Another good start to the day!! We loitered in the AirBnB until it was time to leave for our five-hour journey to our next stop. We loitered on the drive, stopping a couple of times, once to eat lunch, and once to take in a view from an overlook. An animated conversation ensued between Dave and two guys from Cape Cod, MA about whether a compass still pointed to magnetic north if you were in the southern hemisphere or if it would point to a magnetic south? A comparison of the overlook’s sundial, which indicated north, against Dave’s compass showed that, indeed, the compass still pointed north even if you were in the southern hemisphere. That question answered, all four of us parted and we headed off in opposite directions.
A stop in the town of Richmond, NZ was where we had an “immaculate capitulation”. Kathy had been talking about Shamrock Shakes from McDonald’s with Dave and she was able to convince him that stopping there was a good option. Yep!! It was a great option. Kathy was ebullient that the milkshake was a real shake, not just milk that was flavored and shaken. She could see the ice cream floating on the top. Dave, unfortunately, did not get his Shamrock Shake, but sometimes it is not about him!! For once he did not get a (sham)rock instead is “berry” happy!
Finally, we found our AirBnB, a lovely apartment that sits on the top of the hill overlooking the town of Nelson. Newly built, you could see all the modern touches. The owners’ house? Well, let’s just say it could be on an episode of “Hoarders.” We are under the impression they are in the process of getting ready to tear down there home and build a new on, so that could be why they have so much stuff on their lawn. Dropping off our items, we hopped back into the car and drove to Abel Tasman National Park. There we walked along a boardwalk that curved around a large estuary and the bay (which was at very low tide – we even saw boats just sitting on mud waiting for high tide to float again.) Kathy was then again rewarded when she saw one of New Zealand’s four flightless bird – the Weka – and her three babies rooting around in the nearby bushes.
A nice dinner of pizza. Okay, not your normal pizza, but good, nonetheless. The drive home was meandering and beautiful and we had ample opportunity to watch the sun set over the Tasman Sea. Now it’s time to settle in and just relax!! (Pat C, the word “ebullient” used above is just for you!!!)
Food pictures, finally!
sorry. I will work on that!!