet, and enjoyed a glass of wine.
After TA
I really like Nelson – it’s a strong contender for the location I’ll live in, after Te Araroa trail. I’d been thinking about settling in this area before I left, and now I’ve spent a little more time here again, it’s growing on me even more.