by Bruce

At last, we’d arrived in the South Island.  The ferry docked in Picton and we wasted no time rolling off the ship and heading west.  The route was clear.  We’d travel counter clockwise hugging the west coast until the glaciers and then cut inland via Greymouth stopping through Queenstown.  We’d have to play everything by ear after that because there was no way of knowing how much stopping we’d do along the way.  Our first stop was Nelson.

If there’s a sunny place in the South Island, it’s the northwest region. It’s a handsome town with plenty of eateries and cafes, but Harry and I cooked most of our meals to save some money.  Coastal and lush, I don’t think I would’ve doubted the forecast, except it did rain.  We tried to cover the farmer’s market on Saturday morning but it got rained out and the turnout was poor.  Still, Harry and I managed to gather some organic fruits and veggies and some fine sausages.  The persimmons were exceptional and I highly recommend the grapefruit lady.  She’s got at least four varieties she grows locally as well as three varieties of figs.  We grabbed an assorted bag of those as well.  Figs, I prefer to eat them raw if I’m not enjoying them warmed in a pan and drizzled with balsamic and olive oil.

Our recommendations:

House of Brown Sugar – serves Allpress coffee in addition to some super delicious in-house baked goods.

Farmers Market -  as always, we try to support local farmers and when it’s not raining, it’s a fun and economical way to get your shop on.  A must do on the weekend.

The Oil Change

Just a last word of warning for anyone traveling in their own Hobo Wagon.  Check your oil and water regularly.  I had a sneaking suspicion that our van was burning oil so we brought it in for service.  The mechanic was surprised to find that barely a liter came out when he drained the engine.  That could have spelled disaster for our trip. Bertie had ben been burning oil worse than I imagined.  Luckily, we caught it in time and thanks to our mechanic in Nelson for bringing that to our attention.  We would just have to pay closer attention to Bertie’s oil level.