Nelsons Annual Kite Festival in its 19th Year

Next door to Founders (home of the static Bristol Freighter
aircraft display) at Neale Park each year fliers from New
Zealand and other parts gather to have, for want of a
better term, a "fly-in."


Although dark clouds were looming in the morning.......



following on from a tricky setup day on Friday where
thunder was heard in the skys above Nelson......



it all turned out ok on the day, sunshine and that all
important element..............



......wind in the form of a typical Nelson seabreeze.....



all made up for the unpredictable nature it looked like the
day had planned earlier.



However as New Zealands sunniest town it was hardly......



.........surprising that the sun shone when it was needed.



Crowd favourite was regular attendee Peter Lynns

"Cuttlefish", truly a monster kite.



All in all a great Summers Sunday family day out in Nelson.

One of the Advantages...

Geography is the number one thing that has shaped
Nelson, and frankly, made it what it is today.

Without that it simply would not be the sum total of
what it is in 2010.















The beauty of living in Nelson today is that even if you
don't have a millionaires budget you can still live like
one.
Huh - well I mean you can still occupy a site on the
Port Hills that affords million dollar ocean views.







Anywhere else in the world, million dollars is exactly
what you'd need to occupy this same spot of terra-firma.













And the views you get are there for day and night!

Just to prove it happens

Although we won the sunshine crown for NZ last year,
occasionally we have weather like other parts of the
country get too. :-)

Boulder Bank - Nelsons Natural Wonder

Starting at Glenduan, or "The Glen" as locals refer to it,
is one of NZ's natural wonders, the 13km long Boulder Bank.














Shingles from the seaside cliffs above are reputed
(via Longshore Drift) to have formed the bank
over thousands of years.

Generations past
used to have their
holiday homes -
"bach's" in Kiwi
speak, on the
Boulder Bank,
but no more.
The few that
remain are only
there under
current owner
lifetime use, in
other words
once the
present owners
pass on, they
will be removed.



The Boulder Bank has assisted Nelson over the years
by providing a natural haven for shipping, called
strangely enough, The Haven.















Although tidal, Nelson does have some of the bigger tides
in New Zealand, the sheltered area inside the Boulder
Bank has provided amply for both commercial and
recreational pursuits.

Although a closed off line of rock for many years, in
1905 a channel was formed, becoming known as
The Cut.
















Its through here that all modern shipping
passes to / from Port Nelson.

The Clearest Water in The World

Is right here,
at Te Waikoropupu
Springs, or as locals
affectionately know it,
Pupu Springs.
The springs are located
in the Golden Bay
region of our Tasman
District.










And yes it does have officially the clearest water in the whole world.

They pump out a combined 14,000 litres of water a second, or 1,200,000m³ each 24hrs.

As Wikipedia say

The horizontal visibility of the water in the springs has been measured at an average of 63 metres, a world record for fresh water

In fact so clear that, with optical instruments, scientists have said it approaches the theoretical maximum for optically pure water. If you are interested in the full terminology for “average black-body visibility” then I believe the above links will satisfy your craving.

Famous photo over here of diver under the water.

Balls in Flight - Nelson Golf

Centre of Photo is the Nelson Golf Club's Clubhouse.............

















and as the accompanying pics show..............

















not bad surroundings for a game.......top photo was taken in the early evening.......

Expose the kids

In the heartland we actually do have a fondness for sports that tend to feature on the worldwide stage.

Yachting?

Well yes I think that would be considered a great Kiwi export.

(UPDATE 9th Jan 2010 NZ wins Gold, Silver & Bronze at Splash World Sailing Championships raced this week off Takapuna in Auckland, New Zealand.)

US Billionaire Jets into Nelson

Whats written on the tail of this Dassault is a bit of a giveaway.
And the reason for........its all about the fishing!
Same person has flown in before.....for exactly same reason.

Te Mahia Bay - Just 2 hours from town

The Marlborough Sounds are world famous in New Zealand
for their natural beauty and splendour















and turning right off the main State Highway at Havelock you
travel via Linkwater to this beautiful part of the world.
















Long thought of as one of the most secluded and best bays
in the Sounds, if you look closely at the photo below you can
actually see where the wind finishes bouncing across
the waves and the "secluded and calm" bay area starts











the photo here depicts the beachfront Resort
that's there too, here.

Not far from Nelson....

is the Nelson Lakes National Park and one of the features of this National Park is















Lake Rotoiti, as well as its crystal clear water, the lake is also known for being a great environment for the local wildlife like these eels for example















who don't mind sharing their space with other locals like these ducks.

Helicopter Rides.....

are a very popular feature of Tahunanui Beach side life over summer in Nelson.

Kite Surfers heading out to.....

...do what Kite-Surfers do on New Years Day.