Hanging out in Nelson

What a fabulous vacation we are having here in Nelson in spite of the
pouring rain today. Our other crew-member coming down the west coast with us was Bronwyn Hamilton, a beautiful, spunky, up-beat, high energy woman.  We managed to laugh and have a great time during our interesting journey, no matter how much we rolled back and fourth, trying to keep Vera on a straight compass course while being pushed by wind and unsettled seas. With friendly persuasion, along with an exhausted state of being on Sunday night when we arrived, we were met at the dock by Nick, Bronwyn's husband, whisked into the car, and driven up Dodson Valley over-looking the bay we had just come through. Their lovely house is nestled on a hillside, with views from each room and a hot-tub on the deck. We were also met by three incredible exotic cats, Bengal cats, inside, and a room with a view awaited us.  WOW!   Needless to say, we are still here!  Bronwyn and Nick have been so gracious and we feel so very fortunate. Skipper Nick also offered to let us stay on Vera, but, as you can imagine, given the choice, we are still at the heavenly Hamilton House.
     Our first full day was jam-packed with activity. We met Nick in the morning, with his little 5 yr old son,Will, drove around town with them, did a few errands, had lunch, and drove up to his little house on another hill over-looking the bay. Jennifer, his wife, met us with a smile and we had a great visit with her, while planning our next few days. We picked up Nick's van and he drove us over to a beautiful park where we took a short hike up to the Center of New Zealand; it was a wonderful way to get a sense of the city and surrounding land, as well as finally stretching our legs. We drove Nick back to his house and have had the van for transportation since then. That evening, David and I had a fabulous dinner with Adrian and Helen (with s/v Mandala), who also have a beautiful old house up on the hill, over-looking the bay, near where Nick lives. With a colorful garden filled with amazing Buddhas and Bodhisatvas from their travels to India and Indonesia, and exotic gems inside as well, I was filled with a sense of wonderful warmth and peace.  We shared lots of cruising stories and thoroughly enjoyed re-connecting with these two lovely people. Hopefully we can connect one more time this afternoon before we leave tomorrow morning.
     In spite of the dreary weather, we have continued to pack our days full of fun. Yesterday, Bronwyn and Nick invited us to go out on Easy Rider, their 35 ft cat which they charter; we had a great time, embracing the flat ride and easy exhilaration!! Last night, Nick, Jenn, and Will came over with yummy Indian food for our Crew Feast, after David, Bronwyn and I soaked in the hot-tub with the gentle misty rain all around. This morning I have been watching Bronwyn work with great precision on her amazing Gammill long-arm quilting machine, and at noon, we are meeting Darrell Boyle, cousin Lauren's hubby, at a restaurant downtown and will hear all about his fly-fishing adventures on the South Island. We are taking Bronwyn and Nick as well, since he is also an avid fly-fisherman. Darrell is flying out today to do a few more days of fishing on the North Island before he returns back home. How cool that we just happened to be in Nelson at the same time!   
     As you can see, this certainly has been a special time and a great reward for our volunteer delivery trip!  We will cherish the friendships we have made and again reflect on how grateful we are as we fly out for Auckland tomorrow morning early and bus our way back to Sidewinder. We have  a few more days left to be in Opua and then we will begin our trip down the East coast to Whangarei for Christmas.
Love to all and hope all is well.   Suzi and David               
PS.Pictures will follow but we will have to wait to get back to our own
computer.