A Kentucky Girl in Kiwi Land: Nothing to Do in Nelson?? Let Me Be Your Guide Part I

The Centre of New Zealand

Ever since I got here, I've been itching for an adventure. My trip at the holidays was action-packed, so sitting here getting cabin fever, I've been waiting to get out and about.

Josh's sister and her boyfriend were heading up to Nelson for the All Blacks game and they very graciously invited us.

Christ Church Cathedral

I've never considered myself a planner. I love spontaneity. But since our trip was going to be such a quick turnaround, I did lots of research, trying to get the most out of our day and a half. I had a list of about 13 things to do. And I think we accomplished the vast majority of the list.

A 5-hour drive from Christchurch, Nelson is on the top of the South Island and it's the oldest city in the South Island. It looks out onto the Tasman Bay. It's known for the amount of sun it gets. Nelson had the most sunlight hours in all of New Zealand, which was a nice change from the freezing cold we've been having in Darfield / Christchurch.

Our day in Nelson started at the markets, which actually wasn't on the list, but I'm glad we went. We walked up and down the artistic aisles and saw some very unique booths. They had lots of foodtrucks and so many hand-made crafts including pillow cases, soap, hand-painted dishes, jewelry, decorations, and more. We hadn't had breakfast, so Josh got a sandwich and I got a smoothie.

1. Christ Church Cathedral

Then we walked to the Christ Church Cathedral. It's a bit confusing since it's in Nelson, not Christchurch. But the cherry blossoms were blooming and it was beautiful. We walked up the stone staircase out the front of it and around to the inside. While I appreciate the beauty of cathedrals, they all kindof blur together. It was reminiscent of the old European cathedrals I've seen.

2. Jens Hansen - The Ringmaker

Around the corner, there's a jewelry store: Jens Hansen - Gold & Silversmith. However, Hansen is known under a different name now: The Ringmaker. It is really well known for making one ring... THE ONE RING. And more rings. From Lord of the Rings. So many rings.

"One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them."

Because so many people come by asking about the famous ring, they created a separate studio where they display the movie rings and other similar works. In the display case were:

The 1990 - the original One Ring (carried throughout Middle-earth by Bilbo, Frodo, Gollum, and more before its destruction in Mount Doom);
a ring designed for Aragorn (one of the main protagonists, played by Viggo Mortensen);
a ring designed for Gandalf (the white wizard, played by Sir Ian McKellen);
3 variations of the ring designed for Elrond (half-elf, Lord of Rivendell and one of the mighty kings of old, played by Hugo Weaving);
a ring for Galadriel (an elf, played by Cate Blanchett); and
The Dark Lord's Ring (main antagonist, also known as Sauron).

For the low, low price of $5,490 NZD, you, too, can have your platinum version of The One Ring. A Sterling Silver version is available for $195. Other variations were also available for quite a price.

3. Centre of New Zealand

After we left the jewelry store, we went to the Centre of New Zealand.

Located on the top of Botanical Hill in Maitai Valley, the Centre of New Zealand was the central survey point in the 1800s. There are multiple ways to get to the top and I swear we took the one that had the most difficult incline. I was dying 10 minutes in. Luckily, the "walk" is really only about 15 minutes.

But boy was the view worth it.

At the top, you have a spectacular 360 degree view of Nelson and the Tasman Bay beyond. We stopped at the top, where the creators of this place, intuitively put lots of benches. We rested for a bit while I waited to get the perfect shot (Josh was extremely patient, as always).

Below, you'll find the photos from the Centre of New Zealand.