Nelson and Mapua

We stayed in Nelson Saturday and Sunday night within walking distance to all the shops and restaurants. On Sunday we went to the World of Wearable Art and Classic Cars Museum (WOW Museum). It is a weird pair of collections to have together, but they were both interesting. All the garments on display have been part of the Brancott Estate World of Wearable Art Awards, and they were all very interesting creations. The cars on display were awesome. There was a wide range from old vintage classic cars to very modern luxury cars. Our favorite was the Maybach

made by Mercedes! On Monday we went west of Nelson toward the Abel Tasman on a sickening mountainous road. We Stopped off at Ngarua Caves and did a short tour were we saw bones from the extinct Moa bird, cave coral, remnants from early explorers, and many different chambers in the cave. After the caves, we went into the town of Takaka in Golden Bay to the Anatoki Salmon Farm. This small freshwater salmon farm serves as a tourist attraction and a supplier to local restaurants and markets. They allow you to fish for free and you just pay for what you catch.

Since we both love salmon sushi so much, we stayed for a couple of hours and caught seven fish around four pounds each. They do provide free rods to use, but Dave wanted to use his own fly rod for a little extra fun. The fun we were having on the fly rod ended when Dave broke the five weight rod while reeling in a four pound salmon. Dave couldn't have been happier about the break, there is just something satisfying about pushing the limits, even though that size of fish should never have stressed the rod. Luckily the rod is under warranty so there will be no loss of value.

We had the salmon cleaned and packaged. After the salmon farm we tried to go see a waterfall along a beautiful coastal road, but due to the recent rain in the area the road was closed because of landslides. We actually drove past the closed sign on accident, but after driving by a few bad collapses on the road we decided to turn around. Once we drove back thru we realized we had driven right by a guard stopping people. Ooops! Jill drove on the way back to our hotel in Mapua so she wouldn't get so sick (Dave had to pull over a couple times on the way there). Of course we ate salmon sashimi for dinner, which was delicious!