Early Settlers

From Nelson Public Art and Sculpture Walks map: "Early Settlers' Statue. The Bronze statue shows a family arriving on Wakefield Quay in 1842. It was commissioned in 2005 by former Nelson sculptor Anthony Stones."

The sculptor in England intended this work to face the sea; the Nelson City Council installed it facing the new waterfront apartments because, they reasoned, people can stand around the sculpture and have pictures taken with the sea in the background.

But think about it: if you just arrived at a new land, hoping to create a better life for you and your family after six or eight or ten weeks of arduous sea travel, would you already be looking back to where you came from, or towards the land where you are going to make your dreams comes true? Meg reckons the City Council got it right this time.

Rubbish Guy

Rubbish collection takes place once a week in Nelson; we are on the Tuesday route. Usually one guy drives, and one or two guys run after the truck throwing the rubbish onto the back of the truck, (and missing once in a while.) The truck sometimes stops but often just keeps going, and the guys in the back hop on the truck only where there is a bit of distance between homes. Nelson is hilly and the streets narrow and winding, so these guys on the back are some of the most physically fit blokes; in fact, I think one or two current All Blacks might have been rubbish guys previously.

Me, I'm starting to like the paparazza shooting.

Loading at Port Nelson

Logs, pine boards, seafood and apples are loaded in Nelson and exported. The comings and goings of the ships can be found in our newspaper, The Nelson Mail.

Whale?

I wish, but here is the full view. It is made of Takaka Marble, the same material used in our Parliament, and sits just to the right of where the Jazzy Girls were performing.

Cherry Blossoms

Our cherry tree is in full bloom at moment.

Ultra V Day

A particularly thin patch of ozone layer traveled over New Zealand yesterday. In the short drive to reshoot the Early Settlers, Ben turned into Rudolf the Red Nosed Camera Guy. On days like these, it's best to dress like a bank robber when going outside, so we had long sleeves, hats and very dark sunglasses on top of a thick layer of sun screen. To the sunnies-clad eye, the sea was an unseasonable turquoise (the color usually reserved for later in the summer on very hot days), but we were surprised to see the photos don't show this. I know there is a scientific explanation somewhere.

Closer look

You find this on the base of "Symonds Gas Lamp". The lamp is replica of original as mentioned there, but it still one of the Nelson's symbolic items.

Farmers

Farmers is the name of the biggest department store chain in New Zealand. When we first found this out, we thought it was a joke, akin to calling the two main island of a nation North Island and South Island. Well, we know better now. Again, on Trafalgar Street, halfway between the Information Centre and the Cathedral, with a separate home store on Hardy Street. (Farmers in Richmond Mall has two-stories and two escalators; when it opened a couple of years ago, we went to Richmond just have a ride. I can't believe I just blogged it; I used to catch a train from Basement Level 4!)

And in case you haven't read this, Irredento Urbanista goes nation-wide in Peru. (Someone tell me how to pronounce Trujillo!!)

Mapua

Mapua is about 30 minutes drive from our place. The blue building is a cafe specializing in smoked fish, the one in the front is Flax Restaurant, and in between is a fish and chips shop. They all serve great food. Yesterday's wharf is to the left of Flax Restaurant.

Rudy is breaking Guatemalan rules and hosting a Name Those Cats contest.

Mapua Wharf, Sunday

The boy in green and a blonde boy had a bet: the boy in green was told if he didn't catch a fish first, he would have to kiss the one the blonde boy caught. Go, Boy in Green!

Roding River Recreational Reserve

While driving down Richmond/Hope way, we decided to take a road we had never been on before. What we found at the end of the sealed road is this picnic area. There was a large grass field as well as a starting point for three walkways.

Hope

Charles from the UK requested photos of Richmond and Hope where his cousins live.

The city of Nelson is the largest town in Nelson Region; just to the west is Tasman Region, and its largest town is Richmond. However, Nelson and Richmond are 10km apart with suburbs in between, so it is hard to tell where one ends and the other begings. The two regions share similar characteristics, and saw an explosive growth in population and development in the last decade.

Hope is immediately to the west of Richmond, approximately bottom 1/3 of this photo. I think a large part of Hope used to be sheep and dairy farms sprinkled with fruit orchards, but now there are a few farms, lifestyle blocks (1, 5, 10 acre sections with farmlettes, big gardens, or horse paddocks,) as well as new, mainly agricultural businesses. There are quite a few good speciality plant nursaries in Hope for whose who are so inclined; these are family-owned-and-operated, light on marketing, heavy on quality and good prices.

What the Early Setlers See

Along Rocks Road, on the waterfront, there are a few restaurants, a fish monger, and the yacht club in this area. The building in the background is a recently-built apartment. A few more is in development but locals cannot afford the units, so the owners are mostly absentee-owners/investors from the larger cities ("main centres") and overseas. Many units are hired out as holiday accommodations.The statue is called “Early Settlers”; we will introduce this properly when we get a nice photo, and you bet Meg knows the controversy over this one.

I wonder how the early setlers feel seeing the developments and changes in the area.

Attack of the Purple Planet

Escorted

This is how ships are escorted into the port. I saw two tug boats going out so I waited for while to catch this. I hope it is sharp enough to see the detail.

Power Hungry

ANZAC Park

Anzac Park is situated at the corner of Halifax and Rutherford Streets, at the northwest end of CBD (central business district or downtown). It has a war memorial dedicated to the soldiers from the Nelson region lost in WWI, WWII, Korea, Viet Nam, Borneo and Malaya.

We're Bessie and Nancy and We will be Your Guides Today

They are just two of the friendly faces at Marble Hills 4x4 Motorcycle Adventures, just before Marahau, at the southern end of Abel Tasman National Park.

Marble Hills is another name for Takaka Hill, where Takaka marbles used in our Parliament House were found; the Hill also played the part of Chetwood Forest in LOTR.

HELP: Ben says these are Bob and Hank - can someone enlighten us townies?

Rabbit Island

Same day, different view form Meg's post on her extra space. It was a very calm day, fresh air and we found company in some distance.

This shot at my sketchbook was taken about several minutes earlier with different angle.
How interesting to capture different colour of sky .

This Way

Some of the walkways and treks in New Zealand go through private properties, usually paddocks. If you must go over a fence, there are usually steps like these to assist you; hold on to the pole and swing your leg. Sometimes the fences are electric fences, so it's best not to touch them unless you're looking for some excitement.

This is on the way to Centre of New Zealand, right in town, looking towards Port Nelson.

"Food For Thought"

According to the Nelson Public Art & Sculpture Walks brochure, this stainless steal work was created by Nelson sculptor Grant Scott. It was installed at the Collingwood Street Fresh Choice supermarket car park in 2005.

Mobile Kiwi Dog Wash

He will come to your home to wash any pooch, from German Sheperds to Papillons. We were driving right behind him for about five minutes, so I took this from the passenger seat of our car while Ben tried to keep a safe distance; I must admit I got to experience a bit of paparazza rush.

White Magnolia

We have lots of pink and mauve magnolia blossoms at moment; I found these pure white ones while strolling during my lunch break.

Spring Cleaning Attire 2006

Jane Palm, of Palm, the new boutique on Hardy Street where the professional photo lab used to be, proposes an elegant spring cleaning look for 2006. See more.

Rainbow

Once in a while, we also have rain. It brings us these beautiful rainbows.

Modern Art

This is a small section of gum (eucalyptus) tree trunk. Here are what the tree looks like.

The Art of Coffee Making

Continuing on the theme of murals, (of the painted kind, not stickers,) this is the Rutherford Street side of Nelson's own Pomeroy's Coffee & Tea Company, "Nelson's Original Roastery, est 1989". You can taste very fresh coffee in this shop as well as the cafes all over New Zealand.

Blank Canvas?

Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology Textile Art building entrance. Inspiring... At least it has a new coat of paint. Students walk through the parking lot to enter. (This is actually part of the original Griffins biscuit/cookie factory.)

Today is Father's Day in New Zealand; not sure of its origin as opposed to the June version, but perhaps English? Anyway, fathers of the world, have a enjoyable day. No harm done if you celebrate it twice this year.

UPDATE: I heard back from the Polytech, and the news is bad. The wall will remain plain, as stipulated in the City Council's building consent. Where the parking lot is now used to be the lovely old Artist-in-Residence cottage and a planted area with a path leading to the H Block door; this building consent was issued to flatten the residence and to get rid of the small garden.

"Modigliani's Trout"

On the wall of Youth Hostel (entrance to Montgomery Square from Rutherford Street) is a large mural of trout fishing. This was painted in 1995 by Finish artist, Sirpae Alalaakkola, who now lives in the Marlborough Sounds. May I also call your attention to the man's Swanndri, an iconic New Zealand woolen shirt. Earlier this year, they, too, announced they would be moving their manufacturing to China; soon there will be no 100% Kiwi manufacturers.

Theme Day: Doorways

Narnia might have been more colorful if the children went through this cupboard, don't you think?

This is not exactly a doorway, but I found this the day after we joined DP. Made in India, it is a corner unit in the storage room of the delectable furniture/design store Obelisk on Achilles Avenue. Obelisk faces the carpark where I shot the red scooter and GR8ABZ.

If you go to Nuno's Porto, you will find the first door to a whole series of Theme Day doorways.