We are an active, retired, couple in our mid-70s (Robyn) and late-70s (Bob) who enjoy travel and would like to travel more. We have one, married, adult daughter, her husband and grand-daughter, living in Christchurch.

We enjoy gardening, walking, reading, e-biking, going to movies (Nelson has great film festivals!) and being involved in various community groups, such as U3A (University of the 3rd Age), Probus, Genealogy, NZ Institute of International Affairs.

Robyn loves the sea and is a diver. She has, in the recent past, been a volunteer with a barque, the Spirit of Adventure, which runs youth development voyages. These days, Bob feels more comfortable on dry land and has become a keen e-biker, an interest which Robyn shares

We have completed non-simultaneous exchanges with a couple in Austria in 2015 and Bath, England, in 2016. We spent time in the midi-Pyrenees, France, in 2017 and Portugal in September, 2018. Following the Covid travel hiatus, we recently spent 42 days in Europe, which included cruises on the Rhone and Seine, with Viking.

We are looking to do a non-simultaneous exchange in 2026 (see earlier.)

Things to do in Nelson / Marlborough

January Jazz festival
April Heritage month
June Founders Book Fair
July-October Various International Film Festivals
October Arts festival starting with a masked parade

In summer cycling, sailing, swimming, hiking and wind surfing are popular. Lazing away Sunday afternoons from Jan- March with Jazz at the Founders Heritage Park (very close to where we live), is popular. The Great Taste Cycle trail takes you over 174 kms of a coastal and inland route. In winter the Rainbow Ski Field is just one and a half hours from Nelson. There are 2 national parks, Nelson Lakes National Park and the Abel Tasman National Park within an hour and a half of Nelson. These have excellent trails and huts, with kayaking and bush walks being popular in the Abel Tasman.