From Blenheim to Nelson

Today we drove from Blenheim to Nelson.  We stopped for lunch in a town called Picton.  It was a beautiful harbor town.  However, what town in New Zealand have I mentioned that has not been beautiful?  I had the most amazing seafood chowder for lunch. 

We took the Queen Charlotte scenic drive from Picton to Nelson.  Some of the views were just breathtaking.  We stopped at one scenic route and hiked up to a view point.  It was absolutely gorgeous.  As you can imagine the scenic routes have the most twisty and turvy roads.  I will be ready for some straight roads soon. 

Once we made it to Nelson, it was a bit odd how the coastline was so far out with the tide.  We saw what seemed like 100s of feet of wet shore line, withouth any water.  However, as it got late at night the water creeped back in.  The high and low tides are so drastic.  We went to downtown Nelson to walk around for a bit.  I was able to get some flip flops and a hat for our kayaking tour tomorrow.  It is looking like it is going to be a gorgeous day to be on the water. 

I wore Aaron out doing all of my browsing for just the right purchases, so we made an emergency stop at the Mac Brewery.  It was a super cute bar in downtown Nelson.  They had great local brews.  We made our way to a restaurant called Smuggler's Inn for dinner.  Thanks to Trip Advisor we enjoyed a nice meal in a pirate themed restaurant and bar. After dinner we took a stroll along the shoreline.  The sunset and shore line is a view that never gets old.  We are so excited to see Abel Tasman National Park tomorrow by kayak!