Nelson

Nelson, known as the sunniest place in New Zealand, is a port town on the northern coast of the south island. It really does boast a warm and pleasant climate and is situated on a large bay. Claire's parents live in Nelson so we took a few days to visit, strategize about our impending road trip, eat good food, and search for a suitable campervan to buy.

Nelson is situated an hour away from Abel Tasman National Park. A stunning coastal track with frigged turquoise waters. We only walked for a day on the track but found it beautiful and enjoyable. The track meanders through coastal forest and lush ferns. One of the most memorable things about the track was the deafening sound of cicadas as you walked.

This whitebait fritter is a New Zealand specialty. Whitebait are juvenile fish caught in nets at the mouth of rivers. They are eaten whole and the entire body of the fish is clear or white besides the black eyes.

The fish stare back at you as they fry

We ended up buying this 1993 Toyota Estima from a Chilean fellow who was traveling New Zealand on working holiday visa. He was ending his trip after a few months of picking apples and working at a ski resort. The van was comfortable and came with all of the essentials for camping.

A photo of our Estima in Fjordland