Our five star, family operated hostel, Accents On The Park, is located near the centre of town, next to Nelson Cathedral which sits on top of Church Hill. Upon arrival, we were warmly greeted by staff & signed in. Our private room came with two beds & a sink. The hostel has computers with Internet & Skype, and a cash only restaurant/bar in the basement. Every evening, a movie is put on for guests with free popcorn. I have to say that the hostel's fish & chips are quite tasty.
Once settled, my brother & I set off to explore the town separately due to our different tastes. Even though I'm not a big fan of The Lord Of The Rings series, I still visited & photographed Jens Hansen Jewelers, the company that Peter Jackson's art direction team chose to create the 'One Ring' for the film trilogy. Jens Hansen created 15 different prototypes and then another 40 based on the chosen prototype! Unfortunately, he died in August 1999 before the first movie premiered in 2001.
Downtown Nelson reminds me of Bank Street in downtown Ottawa, Canada. Most of the buildings are two stories high & are occupied by shops, cafes, and restaurants. Town Hall is pretty much the tallest building, standing at 7 stories. The Nelson Provincial Museum can also be found here & I stopped in to have a look at the natural & human history of the town & surrounding area. Admission is free but it's suggested that you make a donation.
From downtown, I started walking towards the port until I noticed a hidden pathway leading up one of the residential hills. I followed the path up to several viewing balconies, letting me get a grander view of Nelson. After snapping a few pictures, I descended back to the main road & walked to the east side of town, and ascended up the higher hills. Nelson is surrounded by hills & is well known for its tramping trails so I decided to give them a try. The trails are not steep but can be tiresome if you're not fit.
The trails on the higher hills lead you through slanted grass lands and give way to beautiful views of the town. My only complaint is that the trails pass through grasslands that are used by lamb & sheep meaning there're plenty of feces lying everywhere. My advice is to stop & look at the town rather than look at the town & move. Nelson citizens don't seem to mind the unpleasantness and continue to use the trails for walking, jogging, and biking. After maneuvering around the feces, I made it to the top of one hill with a small concrete monument. The monument marks the hill as the centre of Middle Earth.
On the way back to the hostel, I took a shortcut through the Queens Gardens. It reminds me of a mini Botanic Gardens in Christchurch, with many plants, pathways, and swimming ducks. If you're a garden lover, give this park a visit.
When it was time for dinner, my brother & I went into town and chose to eat at Lone Star. While waiting for a table, I ordered a Corona from the bar, and my brother gazed at the many portraits on the walls. Once we were seated we ordered juicy steaks. In New Zealand, the steak sizes are written in grams whereas in Canada, it's still in ounces. The steaks were good, and while waiting for our bill we decided to have steak in each town we'd be visiting on this trip.
We made our way back to our hostel and watched the end of the film Wedding Crashers that was being shown in the basement restaurant. Once finished, we went to our room and slept, wondering what to do the following day.
To Be Continued . . .
(Post 2 of 10)
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