ELSON is lovely in the summer. When two of the Lucire team were invited to a weekend wedding last month as its MCs, located at nearby Ruby Bay, we jumped at the chance. With the New Zealand summer looking less certain than in previous years, Nelson’s reputation as a sunny and nearby holidaying destination brightened our mood.
   While we were there, Nelson didn’t disappoint weather-wise. The outdoor wedding got into the mid-30s and our final day saw 31·5°C on the car thermometer. And in some respects, Nelson remains a great tourists’ location. However, it’s still a small town that has some of the bad that you need to avoid.
   Last time I came to Nelson, I drove from the Picton Ferry via Marl­borough and the Pelorus Bridge, but this time I decided to fly. The flight is wonderfully quick from Wellington, lasting a little over half an hour. Air New Zealand’s Saab–Fairchild 340 took a path over Tahuna­nui Beach, one of the longest and most pleasant stretches in the country. The beach view already puts

Service varied depending on the waitress. There seemed to be no middle ground: only excellent or poor. However, the chef knew how to make a decent salmon

you in a good frame of mind to enjoy the stay.
   Bear in mind that this is a small airport. You collect your luggage from the trailer of the baggage cart, not from a conveyor belt. My Avis Opel Vectra 2·2 CD—badged Holden in these parts and complete with indicators on the wrong side of the steering wheel to appease Mr Yamamoto—awaited, continuing a very friendly and Hertz-beating reservation process. (This was so good I wrote to the boss of Avis about my happiness—while also sending a letter to the boss of Hertz, until this trip my usual choice, to tell him how his team fell short with a couple of smart-alec phone agents in New Zealand. Avis has proved to be as professional since.)
   While the other members of the gang were lucky enough to get a beachside hotel room, I had left my booking later and found that one old favourite, the Beachside Villas run by a Süddeutsche family, was full for part of the weekend. Instead, I had a confirmed booking via Seekom (which guarantees real-time reservations) for a motel near Nelson Hospital, called Carmel Court.
   Service was excellent though the room’s amenities were rather basic: the television wasn’t totally tuned, for instance. It was a small point: its managers ensured I had a Kiwi tucker breakfast and a copy of The Press the following morning. The principal down side was the proximity of my room to Waimea Road. If booking here, ensure you ask for a suite far from the road. The only disadvantage then is you have a longer walk to the self-service laundry.
   I took the Vectra, with its hard-to-cancel wrongly positioned indi­cators, and revisited Tahunanui Beach, originally suspecting that my Dayton boots would be poorly suited but found that there were no problems. The sand left the leather once I hit the paved car park. It was still as ideal for a stroll as it was some years back.
   I familiarized myself with Nelson’s city centre, refreshing my mental map after a three-year absence. Christ Church Cathedral still marked the centre for me, where most tourists congregated. I had arrived there after 5 P.M., at which time plenty of shops closed. Trafalgar Street still appeared busy with its tourist-magnet restaur­ants and pubs, but there was some more walking to be done first.
   Parking on a side street behind a Mitre 10 hardware shop—and ensuring myself free parking for two hours—I walked toward Hardy Street and discovered the Everyman Records music shop. While most would predict a stripped-down selection from the cities, Everyman attempted—and succeeded—in being different. It even has an online record of its stock at its web site (www.everyman.co.nz) and I picked up a fairly rare John Barry CD for NZ$10.
   As evening loomed, it was Trafalgar Street for dinner. A popular Hardy Street restaurant seemed impersonal and the food too plain. Pomeroy’s Café Wine Bar (276 Trafalgar Street, 64 3 548-7524) proved to be a good place to dine, though service varied depending on the waitress. There seemed to be no middle ground: only excellent or poor. However, the chef knew how to make a decent salmon and salad, while the wine list was very good.

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TOP LEFT: Tahunanui Beach: in the sand is written, ‘Life is good’. LEFT: Nelson city. ABOVE, FROM TOP: Christ Church Cathedral, a city landmark. Works from Höglund Art Glass.