ARGH! What is up with all this rain!?!? It rained on us the entire day. It all started after we woke up bright and early to try to catch the 8:30AM boat to swim with the dolphins out by the waters off Kaikoura. When we arrived, we were told the boat was cancelled due to inclement weather. It was about 12C, so I wasn't terribly broken up about swimming in the ocean, but Neda was disappointed. We're going to try to catch another dolphin swim later on in our trip. I'm just a bit confused though. I thought it was supposed to be summer here...  On our way to the soon-to-be-cancelled Dolphin Swim, we stumble on these Maori statues. I'm just trying to fit in. It started drizzling on our walk back to the Nikau Lodge, and I took the the opportunity to catch some ZZZs during the time we would have been swimming in the ocean. Woke up around noon and looked outside to the rain coming down steadily outside the window. Great. Another day in the rainsuits.  All suited up for the rain-ride, ready to leave Nikau Lodge  The plan for today Our destination today is Nelson, which is in the NW tip of the South Island. We're taking the main Hwy 1 which winds around the east coast and up over the top. When I say Hwy, you may think of an expressway with 4 lanes in either direction, it's actually a two-lane road that's got some nice curves in it. There are some mountains off in the distance to the interior and to our right we watch the violent surf hitting the rocks along the shoreline, due to the stormy weather. You can taste and smell the sea-salt in the air where the road cuts in close to the waters. It's all got a very Vancouver Sea-To-Sky highway feel to it. The peculiar thing is that most of the fields along the roadside are a golden-brown from the very hot, drought-like conditions that NZ has been experiencing during the last couple of weeks. The locals are thankful for the wet Toronto weather we've brought them. You're welcome, New Zealand!  Note the hi-viz orange rain gloves  Watching the surf crash along the shoreline  About 20 kms into our trip, we see a small hiking trail that Sophie recommended we explore, which ends at a nice waterfall. We hike with our helmets on because we have no umbrella... Our lunch stop is a place called The Store, in Kekerengu. The inside is nicely done up with natural wood floors, unfinished tree trunks holding the burlap-style roofs and the menu was excellent as well. I've gotten into the habit of downing an energy drink at lunch to combat the mid-afternoon circadian dip, which becomes worse when you're up at 5AM everyday. When we leave, the rain is still coming down. I don't mind rain-rides, the overcast skies and the water everywhere makes it a very introspective experience. Our gear is pretty good too. Being dry and warm everywhere is important, but the most important bits are your feet and hands. In the pictures, Neda's sporting some pretty hi-tech rain gloves in high-visibility orange. You can pick up a pair yourself at your local supermarket, ask for "dish-washing gloves". Most already come in hi-viz yellow!  Just outside of Kekerengu, we come across a very bad accident. Two helicopters had to carry away the unfortunate victims. It looked like a minibus and car collided - probably a failed overtaking manuevre on this two-lane highway.  All day long I was muttering in my helmet: "WetWetWetKeepLeftWetWetWet"  Lunch at The Store in Kekerengu. Neat decor! Behind Neda, there were two burly Hells Angels-type biker guys in full colours. Funny thing is, they were giggling like schoolgirls. We wanted to laugh at them, but were afraid of getting beat to a pulp... We take Hwy 6 all the way into Nelson, which itself boasts 35-55km/h >180 degree turns as it runs through the northern tip of the Mt Richmond Forest Park, so lots of greenery. It's here that the strong smell of wet pine trees replaces the fading scents of sea and surf. The views are spectacular, which highlights a problem that our cab driver pointed out to us when we arrived in New Zealand a few days ago. Turns out the most common cause of accidents that tourists experience is not trying to keep left on the road, or drowsiness due to jet-lag - it's trying to keep your eyes on the winding road ahead of you instead of the incredible scenery around you! How true!  Back on the road We arrive in Nelson shortly before 5. It's a sea-side town (aren't most towns in NZ sea-side towns?) with quite a lot of history, more than other NZ towns. We check in at the Grampian Villa, a B&B in Nelson, the inside is decorated in the Victorian style that a lot of the historical buildings in the city are architected in. After getting settled in, the rain stops (of course), so we stroll lazily around the tourist section of downtown Nelson, just a few blocks away from where we're staying. They've done it up quite nicely, decorating the streets with red cobblestone and artsy lamposts and street signs. We've noticed that NZ has quite an eco-friendly culture, lots of stores and restaurants endorsing organic offerings.  Pulling into the Grampian Villa in Nelson  Strolling around Nelson  Nelson is one of the more popular NZ destinations for tourists. There's quite a large community of artisans and craftspeople who set up shop here.  Sampling some of Nelson's microbewery. I like my Guiness better. Well, we're back in our B&B and we've fallen into what's become our normal schedule for the evening: Neda is sleeping while pretending to read in bed, book propped up to the same page she's been trying to finish for the last three nights! LOL!  Me, typing this up. My daily evening ritual.  *sigh*
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