Christ Church and the Queens Gardens.....

After quickly unpacking I set off with Tim, his supervisor and two colleagues as they were walking into town to start their conference activities. I figured I would walk in and get a lay of the land. We quickly found the conference venue and they were off. From there I back tracked a little bit and had to smile, thinking to myself, "Yes! I'm in Sunny Nelson and can do whatever I strikes my fancy!". With that in mind I started walking farther into the center of town and there I saw a beacon of hope. Starbucks. A jolt of caffeine over ice propelled me around town for the rest of the afternoon. When Tim and I traveled to Europe in 2013 to attend multiple conferences I researched each locale we would visit and make a list of things I wanted to seek out if I had time. I did the same for Nelson and so I whipped out my phone to peruse the Google map I had marked up. I smiled when I saw three stars on the map within very easy walking distance.

The first was Christ Church Cathedral, not to be confused with Christchurch, the city, located farther down the South Island. Set at the end of the pedestrian mall, Trafalgar Square, I spied the stone steps leading up to the cathedral. I started climbing and marveled at the hordes of agapanthus that seem to grow on every surface in Nelson. This is another flower that, when I lived in the US, I only saw arranged in floral bouquets. Gorgeous!

Multiple paths at varying levels circled the Anglican church and after a few minutes of climbing the stairs I was staring up at the cathedral. Taking in the stone carving, piers, gargoyles and stained glass I made a circuit of the place. Surrounded on all sides were lushes trees, vines and flowers, sunlight streaming through the mass. It made for an idyllic locale.

After visiting Christ Church I reconsulted Google maps and found the second star to pursue: the Suter Art Gallery. I had read about this one and wanted to take a peak. Alas, I was thwarted to find the place torn to shreds! A little disappointed I moved on to the third star that was the Queens Gardens. Nelson's own botanical gardens were quaint but lovely. Complete with a duck pond, rose garden and plenty of lush green grass where lots of people were reading, sunning or playing with their kids.

I wandered around all the paths and then found myself staring at the Huangshi Chinese Gardens: a definite highlight!

Leaving the gardens I saw that the Suter Art Gallery I wanted to visit had moved to a different location. So with a bit of energy left I set out for the new address. Upon arrival I found the place "in progress" and obviously not ready for business. I'd say that's false advertising. With that in mind I decided to call it a day and headed to a nearby grocery store to grab a few things for breakfasts and snacks.