Day 1-Nelson

***Our holiday vacation was jam-packed!  I've decided to back-blog for each day we were gone since I took so many pictures and did so much!***

Our first day of our holiday started early, taking a cab at 6:30 in the morning to meet the bus for the major bus ride of the journey.  We traveled by coach bus up the east coast of the south island, from Christchurch, with a few stops, all the way up to Nelson.  In total, about 7 hours travel time.  It was a long day, and I struggled with motion sickness, but we finally arrived.

Nelson is a spectacular artsy beach town on the top of the south island, much smaller than Christchurch, with a population of about 40,000.  We arrived here mid afternoon and settled in.  Already, the weather is warmer and more consistent than Chch.  We walked through the city's center, browsed the cute shops, and toured their cathedral.  My favorite part of our short time in Nelson was eating at Go Mexico!  I had been craving Mexican food for a long time, and had already planned on eating at this restaurant well in advance.  It wasn't the best Mexican food ever or anything, but it hit the spot.  We headed back to the hostel for an early night in...getting ready to head out to Abel Tasman the next day!