Ōtautahi / Christchurch Daily Photo

We stayed quite a few days in Nelson – at least four. It’s such a lovely spot and so easy to get around on bike and because we had our bikes with us that’s what we did a lot of. In fact we spent over 3 hours just cycling around Nelson discovering spots we’d probably not find otherwise. Nelsonians are really lucky with their dedicated bike lanes in some parts of the city (such as the rail link). As we cycled so much I left my big camera at home and just took phone snaps

Roses at Queens Gardens – a small garden but perfectly formed.

One of our bike rides involved getting ourselves to the WOW Muesum to see the amazing wearable art costumes. They also have a stunning collection of classic cars.

On the way back from the WOW Museum we ended up cycling to Tahunanui Beach. I didn’t fancy pushing my bike through the sand, so we just had a quick look and left.

Nelson has its share of interesting street art.

I recognised straight away that this art work was from Roa.

Another cycle adventure involved finding the Japanese gardens and discovering there was a massive food festival on next door!

The Chinese garden section of the Queens Gardens.

One of the cycleways we explored – it joins up with the scenic Maitai river that runs through the city.

A swimming hole (Black Hole) we probably wouldn’t have found if we stayed in the car – locals would know about it, but we’d have never found it.