Exploring the Nelson area

We made the drive through the mountains and arrived in Richmond (near Nelson) by mid afternoon.

The next morning dawned clear and cool so we headed up to Abel Tasman national park to do some hiking. Our efforts were rewarded with this view of Tasman bay.

Along the track we spotted this Quail hen sitting  on her nest. She didn't seem to mind us watching her but the male near by didn't like us there.

The next day we drove to Nelson and spent the day looking at the Cathedral Museums and the queens garden shown here. We loved the lush green gardens that come from all the rain.

We spent some time at the Heritage museum where they have taken some of the historical buildings from Nelson and relocated them to a village setting. It felt like walking in Nelson around 1900.

We finished the day at the Broadgreen house near Richmond. The house was furnished with turn of the century furniture and we learned of it's history. The owner was one of the first settlers in the Nelson area in that time period. The rose gardens  surrounding the house were delightful. The following day we headed for Christchurch and the final stop of our trip.