This is a few of weeks back, at the end of a rainy week. That Friday afternoon was a slightly better. I came out of the lighting shop to find a big rainbow, but at around 4.50, everybody was rushing to get somewhere else, and I was the only one looking. Even children were being pulled in all directions by their mums. 
I said in my comments here that I preferred a square box to "'mix and match boxes' look that's all around Nelson". Here's an example; it's supposed to look like an old-fashioned street where there were many little individual stores and houses, and this new "old" look is breeding like rabbits. 
But then I tend to prefer bland things; if they must do the cutsy, I prefer this one.
"Ka Pai" is Maori for "good". "Kitsch" according to Dictionary.com is "something of tawdry design, appearance, or content created to appeal to popular or undiscriminating taste." In New Zealand, the term often goes with something quintessentially Kiwi, but a little old fashioned and potentially embarrassing; when they are not embarrassing and go into museums or are photographed for calendars and coffee table books, they are called "Kiwiana".
It's a not-so-big desk-top lamp. We came out with a boring floor lamp for my studio.
Trafalgar Centre is our all-purpose indoor events centre; this is where we used to host WOW wearable art show (which has subsequently moved to Wellington for a bigger audience), and is the home of Nelson Giants basketball team. From memory, it can seat up to 2500. .JPG)
Yes, the sun has finally returned to Nelson; we've had at least some hours of sun every day this week. I'm not sure who put up these "children", but we saw them once earlier and wondered if they'd come back. Behind is the Trafalgar Centre Upgrade, which I'll post tomorrow. This is on bit of lawn seen to the left of the fountain here.
On further thinking, it speaks volumes about the rapid and organic expansion of Nelson's CBD (central business district), rather than the strange placement of play things.
We've shown you Everyman Records on Hardy Street. This is Checkers, the other independently-owned music store, where I go to see Suzanne from time to time. She knows my taste in music (eclectic) so she's never surprised with my latest fad, be it old R&B, Cook Island drums, or New Zealand Hip Hop, (which is not gangsta but quite uplifting!)
This is what you see when the tide is coming in to Tahunanui Beach. I found it has a very interesting pattern. I posted a wider view earlier in my photo sketchbook blog.
Thursday morning a bus cut in front of us hastily, and I noticed the back of it was covered in advertising. This is new to Nelson, so I stated the obvious, as I do, to Ben, who thought, no, we've had it forever.
No offense to this establishment; I've never seen the inside of the motel. Mid-City Motor Lodge is so centrally located, on Trafalgar Street. The famous Nelson Saturday Market takes place just behind it, in the foreground of this pic. But it's not one of the most attractive architectural examples of Nelson.
One reason I like going to Wellington and Auckland is that they have, in their downtown areas, beautifully restored lovely old buildings. Nelson is not devoid of them, but many are tolerated, just, with interiors converted to the generic-retail style, seldom taking advantage of the existing charm. This one, for example, I can see turned into a lovely collection of shops selling one-off (even vintage) clothes, lingerie, kitchen ware and gifts, books/CDs, shoes, embroidery/quilt materials, or hand-made toys. A girly emporium of sorts, with a florist on street level. Maybe an architect's office or a women's gym at the top. Or the entire thing turned into a boutique hotel with a boulangerie/cafe, replacing the street-level "roof" with maybe a striped awning. I particularly like the stained glass designs.
Whakatu Incorporation building opened a couple of months ago. I've exaggerated the colors a bit so you can see the concrete panels that emulate Maori wood carving. Inside, there's supposed to be a spectacular woodcarving, but I haven't been inside to see it yet; perhaps I'll go ask if I could photograph it one day. You saw the start of this building here.
I said, "Hey, we can hire a forklift."
Not his body, but his face, and the expression! He's in front of the Bead Gallery Design Store on Hardy St, where you find ready-made necklaces, bracelets and earrings.
This time, it's from the Matangi Awahio Walk. It is made from 5 hand-held shots I took just an hour ago.
My favorite used bookshop in Nelson; possibly under new management also - I need to go back and check. It used to be owned by a young couple and baby Poppy. Very funky interiors, and at times, (you know, that's the face of used bookshops,) they have an amazing collection of not-so-old art books. At the Rutherford end of Hardy Street.
One of the old Nelson establishments, Victoria Rose, changed hands recently, rrgo the new color scheme. I wished they kept the old name; the new one is a mouth-full: The Vic Mac's Brewbar. Brewbar?
Here is a little closer look of Miyazu Garden.
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