Nelson, New Zealand as seen from the high hills.
Nelson is often called the South Island's "Sunshine Capital". It sits on a curved bay beneath the Tasman mountains and the town's harbor is the busiest fishing port in New Zealand.
It is known for its arts and wines and is a favorite destination in the summer months (Dec-Feb). Winter months are also mild but tourism has yet to catch on although it is being promoted by the local city council.
There is an abundance of art galleries representing over 400 local artists and on this morning we visited several of the more interesting galleries and art museums.
Our first stop was Jens Hanson's Gold and Silversmiths, the original designers and creators of the One Ring for Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movie trilogy.
I am holding the large ring seen spinning through the air in the prologue of the first movie. There is a photo of Jens Hansen in the background.
This young designer was involved in creating the 40 smaller solid gold rings used in the movies and made to fit the little fingers of the Hobbits.
Aware of Jens Hansen's reputation as an artist in fine jewelry, Peter Jackson called him and asked if he would consider making the rings for the movie. Although Hansen was a big Tolkien fan and fan of the Rings trilogy, he did not accept Jackson's offer to create the rings. When Hansen's sons learned that he had turned down Peter Jackson, they insisted he call Jackson back and accept. He did and since then Jens Hansen's has become world famous.
Our next stop was the #3 Gallery. While chatting with one of the artists, we learned that she has made many trips to Washington, DC for holidays and had also just returned from Ft. Lauderdale where she was visiting her son who is a super-yacht captain. Small world!
After visiting several art galleries we ventured on to some historical sections of the city.
Guided by Noel Kennedy, we learned more about early New Zealand settlements. Nelson was the second settlement established by the New
Zealand Company in 1842 and today retains a strong colonial atmosphere. This is the same New Zealand Company that brought the early settlers to Wellington, including the Knight family.
Nelson Technical Institute built in 1905. The small octagonal building in the left was a fish hatchery.
Before moving on for some wine tasting, our guide, Noel, set up a delightful lunch spread on a bench in a beautiful park just beside the central walking streets of Nelson.
Noel is an interesting Kiwi. He also has a connection with the super-yachts and occasionally serves as a sommelier on one that cruises the Caribbean.
Noel's wife's half-sister is the daughter of the last full-blooded Maori chief.
Our lunch consisted of locally caught salmon, Christmas ham and a salad made of ingredients all grown in his garden. Noel also "designs" pairing combinations of wine and food and provides the menu write-ups for several restaurants. Additionally, he's a botanist and a national park guide.
Nelson is New Zealand's premier wine region. Per acre of vines planted, Nelson consistently wins more awards than the other regions of NZ.
We visited two vineyards for tastings. The first, and closest to the city, was the Waimea, which means "river gardens" in Maori. The Waimea, owned by the Bolitho family, produced 80,000 cases last year of which 60,000 were exported.
We bought three bottles of wine from this vineyard before moving on to the next. We bought their award-winning Viognier and Pinot Noir. Noel, who wasn't partaking in the tastings, did the driving.
Our next stop was Rimu Grove. Situated atop a hill overlooking the Tasman Sea and the Bay of Nelson, it was the perfect setting and terrain for growing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes.
The cool breezes from the the Tasman Sea keeps the grapes from ripening too early which accounts for the vineyard's prize winning wines.
Noel is a friend of the caretaker, a Kiwi, who had lived in London as a gardner and who moved back to New Zealand two months ago to take over the gardens of the Rimu estate. We did the tasting in a quaint cottage originally built for the father of the previous owner.
Recently sold, the vineyard is now owned by a gay couple who recently came to New Zealand to attend Auckland University to study winemaking. They both graduated with honors.
The Rimu estate is comprised of 14 acres and last year produced 10,000 cases of wine.
On our scenic drive back to Nelson, we stopped at an overlook of the harbor.
We couldn't resist taking pictures of the colorfully constructed letter boxes which are throughout the South Island.
These funky letter boxes have become pop art and are now in numerous galleries like the painting below which we photographed in a Nelson gallery.
Location:Nelson, NZ
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