Nelson – The sunniest place in New Zealand

Nelson is the sunniest place in New Zealand. There are three popular National Parks in Nelson – Abel Tasman National Park, Nelson Lakes National Park and Kahurangi National Park. I have completed one of the Great Walks in Abel Tasman National Park. The Heaphy Track in Kahurangi National Park is another Great Walk in New Zealand that I wish to conquer one day – this is one of my to-do list in New Zealand! 🙂

I had done something different in Nelson, as this is the first time that I did Help Exchange. It means that I worked for a kiwi family for 3-4 hours per day in exchange for free foods and accommodations.

I was surprised when I first came into this family. This is a house with a big garden and a lot of fruit trees. The view of the house is so lovely, and it has plenty of places for the kids to play their toys. This is exactly the house that I dream of – how good if I could live in such place with someone I love.

The host gave me a choice to stay in the bedroom or in the truck. I chose to stay in the truck with a Germany lady:

Oh my god! I LOVE THIS! This is extremely romantic! Although the truck is very small, it is compact and it has everything you need (except a toilet). It would be even more romantic if I am the one who build this with my love. Then I would tell him all my stories in the small little zone, and also listening to his story endlessly.

I had become a gardener. My job is weeding, molding, replacing mat, etc… I thought weeding is easy but it requires much strength that I expected! I am quite guilty because I can’t really do much for them, because my outdoor skill is zero. Anyway this is a great experience for me.

I enjoyed chatting with the kiwi family. From the conversation with them, I understand that many Kiwis would love to live in Nelson because it is a sunny place; however most of them are a bit struggling to survive in Nelson because of the lower income. I am not sure if this is true, but I definitely believe that Nelson is a lovely place to live in.

I hike on the “Centre of New Zealand”. It is a popular and short walking track in Nelson. It is claimed as being the geographical centre of New Zealand, sounds quite interesting isn’t it? From here, you can view the spectacular scenery of the city:

I met my friends. It is such a small world! We went to Miyazu Japanese Gardens.

In summary, Nelson is a good place to go if you are interesting in hiking or walking. If you are a backpacker looking for free accommodations and free, you might consider Help Exchange. It is a good way to experience local life apart from saving you money on foods and accommodations. The two most popular help exchange websites are http://helpx.net/ and http://www.wwoof.co.nz/.