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Location of Tasman Bay Tasman Bay is a large bay at the top of the South Island. The city of Nelson (for the non-Kiwis, "small town of Nelson") is situated on the southeastern side on Port Nelson. My grandparents live just south in Richmond. The area from Nelson through Tahunanui and Stoke to Richmond is pretty built up, features an airport, and is expanding fast. The region is more rural up the western side of the bay. Mapua, Motueka, and Kaiteriteri and other small towns and villages are home to lots of artisans and craftspeople as well as being centres for the surrounding rural areas. Throughout the area but especially in Kaiteriteri, there are luxurious holiday houses and the population swells during the summer months. |
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East towards Richmond North of Mapua on the southwestern side of the bay, Dad and I stopped in the vicinity of Ruby Bay. This photo is a general one looking east/southeast across Tasman Bay towards Rabbit Island, Richmond, and the Richmond Range. |
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Me by Tasman Bay This picture was taken from the same position as the previous one, but this time looking roughly northwards up the western side of the bay. |
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Me with Rabbit Island in the background Now I get in on the act! Looking back towards Richmond again. |
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Port of Motueka plaque We're now further up the western coast in Motueka. At the site of the former Port of Motueka, there is a small monument. On the visible side, a plaque gives a brief history. On other side, it commemorates the death of a local soldier in the Boer War, the end of said war, and the accession of Edward VII to the British (and by extension, New Zealand) monarchy. The remains of the port, now grassed over, can be seen on the far left behind my shoulder, as can the water of Tasman Bay. The plaque reads "The PORT OF MOTUEKA operated here 1857 - 1916. This wharf was used for the conveying of passengers and merchandise for Motueka and surrounding districts. Here also were jam factories, bulk stores, the Retreat Hotel, a cab stand and residences." |
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Port of Motueka ghost railway site This is a more broad overall view of the port. The remains are grassed over and extend into the Bay in the centre of the picture. In its working days, a timber wharf extended out further beyond this. A ghost railway once ran here: a trolleyway was operated from local businesses to the wharf to carry goods in wagons, and the line ran to the left of the monument and directly down the wharf to the right of the line of trees on the left of this picture. |
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Rusting hulk of the ship Janie Seddon The Janie Seddon was the first ship to fire shots in World War II for the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy, was converted into a fishing vessel post-war, and after proving relatively unsuccessful in that role, it was grounded and left to rust and decay near the Port of Motueka in the Tasman Bay. When you are driving nearby, it certainly stands out! |
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Me in Little Kaiteriteri After Motueka, we headed through Riwaka up to Kaiteriteri. This is taken on the beach at Little Kaiteriteri, just a minute or two south. The erosion that formed the bay's headland is pretty spectacular. Also, although we're not in Golden Bay, we're pretty close, and if you look at the sand, you can see how it acquired the name. |
And to round off this entry, here are my three other pictures from the Nelson area. Before we left on Friday the sixth, we made a point of stopping in Stoke, between Nelson and Richmond, so that I, being the railway nerd I am, could have a look at what's been done with the formation of the former Nelson Section railway line, which ran from Nelson south to Glenhope. It was meant to connect with the national network on the West Coast in Inangahua but a lack of government will meant it was never completed and instead remained isolated. It closed in 1955 after local protests that caught international attention. Part of the ghost railway line has now been turned into a walkway and cycleway.
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Looking towards Nelson This view looks approximately northwards up the former railway line towards Nelson. Although flat here, the line had to climb a mean grade to get over the Bishopdale Hill into the main Nelson station. |
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Me on the rail trail And now here I am on the former railway line! I thought it was pretty neat. |
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Looking towards Richmond This view is looking the other way from the previous two, south towards Richmond. Not far from here, the walkway turns to the right to the Richmond Deviation, a road whose development obliterated some of the old line's formation. |
Coming up next, a tour of my hometown!
