Today the weather had completely changed from yesterday - we awoke to grey skies and could tell that rain was on the way - apparently that's what Spring is like in NZ! We packed up in the rain and drove the short distance into Nelson. We found an internet café and caught up for an hour, then headed to the I-site to book stuff for my birthday tomorrow!

After looking at loads of different options, I decided on a half-day 'Best of Both Worlds' tour, taking in breweries and wineries around Nelson! As if we haven't done enough of them already!

For lunch we had pesto bagels (mmm!) at the Swedish Bakery Café, then we drove to a couple of Nelson's historic houses - Isel House and Broadgreen House. In Isel House, we found out about the Marsden family that lived there in the 1850s, and how it was saved from being pulled down by the council about 10 years ago by a group of locals who took it over and restored it - good for them! Broadgreen House belonged to an Englishman who came to NZ with his wife and six daughters in the late 19th century. He built the house (pretty small for such a big family!) and it stayed in his family for two generations. Another family expanded it for another two generations, before the city of Nelson took it over and restored it to its original condition in the 1960s. The people showing us around kept apologising for the houses not being as grand as some of the houses we have in England, but we were impressed!

We drove to our campsite for the night (pricey but nice!) and settled in in front of the telly after a busy day!