South Street.......

Before I moved to Australia I spent five years living in Nelson which is at the top of the South Island in New Zealand & I guess being a typical *City Girl* the pace of life was just way tooo slow for me. My parents bought motels there when I was 16 & I can still see the day we left Christchurch with me sitting in the back of our car tears rolling down my face as I was about to leave behind everything & everyone I held near & dear to me. I never looked on it as a new adventure, all I could see was that we were moving to a poky little town (it is actually a City) where I knew no one & my life as I knew it was rapidly coming to an end. What I did love was the motel which was a beautiful 3 storey house with its own ghost thrown in just to make life a bit more interesting! Down below us was this cute little street that I fall in love with on first sight, a tiny little street with tiny little run down cottages all in a row. This street & these cottages were the start of my eyes being opened to the beauty of Nelson & the oh so many old homes that dwell there. When I went flatting my first house I rented was a beautiful old house as was my second & I knew the first house I bought would have to be old as well. So when I went home in March my mum & dad took me to see South Street & I never imagined the surprise that was awaiting me!
A friend of my mum & dad's had bought the last remaining cottage in the street & as this ladies previous home was huge & she does a lot of entertaining the cottage was too small for her so started the complete renovation of the house. Looking from the street these cottages always seemed tiny to me an ideal place for one person to live but in fact out back there is quite a lot of land to extend on which most of the owners have done. I fell in love with these quaint little cottages all over again when we were given the guided tour of Elspeth's home, it really is stunning. Two extra bedrooms & a bathroom have been added on out the back with large windows along the hallway for extra light. The renovated kitchen is just to die for in fact there was nothing about the house I didn't like, not even the black front door. So come on a guided tour with me & let me show you my most favourite tiny street with cottages that have been lovingly restored......

Alspeth's new hallway...

The back entertaining area....

The main bedroom with french doors.....

The kitchen is on the right.....

The front of the cottage.....

My mum & dad standing at the start of the street, the building

are shops & where the window boxes are is some very lucky guy's

office......


Gotta love the bench out the front....

Love the red door..... (pity about the car out front)

Always wanted to own this one just love it......



Oh so sweet......

They have my picket fence.....

Loving this one as well......

Just gorgeous......

Could just move right in to this one.....

Another view of my favourite one.....

Sweet sweet sweet......

One of the best tucked in at the end of the road......

Dreamy gelato colours.....

Well there you have it, so what did you think can you see yourself living in one of these restored cottages in a tiny street 2 minutes walk from town, myself Id move there in a flash! If you ever find yourself winging your way over the waters to New Zealand you just have to put Nelson on your *to see* list, believe me you wont regret it.....

Hoping your having a great day....