Somerset Valley Settlers Cottage

….looks the part alright.

For more details, visit here. or here on the Sarau Festival site.

Nelson Residents - want to win a First Aid Kit?

then tell me just one thing, where is this?  (HINT – is definitely in Stoke)

And…..Yes…… it will be either the first correct email to;

david.leggott@summit.co.nz, or the first correct tweet to

www.twitter.com/nelsonian (or in tweet speak @nelsonian) that will win.

 

PLEASE NOTE

The winner will need to collect their prize of a First Aid Kit + a Rain Umbrella from the receptionist at Summits Stoke office.

Eco Fishing – Nelson style

quite the most practical one man band unit I’ve seen around these shores…

…and doesn’t cost anything extra to run…..

….other than leg power (although I did spy some emergency backup there on the back)

New Zealands Tui….

beside highways, but more likely on deserted country roads

you’ll find this distinctive little fellow.

Instantly recognisable because of his mini “white beard” under his beak, his sound is also

just as recognisable, you’re probably hearing it daily courtesy of mobile ph ringtones.

Boulder Bank Baches - Nelson

these are the last few left….six of them in fact on Nelsons iconic Boulder Bank.

The baches future has been in question since the Nelson Harbour Board.passed control over to DOC (“Department of Conservation”) in 1992.

Under the present rights of ownership, the owners pay DOC just over $550 a year "to lease the rocks the structure sits on."

But they don’t own them. Neither can they be done up, extended or sold.

Case in point, as reported by the Nelson Mail

when longtime resident "Boulder Bank Bill" Clark died, his bach, which he'd lived in for more than four decades, was knocked down

The original premise was that they were passed down from generation to generation of the same family.

Although the current licences have expired, there is discussion of them being categorized Heritage Places by Historic Places, and a decision on this was initially expected by Xmas 2011.

They really are a piece of “Kiwiana” and it would be sad to see them go.

 

RELATED

Proposal to tag baches welcomed  - Nelson Mail 8th Oct 2011

Bach to Basics: The evolution of a Kiwi dream – Wild Tomato magazine Nelson

The Main Rd South

heading out of Richmond is Gladstone Rd. At the Three Brothers Cnr, it changes to Main Road Hope.

The stretch you see here goes from Richmond to Hope, and to the top of the dip before the Appleby River Bridge.

The part pictured here is about 6kms long.

The Chiefs back… but

UPDATE – Thursday evening….

As it would be ~ I bumped into 2 fishermen tonight, and after they “hinted” at their recent results….there just ain’t no way, if you’re a hard working young fella….sorry person ….that after they told me the amount of money they are making in a “house deposit per trip“ type of way, you’d even consider going across the ditch.

No…your gold mine is still here in Nelson - NZ….and by work….I mean really paying your way….and after what these 2 said tonight, it means you have to “work hard.”

The amount of cash money we are talking about here for a 21 day trip, well its equal to a yearly wage for many Kiwis that I know.

Can I say ~ they did surely look really really tired this afternoon.

After reporting on the “Chief” being back in Port yesterday, I haven’t managed to catch up with any of the current crew yet.

Folks, forget that “Deadliest Catch” stuff.

If these dudes down in the Ross Sea happen to bust some human part of their body…no ones gonna be down there real soon…folks, these Nelson based folks are real men.

Even the chopper sponsor by the company I work for Summit Real Estate, the Summit Rescue chopper, a Eurocopter AS350 Ecureuil (Squirrel) has got some limits…like Mt Everest for example.

Wikipedia report her range like this ……Range: 662 km (357 nmi, 411 mi)

Probably not a hell of a lot of help when you are 1250 ~ 1500km from land. (and yes, in case you hadn’t noted it…. that happens to be just a tad further out than those “Deadliest Catch” Alaskian chaps)

No unfortunately its really going to be a case of dudes…”I hope it doesn’t hurt too much, because you’re on you own here for a few hours!”

Danger Money is called that for a reason.

So the point of tonight's post….its just great to see they have made it back safely after playing/contributing more than just their share of NZ’s balance of payments.

Rabbit Island Main Beach

looking in a westerly direction from Nelson.As the beach has a very gentle slope to the sea, its also known as one of NZ’s safest swimming beaches for families.

The Fishings over for now…

for this years toothfish season, that finished at the end of Oct 2011. 

and the crew of the Antarctic Chieftain, after arriving back in Port Nelson this morning, can look forward to a normal life for a while.

At the very least somewhere that’s a lot drier and warmer than from where they have just come,

down near Antarctica searching for Patagonian Toothfish and Mackerel Icefish,

You might recall the newspaper article back in April when the ship conducted a first of its kind project.

Main Road Stoke

as seen from Princes Drive, Annesbrook at bottom of photo and Stoke Shops at top.

That roof top bottom of photo is from a house up on the hill.

The Problem with the Speed of Sound….

is that when you hear this blue beauty, and look in the direction

of where its coming from, hes already hundreds of metres if not kms in front of where you think he’ll be.

No good for photography that it. Here’s hoping that CAA will soon let paying passengers go up for the ride of their life.