Spring Break winners plan return holiday
Sue and Brian Bell. Photo: Neil Wilson
Sue and Brian Bell are Golden Bay’s newest self-appointed tourism ambassadors.
The Blenheim couple won a recent Nelson Tasman Tourism promotional competition and their prize was a spring break in Golden Bay, including accommodation at the Little Greenie in Wainui, fishing at Anatoki Salmon, a Farewell Spit Eco Tour and dinner at the Mussel Inn.
“I love entering competitions,” said Sue, “and this prize couldn’t have come at a better time for us because of a recent bereavement. We’ve had three days of absolute bliss. The weather, the people—everything we’ve seen and done has been just glorious. Little Greenie is just a glorious, beautiful place.”
Sue was especially enthusiastic about their fishing experience at Anatoki Salmon.
“Fishing is not anything we’ve ever been interested in before, so it took us by surprise. If you’d asked me to list the top 20 things I’d like to do, catching a salmon would have been about number 25. But it’s just such a beautiful place. We both thought it would be just an ideal place to take a family.”
The Bells had been to Golden Bay “many many years ago”. Brian was involved in Ornithology Society activities at Farewell Spit and had met one of his hosts, Paddy Gillooly, through that work.
“I never thought I’d be back taking a guided tour of the spit in one of Paddy’s flash vehicles all these years later,” said Brian. “Our driver Murray was very good, a passionate host. You couldn’t help but share his enthusiasm for that fascinating place.”
Sue and Brian say that they think tourism in Golden Bay has achieved a nice balance. “It’s obviously a tourist centre,” said Brian, “but it’s not a nasty one where things are tacky and people get ripped off. I guess it’s almost forgotten because of the Hill, but it means that you don’t feel obliged to repeat the Queenstown or Rotorua experience.”
Sue agreed. “Our dinner at the Mussel Inn was a unique experience. The food was great and so was the beer. It felt just like dropping into a family barbecue. We both thought we could just see our kids really enjoying themselves there.”
After catching up with old friends Frank and Berna Soper, the Bells went home to Blenheim to spread the message about the attractions of Golden Bay and to plan their return here.
“You need a minimum of a week to do this place justice,” said Brian. “A fortnight would be better and a month would be just ideal.”
Neil Wilson
