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Where
to Stay in Nelson
Pictures
of Nelson
Book
for the Interislander Ferries
Where to Stay in Picton
What's on in Picton
By
Richard Moore
 If
you are heading to Nelson then your choices are a main highway or
a windy 35km journey down the Queen Charlotte Drive.
Even
with two kids in the car that had to be the way to go as people
had recommended it and so off we went.
It
isn't a hard drive - although it isn't fast - but the benefits are
getting some terrific water views. The end of the drive is a town
called Havelock, which is built on the junction of the Kaiuma and
Pelorus rivers. It is renowned as the capital of green-shelled mussels
- a delicious New Zealand seafood that you must try.
Nelson
is a lovely city in one of the most sunny climates in New Zealand.
Relaxed but charming it offers beaches, good restaurants and some
lovely gardens to wander through.
The
Queens Gardens, which are located in
the centre of Nelson, have historic and rare trees, large ponds
and an atmosphere of serenity.
And
Isel Park, which has a historic stone
house as its centrepiece, is a six-hectare woodland garden with
several trees that are the largest of their kind in New Zealand.
Some date back to the very early days of European settlement in
New Zealand.
Spring
is the best time to visit Isel Park as mass plantings of bulbs and
perennials are at their best then.
Oh
and an eating tip - try the Hot Rock gourmet pizza and pasta bar
in Tahuananui Drive in Nelson. The pizzas are glorious and the atmosphere
excellent.
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