Where We Be
| Nelson & Picton, New Zealand |
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We stopped in Nelson on our way to Picton to enjoy a few
of the sights in this hilly city. We particularly enjoyed our
visit to the World of Wearable Art (WOW) museum. This
unusual collection houses “fashion statements” created by
zany Kiwis. The more creative the costume, the better. The
annual televised contest has become a big event in New
Zealand. A mock “runway” at the museum (actually a
conveyor belt) brought mannequins forward one at a time
displaying different costumes to the seated viewers. Our
favorite outfits included a dress made from thousands of
colored paper beads, another featuring hundreds of
disconnected Barbie Doll heads and bodies, and another
made from hundreds of white golf tees. The zany Kiwi
sense of humor came through loud and clear at WOW.
The small town of Picton is home to the inter-island ferry
that runs between North and South Islands. It’s a pleasant
harbor town with just enough shops and restaurants to
keep people happy while waiting for their ferry. We visited
the Edwin Fox Maritime Museum there, which houses the
beat-up hulk of the Edwin Fox, ninth oldest ship in the
world. It is the only survivor of the sailing ships that once
brought settlers (or convicts) to New Zealand and Australia.
of the sights in this hilly city. We particularly enjoyed our
visit to the World of Wearable Art (WOW) museum. This
unusual collection houses “fashion statements” created by
zany Kiwis. The more creative the costume, the better. The
annual televised contest has become a big event in New
Zealand. A mock “runway” at the museum (actually a
conveyor belt) brought mannequins forward one at a time
displaying different costumes to the seated viewers. Our
favorite outfits included a dress made from thousands of
colored paper beads, another featuring hundreds of
disconnected Barbie Doll heads and bodies, and another
made from hundreds of white golf tees. The zany Kiwi
sense of humor came through loud and clear at WOW.
The small town of Picton is home to the inter-island ferry
that runs between North and South Islands. It’s a pleasant
harbor town with just enough shops and restaurants to
keep people happy while waiting for their ferry. We visited
the Edwin Fox Maritime Museum there, which houses the
beat-up hulk of the Edwin Fox, ninth oldest ship in the
world. It is the only survivor of the sailing ships that once
brought settlers (or convicts) to New Zealand and Australia.
| The harbor at Picton |
| We liked the small harbor town of Picton, ferry gateway to the South Island |
| Fashion Kiwi style at the World of Wearable Art (WOW) Museum |
| A big surprise was this prototype of Tolkien's "One Ring" at the entrance to the WOW museum |
| Robin in front of the Edwin Fox -- the ninth oldest ship in the world |
| Close-up of the teak hull with iron reinforcements |
| This modern inter-island ship will ferry us to the North Island when we return to Picton on April 9 |
| We drove to Richmond (near Nelson) to taste Harrington Stout, the same beer drunk by the hobbits in the movie |
| Partial list of convicts transported to Australia by the Edwin Fox |
| The hull is still in decent shape after 150+ years |