The North of the South

Our permanent residence paperwork has finally been processed! Now we have to take our passports to Christchurch to be stamped. Yipee! Then they send us guidelines on how to be a Kiwi, and we’re in.

In our plight to decide where to settle in New Zealand, we made our way to Nelson after hopping off the ferry that took us from the North Island to the South Island. Nelson is where most ex-Boulderites settle, and it’s obvious why. The weather is perfect for outdoor activities, and the town is easy to walk or bike around. This would be a great place to live.

After a few days, we drove about 50 minutes outside Nelson to a town of seven thousand called Motueka. Amy was excited that there was a Rudloph Steiner kindergarten and primary school there. Like Nelson, they had organic food stores and a great feel to the community. This would be an even better place to live.

After Motueka we drove to Takaka, which is over a mountain pass down in the Golden Bay. For some reason, Amy was worried that Takaka would be an even better place to live than Motueka. It seems that her fears are real. Takaka is a small town of just over a thousand three hundred. There’s a fair bit of farming surrounded by lush mountains. This is what the surrounding landscape looks like…


Great bushwalks …


The beach isn’t far. This is on the way to the Abel Tasman National Park, about half an hour outside Takaka…


And plenty of great climbing. There isn’t any skiing here though, so we may have to learn kite-surfing instead.

Nightlife you ask? We didn’t notice any discos, but they have a little movie theater. Here’s what Friday night on the Takaka’s main drag looks like… Okay – Takaka’s only drag.


We had an awesome breakfast at a cool little café called Wholemeal Café. It was expensive, but the food was fantastic.


It’s a great place to sit and relax on a Sunday morning with a cup of coffee.


Takaka is largely made up of people who have decided to move here and make it their dream home instead of people who are here by default, so the community is very engaged. Now we’re off to Christchurch to claim our visas, hoping to return soon.