New Year in Nelson 💃💃

Upon arriving in Nelson, we settled in and explored the area a bit before meeting up with Clara and Lily in the evening. We had met both of them through a WhatsApp group that was created to gather backpackers who would be in Nelson for New Year's. At the time, the two of them were house-sitting, so we met at their house. We had a very nice and fun evening, spent playing games and getting to know each other. They introduced us to the market that takes place every Saturday in Nelson. The next day, we made our way to the city center. The market had various stands from local businesses, offering samples which Madlen and I didn't miss out on. Before heading back, we visited a public art exhibition with a café. We ended the evening at the beach, although it was very windy and almost unpleasant. Late Sunday afternoon, we returned to the city center to watch the preparations for the upcoming festival. Feeling very hungry, we quickly got some fries.

Together with Emilia, whom we also met through the WhatsApp group, we went to the beach for the meeting. Anton, whom we had met in Havelock, was already there. In Nelson, there are certain zones where you cannot drink alcohol after 9 pm, which led to our game of Flunkyball being interrupted by two policemen. They allowed us to finish our open drinks since we couldn't drink alcohol legally on the beach anymore. So, we decided to head into the city, which took almost an hour. Upon arrival, we could see the stage all set up. We positioned ourselves quite close to the front and danced to the music. Behind the band was a large timer. It was only 30, then 20, 10, and suddenly only 2 minutes left. And then, 3..2...1... Happy New Year!!! 🥳🥳🥳 an incredibly surreal feeling! After the concert, we went from bar to bar, and the whole city was in a festive mood. After getting some food, Emilia, Madlen, Anton, and I took the bus back to the campsite around 3 am.

We had a very slow, cozy morning. Madlen, Anton, and I spent the day playing cards and watching movies in the van. In the evening, Anton and I went to the beach to watch the sunset before we all cooked together.

The next day, we had a small hike planned around one of the Nelson Lakes. When we arrived, we spontaneously decided to climb one of the mountains. Since Anton had a phone call scheduled, he had to turn back before we reached the peak. In the evening, we all cooked together one last time before Madlen and I would drive up to the Golden Bays the next day. Before doing so, we met up in the city again because there is a public piano where Anton and I played individually and together. We walked around the city, visited a café, and went back to the art exhibition Madlen and I had visited before. Sadly, we had to say goodbye to Anton before we set off ://