Pass the Kiwi: Nelson & Abel Tasman

Tyler's only request for our road trip was that we go to Nelson, as it is New Zealand's micro-brew capital. Although we didn't stop into any actual breweries, we did find ourselves at many of the local brew pubs - and they were all awesome. Tyler and I drank a lot of beer in Nelson and mom kept up just fine with her sauvignon blanc ;) One of our favourite beers wasn't for sale in stores, so we left the pub with a 2L bottle full to enjoy later - gotta love NZ!

Nelson was another great town that we didn't fully get to explore because of the Easter holidays and things not being open. We did stay in an amazing bed and breakfast - it was mom's first time ever in a B&B so she thought it was especially great. It was perfectly situated only a stumbling distance away from the pubs - fantastic! Nelson was hit hard by the cyclone and we saw lots of footage on the news just days before we arrived, including a massive heritage tree that fell over in the storm and crushed two homes. It wasn't until we checked into the B&B that we realized the tree had fallen in the yard directly next door. Lucky we just missed it by two days:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvHv3w6cgJE

Enjoying a taster of the local brews.

Cool brew pub!

YUM!

We took a day trip from Nelson to beautiful Abel Tasman National Park. There is a 5 day hike you can do of the park either staying in huts or camping along the way - mom wasn't up for it, so we opted for a day hike instead :) We heard the best part of the track was in the middle, so we took a water taxi to get us to our starting point. It was my first time on a boat like this (I always thought I would get sick), but it turns out it's the big ferry boats that make me sick! I think being out in the fresh air is what did the trick. Since it was low tide, we all jumped in the boat in the parking lot and a tractor pulled us down the street (it was quite hilarious) and onto the sand, finally unhooking himself once we were in the water.

First time in a jet boat and being pulled by a tractor!

Split Apple Rock in Tasman Bay

It was a perfect day for a 13km hike. There was beautiful coastal views along the way and we had lunch on the beach so we could hunt for seashells - apparently mom's favourite past time. She was obsessed with finding the most perfect shells to take home with her :) But I was the one to find a blue starfish! We named him Barkley because we found him on Bark Bay - cheesy, I know! We crossed two swing bridges and saw a couple of waterfalls. We had a great time!