Next morning we had great intentions of doing a few things in Golden Bay - where we were heading - and beforehand in the outskirts of Nelson. But heading out of town/city we decided that it would be better to make tracks to our destination, Collingwood, a good three hour drive away.On the other side of the Tasman Bay from Nelson stands the Abel Tasman National Park and once again we found ourselves driving through the most wonderful scenery as the road snaked its...

Once again, our drive took us through glorious scenery, enhanced by the sun shining down on us. Nelson sits on the north coast along a wide bay and surrounded by mountains.It's a really attractive town and like all the South Island cities we've been to, easy to get around so it didn't take us long to find our very central motel.After a quick visit to the Visitor Information and a cup of coffee we set off for a round of golf at Maitai - Waahi Taakaro Golf Course, ...

What a change in the weather when we awoke the next morning - low cloud and dreich - but we knew that in NZ the weather can change quickly.However, our journey up the coast on what would have been a glorious drive was rather grey and dull, although there were occasional hints of a wonderful coastline.Even as we reached Blenheim and its extensive - and ever extending - vineyards the weather failed to improve.So we carried on driving and pretty soon the weather lif...

It was a fine morning when we left Hamner Springs so decided to take the scenic route to Kaikoura, set on a peninsula on the east coast. And, at the risk of repeating ourselves yet again, it definitely was scenic - so many oohs and aahs as we drove through rolling mountains and along lush green valleys carved out by wide, wide rivers sparkling in the sun. But as we neared the coast the weather changed and became overcast with heavy, grey, rain filled-clouds. Even...

About an hour's drive here over the Lewis Pass took us through yet more scenic countryside.Although the mountains aren't quite so high as those further south they are still pretty striking with lush green valleys.The day we arrived was hot and very sunny so we decided to have a round of golf.First of all we found accommodation at Kakapo Lodge a youth hostel where we managed to get an en suite room with a microwave and fridge - and free internet! - very comfortabl...