Nelson

Otis Redding could have been thinking of Nelson when he wrote Sittin on the Dock of the Bay. The city is nestled into a major bay at the northern tip of the Southern Island. It is surrounded on three sides by mountains, and Abel Tasman National Park lies just to the west. The park is a magnificent ocean refuge, with bays made for kayaking and hiking trails through the forests alongside.

It rained for most of the time we were in Nelson, and our time there was mostly spent on urban exploring. We met up with our friends Bob and Rene, who mostly live in Eugene but have lived in New Zealand over the years. They are musicians, and are very active in the Nelson folk-music scene. We accompanied them one evening to one of their weekly music sessions in a hotel bar. Some Americans, some Kiwis, just playing music and singing.

Nelson is a city of artists and musicians and culture. Opera in the Park is an annual event that celebrated its twentieth anniversary while we were there. The New Zealand National Symphony Orchestra came to Nelson to perform in Trafalgar Park. An evening performance on a delightful summer evening. The park filled up with Nelsonites and their chairs and their picnics. It seemed like half the town was there, with everybody happy and cheerful. And yes, there was some serious opera, but there was also some rock n roll, and country western. It was great to hear the symphony orchestra let loose, and they finished with a stirring version of Hey Jude, with the audience singing along and waving their cell phones.

We also got into contact with some other friends with a Eugene connection. Lora grew up in Eugene, and was (still is) friends with Amber and Amber’s mom Marilyn. She came down to NZ as an exchange student, then came back with a work/stay visa, and she met Drew. Drew is a Nelsonite, and they got married and now live in Nelson with their son Jim. Lora is a teacher and a pedagogy developer, and Drew, who used to be a teacher, now works in a convention and events coordinating business. They came over to our house for an afternoon of conversation. Hopefully we’ll meet up again in Oregon.

The Marketplace

On Saturday morning, we went to the Nelson Saturday Market. It was full of food vendors and crafts people. In Eugene, the Saturday Market is the longest-running market in the USA, fifty years and going strong. The Nelson Market was similar, a little smaller but with the same emphasis on hand-made goods.

Pic’s Peanut Butter

There’s something about peanut butter that is inherently lighthearted and funny. The story of Pic’s peanut butter, though, is a Kiwi success story that reveals a lot about the national character, and also shows what can be done with a lot of hard work, perseverance, and integrity.

Pic Picot traveled the world and did lots of things before landing in Nelson. He started making peanut butter when, in 2005, he bought a jar of peanut butter from the grocery store, brought it home, opened it up to make a sandwich, and was “disgusted” by the amount of sugar in it. He called the customer help line to complain, and was told that “that’s how people like it.” He then went out and bought some peanuts, roasted them in his oven, and blended them in his blender. He started making jars of peanut butter with nothing added to the peanuts except perhaps a little salt, and selling the jars from his garage and at the Friday Farmers Market in Nelson. Soon, his oven wasn’t big enough, so he bought a cement mixer and put a propane burner underneath it, and roasted the peanuts in it.

Soon he hit the road, sampling his peanut butter and spreading the word. New Zealand has three grocery chains—New World, Countdown, and Foursquare. It wasn’t long until all of them picked up the peanut butter, and it became available throughout the country. Now, in the new factory in Nelson that opened one year ago, the crew produces thirty five million jars a year.

We went on a tour of the factory. Who goes on a tour of a peanut butter factory? Well, we were intrigued by the story, and impressed with the quality of the product, and we’re both kind of foodies anyway, so we wanted to see it. Turns out, there were thirty people on our tour, and they give two and three tours a day. It is popular. Pic was warned by partners not to open the factory to tours. “People will come and see how easy it is, then they’ll go home and start their own business.” And in fact, there is no secret to making peanut butter. Get peanuts, roast them, then grind them. That’s it. “Let them,” he said.

Up For A View

Just two blocks from our house is the trail that leads to The Centre of New Zealand. This is a hilltop that was used in some of the first surveys of the country. It may not be the geographical center of NZ, but it is close. There is a park near the trailhead which is used for all kinds of sports, including cricket. When you see a group of guys playing a game of cricket, you do get the feeling that you’re not in Kansas anymore.

Monica turned sixty nine years old in Nelson! We woke up on her birthday to a pouring down rain which lasted until noon. Then we strolled through downtown for a treat, before going out to dinner at The Boatshed. This is an old-time restaurant on the waterfront, specializing in seafood. It was a fun day.

Thank you Nelson for a lovely stay. Now it’s time to head for the beach at Golden Bay.