The first place I ever lived in New Zealand was Nelson. It's a small city at the top of the South Island. I am writing this from a motel near the centre of town. Great seventies décor and a little balcony overlooking the cathedral and the park. Next door some oldies are playing bowls and the bells are ringing out from the cathedral belltower.
I arrived here in November 1993 and stayed for 6 months, working in a cafe called Valenos. I worked in the kitchen and learned to cook all sorts of stuff with filo pastry. I also had to cook the steaks which, as a veggie, was pretty daunting. I was rubbish at it and Bernie had to take over! Ivan ran the bar bit of the cafe along with my then partner, Martin. Martin was born and raised in Nelson and his mum, dad and a couple of sisters were living here. A lot of artists and potters live around the area and in the summer the city swells with holidaymakers and fruit pickers. I remember coming here from London. It seemed so small. There was 1 good cafe (sadly not Valenos) and all the bars were pretty basic and small town NZish (white wellies and a meatpack raffle on the bar) but the town was still pretty busy and had a good vibe . Then came the winter and it all changed. A singularly monocultural, conservative feeling pervaded and it seemed that all the people I had made friends with actually lived elsewhere. Wellington beckoned.
Looking at it now, Nelson seems very bohemian and laid-back. More funky cafes have opened and the Saturday market is arty and interesting (Fran's quest for the perfect fudge goes on). The beach area about 5 km out of town is busy and beautiful. As if that weren't enough, it has a hydroslide that is actually open - see Fran's entry 'slide your hide at the hydroslide'.
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