Before we set off there was a lot of work to be done on the boat. In the first instance the caulking on the teak deck needed to be replaced, and the teak rubbed down and oiled. This proved to be an immense task and had to be interrupted on several occasions by the need to fix the bilge pump and the fridge primary pump and a dozen other tasks.
Nelson proved to be a pretty town and we were impressed by the monument to the early settlers. This is a statue of a family group of three, and which listed all immigrants that arrived from England in November 1841. We had lunch in the Boat Shed where Linda and Nolan had been 7 weeks ago and took a drive to Golden Bay through the most incredibly beautiful countryside past wine and apple growing areas. We went inland around Abel Tasman Park and took the hairpin road to the summit with magnificent views across to Nelson and then down the other side to the ocean front. New Zealand continues to amaze us – the countryside is staggeringly beautiful.
As Easter approached, it seemed to be getting colder by the day and so the air-conditioning was converted to blow out hot air instead of cold. We ventured out into the bay to empty the holding tanks but apart from that Moonbeam stayed in her birth for what turned out to be six weeks. With all the maintenance tasks behind us and, in particular, the bilge pump fixed, we were able to start on our trip to explore South Island.
