I joined a friend, Stephanie, afterwards in the hope of seeking out a good night spot but drove toward Christ Church Cathedral again. Policemen were helping one group of Nelsonians find their keys and there was next to no trouble in town. We ventured to one of the few pubs open that Friday night, the Victorian Rose Pub ’n’ Café (281 Trafalgar Street, 64 3 548-7631), which proved excellent for a mid­night snack and drinks. It’s known for Tuesday night perform­ances featuring the Nelson Jazz Club. Outside dining was still possible, though there was a bit of a breeze floating through the centre of the city. I didn’t find the nightclubs till afterwards: after discussing the absence of favourable places to dance with Steph and departing back for Carmel Court, I found plenty of Friday night life on Bridge Street. However, it was late and we had agreed to meet at the Saturday morning market in the Montgomery Street Car Park.
   Taking up nearly the whole car park, the market is a haven for find­ing arts and crafts—without the mark-up commonly seen in Welling­ton and Auckland—for which

It is the home of the award-winning Te Mania wines: I instantly delighted in the 2003 riesling, which had been a silver medal winner. It was not hard to see why

the region is known. We both regretted not leaving our wedding gift-buying till the day of the ceremony, for there were porcelain bargains from the local crafts­people.
   We sampled Café Affaire (295 Trafalgar Street, 64 3 548-8295), which I had visited three years before. It still maintained its chalet-like feel and was ideal for a coffee.
   After collecting another bunch of the wedding posse, we headed again to Trafalgar Street and, insistent that I sample every “happen­ing” restaurant in the city, had a terribly disappointing experience at the famous Chez Eelco. Ordering groper and fries—fish and chips—we waited an hour. And this was the day of the wedding and a drive to Ruby Bay still awaited us. The waiter was charming and polite, keeping his promise to hurry kitchen staff. However, his pleas fell on deaf ears for our table and our neighbours, including a couple from Canada, and an American family who made a similar complaint to this. The waiter claimed that the staff was busy—catch­ing the fish on the menu? We wondered.
   Being the MCs, Lucire’s Sally-ann Moffat and I headed off and left our friends—who had 30 minutes more to spare than we did, and we still had to get changed—to pay. They waited another 15 minutes in the queue toward the cash register. We were at a loss as to why ‘The Chez’ had gained such popularity. The groper, incidentally, was not worth waiting for and tasted no different from the fish and chips one might have had served infinitely more quickly at a more downmarket establishment.
   The drive was much more pleasant—the 2004 Vectra’s handling proved superior to its predecessors’ and I was experimenting with the sequential automatic gearbox—though I had to re-download my notes from Ruby Bay. The rush from Chez Eelco forced me to forget them, proving a blessing in disguise: I would no longer be laboured with sheets of A4 as I rewrote my main parts on memo-cube notes. The wedding itself went without a hitch: the couple had had the good taste to hire the Gábor Trio, Nelson’s finest jazz musicians led by Gábor Tolnay, who permitted me to join them for one number, ‘The Shadow of Your Smile’. A full moon that evening punctuated pro­ceedings: we could watch it rise from the Pacific Ocean directly eastward of the house.
   On Sunday, Steph and I decided to play tourist. It was Ruby Bay for lunch—the bride and groom had had enough bread from the reception the night before to stock every church in the country for Holy Com­munion. On this occasion, we could enjoy with a freer mind. We followed it with a visit to Höglund Art Glass (Lansdowne Road, Rich­mond, 64 3 544-6500)
   The world-famous Höglunds—Ola and Marie—had emigrated from Sweden. They were at the opening of their Dubai, UAE store, but gallery manager Rachel McRae confirmed later that they were related to the late art glass designer Erik Höglund (Ola being Erik’s son).
   The Art Glass premises had been fully refurbished, with a hugely expanded retail area. Forty-five-minute tours are available, though there is a $15 charge. Sadly, due to unauthorized publications, the Höglunds have banned photography from the main building: McCrae relayed that there had been tourists, particularly from Asia, photographing every item in the store.
   We sampled the Amadeus Brasserie and Bar (284 Trafalgar Street, 64 3 545-7191), which proved more consistent food- and service-wise than Pomeroy and certainly miles ahead of Chez Eelco. An aromatherapy shop was on the same side of the street and was comprehensively stocked, as I had remembered.
   Being a fashion publisher, I decided to take in the Wearable Arts’ Centre the following day—but that was merely an excuse to sample the car museum. Sadly, there was a photography ban there, too, and $15 for 40 cars seemed a bit steep in comparison with some of the world’s greatest car museums, which did permit photography.
   With my museum-visiting time cut short and with an uneventful ‘Scenic Drive’ (signs are posted in the city, but it is mercilessly brief) over, I went into Nelson’s city centre to visit the stores that had been closed the Friday before. One that I did not regret visiting was the plainly and accurately named Magazine Shop (235 Hardy Street, 64 3 548-3758), which was so well stocked I could pick up a copy of Smithsonian magazine. I also located a talking birthday card but in case its destined recipient is reading this, I cannot divulge its theme. Service fell on the “excellent” side of Nelson shops.
   Stephanie and I decided on one final tourism destination before departing Nelson: the Grape Place (McShane Road, Richmond, 64 3 544-4054), where we sampled Richmond Plains’ beautiful certified organic wine. It is also the home of the award-winning Te Mania wines: I instantly delighted in the 2003 riesling, which had been a silver medal winner at the Air New Zealand Wine Awards. It was not hard to see why; coupled with the courtesy from the Grape Place, Steph bought a bottle.
   There were talks about wine at the Grape Place and a pleasant café and store, but sadly, we had to depart.
   Returning the car proved simple, even if cancelling indicators after a small turn was not. The beauty of the small airport is that it is very personal. An Avis representative came out to collect my keys while I was still parked at the drop-off point: this was one more sign of ‘We try harder.’ Steph, Sally-ann and a few others left on a flight that flew out an hour before mine but the airport was quite pleasant. I typed a few emails on my laptop recollecting the last four days. Nelson is not perfect as a tourist destination, for one has to take the good with the bad. The standards were too variable for those who have become used to other towns touted for their tourism. That may be a sign of its purity and genuineness. Maybe. But given a little more time, Nelson may mature to one of the country’s most desirable destinations. •

Jack Yan is founding publisher of Lucire.

MAIN PHOTOGRAPH: The Grape Place. ABOVE, FROM TOP: A wine discussion at the Grape Place. Avis-rented Holden Vectra. BOTTOM LEFT: Inside the Höglund Art Glass centre.