11 minute read
WILDING PINE REMOVAL
THE FIRST ZERO CARBON ITINERARY IN NEW ZEALAND
Recently the Nelson Regional Development Agency (NRDA) launched the very first Zero Carbon Itinerary in New Zealand. The idea of this four day trip around the Nelson Tasman District is to leave as light an environmental footprint as possible by using the most environmentally responsible activities, accommodation providers and hospitality places in the area. The 14 businesses featured in the itinerary are all zero carbon certified or carbon positive enterprises. There is no additional cost for travellers to undertake the itinerary as the participants have already offset their carbon emissions.
DAY 1 Your holiday begins with an arrival into the award-winning Nelson Airport, a striking sculptural landmark using passive design principles and built with locally sourced timbers.
spots. After a day out exploring, pick up a hybrid car from New Zealand Rent-A-Car or Hertz, and head into Nelson City for the evening.
The ideal place to toast your holiday and plot your next day’s experiences is The Free House, a converted church and the first climate positive pub in the country.
Here, you’ll find a wide range of delicious craft brews on tap (including the much-loved Mussel Inn beverages), and they even let you bring along your own food! Stocking up on picnic provisions for a night in a pub-church requires a pit stop at Fresh Choice Nelson, a supermarket that specialises in local produce. Look for their ‘less than 200km’ labels to help with your decision making, and don’t forget to include some goodies from Yum
Granola and the Chia Sisters. At the end of the day, sleeping with a clear conscience is easy in a private room with ensuite at the centrally located YHA Nelson by Accents, right on the doorstep of the Nelson Saturday Market.
If you fancy a cycling adventure from day one, The Gentle Cycling Company can combine e-bikes with sage advice as you set off on Tasman’s Great Taste Trail in search of chocolate-box scenery and wonderful new flavours. Or join Wine Art and Wilderness on one of their guided tours around wineries, art galleries or the region’s best nature
DAY 2 In the morning, set off to Mārahau for a full day trip with Abel Tasman AquaTaxi and Mārahau Sea Kayaks, stopping off to grab a coffee from Celcius Coffee in Motueka on the way.
Abeltasman.com offer boating, hiking and kayaking trips in the Abel Tasman National Park, all of which have been
measured and are zero carbon certified. You could choose a Fantasy Island guided trip, taking in the pristine golden coastline to Adele Island and the happy chatter from the abundant birdlife – a direct result of an initiative by local charitable organisation The Abel Tasman Birdsong Trust. The seals lolling on nearby rocks are also worth a visit. A daredevil’s ‘yes’ sees you join Abel Tasman Canyons as you zipline, jump, slide and abseil down pristine waterfalls of the Torrent River in the depths of the national park. If a relaxing experience is more your style, you’re all aboard Abel Tasman Sailing Adventures for a full day on the water or choose a combo that includes seal-spotting and a bit of landlubber time exploring inside the park.
Celebrate a day in paradise at the relaxed waterfront beer garden at Hooked, another local favourite that has measured and offset its operational emissions.
Choices for guilt-free overnight accommodation in Mārahau are abundant. There’s the modern and stylish rooms set amongst beautiful native grounds at Abel Tasman Lodge, with an EV station for charging your hybrid vehicle. Abel Tasman Ocean View Chalets are ideally situated on the doorstep of the national park, where you can make the most of the stunning seaside views from your private balcony. Or, if classic kiwi camping in the village is what you’re looking for, look no further than Marahau Beach Camp.
Breakfast at Abel Tasman Lodge, Mārahau. Kayaking the pristine coastline of the Abel Tasman National Park with Marahau Sea Kayaks. Take advantage of the sea breeze and explore the coast while heading south on Abel Tasman Sailing’s comfortable catamaran.
The Mārahau waterfront and sandspit in the evening.
DAY 3 Do you feel like an exhilarating adventure or a soak-up-thescene cruise along an unspoiled glistening golden coastline? DAY 3 After another restful night in Mārahau, it’s just a short drive to Motueka where you can get a bird’s eye view of the region with Skydive Abel Tasman.
When you’re 20,000 feet up, nothing obstructs your views of the Abel Tasman coastline or the rugged mountains of Kahurangi National Park, an unforgettable almost-end to your trip. Touch down and head back toward Nelson Airport, stopping at a roadside stall for some fresh fruit from the home of New Zealand’s horticulture. The region is home too, to Pic’s Peanut Butter World. The memory of roasting peanuts on their factory tour will stay with you long after you’ve gone, jogged easily every time you open a jar of Pic’s Peanut Butter to slather on your toast.
Whether you’re visiting for a day, four or more, there’s plenty of choice to shape a light footprint holiday in Nelson Tasman. You don’t have to deny yourself anything – travelling responsibly doesn’t mean missing out on delectable cuisine, extraordinary experiences, spectacular scenery and comfortable accommodation. As is often the case, life isn’t about making big changes, but a few small steps can go a long way.
For more details, or to book your trip, please visit www. nelsontasman.nz
SPOTLIGHT ON: MURCHISON
MORE THAN A PIE AND A PISS
Words: Brendan Alborn. I will start off by ‘fessing up to my personal connection to Murchison. I was the fifth generation on the maternal side of my family to be born in Murch. Now, according to my Mum, only people born in Murchison are allowed to call the place Murch. The rest of you get to call it Murchison, and that’s just the way it is. If you’ve met my Mum then you’ll respect this too as you will already know that the dressing down you will receive if you disobey this little edict will melt the skin clean off your face.
Anyway, as I was saying, my great great grandmother, Emily Oxham, was the first pākehā girl born in the Buller in 1873. Even if I did move away from Murchison with my immediate family in 1979, I still have an enduring bond with the place.
For many years when my kids were young we would pass through the town on our way south and I would insist on driving up George Street to show them my former family home. I must have overdone the whole tour of memories thing as the kids started mocking me every time we approached Murchison and would beg NOT to do the tour. They would also say many unkind things about the place being a grey little hole of a place and that if it was not the a$$hole of the universe, then it must be within farting distance of it. My wife’s voice would be loudest among the detractors too. I was therefore greatly surprised when she returned from a three day school camp with her class from Riwaka Primary School last year and said: “Murchison is wonderful. It’s an undiscovered gem and I would really like to go back for a longer visit there soon.” Although I was shocked, I managed to keep the words “I told you so” from passing my lips.
Whoever thought up Murchison’s unofficial promotional slogan; ‘more than a pie and piss’ hit the nail right on the head. While it is unmistakably a perfect place for those things, it has so much more to offer, particularly if you are up for some outdoor adventuring. Although most people only stop for a quick break on their way somewhere else it is also a visitor destination in its own right, and a friendly, quintessential small Kiwi town. The hospitality, friendliness and genuine warmth of the Murch locals is another of its most endearing features. The adventure tourism scene has also brought newcomers to the town adding energy and vibrancy to the place.
Murch also has two traditional Kiwi pubs; the Commercial, and the Hampden, located right across the road from each other. Back in the day my late Grandfather would often engage in a little more re-hydration than was strictly necessary at whichever of these establishments was still giving him credit. Frank, or officially Francis Lyvian Gould, was a great example of a dyed-in-wool local, a fantastic teller of stories and something of a local character. Many years ago my aunty, who lives in Auckland, was talking to a friend of hers who had just driven through Murchison on his way north. This friend of my aunty’s was telling her how he had happened across this funny old fella propping up the bar who was really friendly and told him a number of amazing yarns. “And how is Frank?” my aunty asked to which her friend asked in return: “Oh, do you know Frank already?”
The backcountry is never far away when you’re in Murchison and the area bordering Nelson Lakes National Park is an excellent example. Anybody who attended Nelson College will be able to tell you stories about the adventures they had at the College’s outdoor education located up the Matakitaki Valley. Downies Hut, located about 17km from the carpark at Mount Ella Station, is a (cont’d)
Downies Hut, Matakitaki
At 110m long the Buller Gorge Swingbridge is the longest in NZ
quintessential backcountry hut and is accessible to anybody with a jot of wilderness experience. Lake Matiri in the Kahurangi National Park is another incredibly accessible tramping track and the hut at the head of the lake is modern and only a short walk along the trail. I took my kids on one of their first tramps to that hut a few years back and despite much complaining when we first started out, that tramp has become a much talked about and cherished memory. This includes the unholy dispatching of a huge black possum to the afterlife and wonderful times sitting around the campfire each evening.
Murchison is within spitting distance of some of the finest trout fishing rivers in the known universe including the Buller, Matakitaki, Mangles and Matiri. Any pig or deer hunter out there won’t need me to tell them Murch is ground zero for these hobbies. Murch is also something of an adventurer’s mecca, but unlike some of the more commercialised places, you won’t find yourself wondering how you managed to spend $15 for a glass of beer at the end of the day’s adventures.
Murch is also something of an adventurer’s mecca
Buller Canyon Jet will take you out on what is arguably one of the most picturesque rivers in the whole country. Ultimate Descents offer a really good range of white-water experiences suitable for family groups and thrill seekers.
St Paul Anglican Church, Murchison.
The Buller Gorge Adventure and Heritage Park also has a bunch of activities including gold panning, a zipline across the Buller and New Zealand’s longest swingbridge. For something totally unique, Natural Flames Murchison offers a half day tour to a perpetually burning fire in a nearby beech forest.
Murchison is also the access point for the legendary Old Ghost Road mountain biking and tramping track with the trailhead located along the Buller Gorge at Lyell. To see just how remote and surrounded by untamed wilderness the area is, Murchison Heli Tours offer tours and transport for hunters, fishers, trampers and mountain bikers.
If shopping is more your thing then it may surprise you to hear that Murchison also has a couple of outstanding second hand stores. For anybody with even a remote interest in classic Kiwi memorabilia, Somebody’s Treasure and Rust and Dust are both worth a visit.
As a service town and place where a lot of travellers take a break, Murchison has a number of places to eat. Along with Zen’s Kitchen the Tutaki Bakery a short way along Fairfax Street is another container eatery with a good reputation. Across the road, in what used to be Fred’s Garage when I was nipper, is now Rivers Cafe where you can score an outstanding lamb shank pie. Back on State Highway 6 you’ll find the Murchison Tearooms and Beachwoods; the place to head if you like classic Kiwi style hamburgers. The array of accommodation options may also surprise with three camping grounds and a bunch of motel options including a brand new place on the main drag next to the school.
