An Easters day visiting Nelson Lakes

I could be in Bariloche staring out at Cerro Campanario or maybe one of Switzerland’s gorgeous lakes, but instead I’m at the delightful Nelson Lakes region on a sunny Easter Sunday with my kindle in hand and camera next to me.

Driving down from Nelson, alone with my thoughts (minus a working radio or music from my battery lacking phone) I couldn’t help but be amazed at how beautiful my country is. Morning light shone through the pine and native trees that dotted the road, making me remember driving out to my friends wedding in a silver mine in Sweden…

Light danced across hills casting shadows and highlights like a painting.

Weaving around the corners and hills I was pleased to be driving rather than a passenger (prone to car sickness). Being Easter Sunday morning in New Zealand the roads were pretty dead, so not a lot of traffic, just peace and quiet.

In under 2 hours I arrived at the information centre at Nelson Lakes to find there wasn’t much to do unless you wanted to hike… I’d already hiked through Abel Tasman National Park the day before and took home plenty of blisters, so was hoping to avoid too much walking.

There were however, a few lovely viewpoints and I had my kindle to read by the lakefronts. The water is stunning, clean and clear and when the sun shines it turns a beautiful green colour.

Lunch and coffee was pretty delayed and lacked options, so if you head down to Nelson Lakes, it’s best to take your own food/drinks.

Staring out across the lake there were ducks, kayakers and the odd speed boat. It would have been great to have a kayak to just drop off the top of my car and paddle around in… but no, I had a hire car and no kayak. Still it was pretty relaxing.

Post-lunch (disappointing mince and cheese pie in the end) I ventured on up to an incredible viewpoint high up through a windy gravel road, which at times I wasn’t sure if it was a public road. I picked up a few hikers along the way that looked to be struggling in the heat and made my way up. Coming to the top the view took my breath away.

While there were some good hiking tracks up there, I opted again for the kindle and a bit of end-of-summer leg tanning.

Nelson Lakes is a beautiful region, but it’s one that is worth going to for hiking or kayaking. There’s a few camping spots and a very tiny township called St Arnaud. I was pleased that I made the effort to go down there for a day and as always was blown away by the sheer beauty of the country I live in through places hidden away like Nelson Lakes.