Mixed Feelings in Nelson, NZ

We spent today in Nelson, New Zealand, a town of about 43,000 that gets overwhelmed each summer with hundreds of thousands of tourists.

And we got the sense of the mixed feelings some of the residents here have towards tourists, as you'll see in a coming post.

In any case, there's definitely a lot more going on in this town besides tourism, as we saw plenty of evidence of a diverse economy here. It was a stark contrast to many of the places in the south and west of the South Island that we've seen over the past week or so.

Here is probably Nelson's most recognized sight, the Christ Church Cathedral and the steps leading up to it:


Some other sights around and inside the church:




Nelson's cafe district, just down below the Christ Church:


There's also a nearby street, South Street, that features lovingly restored cottages built for the laborers here. They date from the 1860s:



Clearly, New Zealanders are not without a sense of humor, although I'm not sure what this bookstore owner thought after somebody defaced his sign:


This picture does not do it justice, but this was possibly the best Thai dish I've ever had in my entire life. At Poppy Thai, on Hardy Street.


And here's Laura enjoying her (actually, my) Thai dinner:


We also plucked up our courage and wandered into a betting establishment. First we tried a couple of new (to us) beers and watched a few dog races...


...but when the woman managing the place came over and said, "are you punting?" it took me a minute to recover myself and reply that, no, no we wouldn't be betting today, thank you.


Nelson also has some interesting art deco architecture in and around the town, as well as an overall quaint vibe that we really enjoyed.