NELSON HERITAGE PARK

Today I went for a walk and stumbled across the Founders Heritage Park, completely by accident as I didn’t know it existed.  I went through the gate and found that entrance was free to residents of Nelson, I have been here so long I must qualify, I signed in the book as a Nelsonian.

What a great place, like a museum town, neatly laid out and well kept.  They even have a micro-brewery, café, sailmaker, shops selling artwork, a working church that was relocated to the park.  It being early morning I didn’t partake of the ale but had a fresh ginger beer that was almost as good.

There is even a large vintage plane that some brave soul landed on the adjacent beach before dragging it to its present site.

Nelson city was named after the English Admiral Lord Nelson.  All schoolboys of my era were taught the Battle of Trafalgar history where Nelson unfortunately lost his life.  And every schoolboy also learned that his last dying words to Hardy were “Kiss me Hardy’.  Historians are convinced he actually said, ‘Kismet Hardy’.

Anyway, Lord Nelson was a seriously famous person, won numerous high profile sea battles and was a true hero.  Before the battle of Trafalgar where the English fleet destroyed the combined Spanish and French fleets, he ran up the signal ‘England expects every man will do his duty’, these words were also drummed into us schoolboys.

A number of the streets in the City of Nelson are named after Nelson.  There’s Trafalgar Street after the battle of Trafalgar.  Nile Street after the battle of the Nile where Nelson dealt to the French Fleet and upset Napoleon.  Hardy Street, named after Thomas Hardy who was Nelsons flag captain and may or may not have kissed him.  Victory Square, named Nelsons flagship at the battle of Trafalgar.  (HMS Victory is the oldest warship in commission with the Royal Navy.  She is open to the public in Portsmouth and well worth a visit).  Vanguard Street, named after Nelsons flagship at the battle of the Nile, and it goes on.

Forty miles up the coat is D’Urville Island.  There we have Port Hardy, Trafalgar Point, Nile Head, Nelsons Monument and Victory Island.  The whole area is hero worshiping Lord Horatio Nelson.

The weather is still very unsettled with fronts charging across the Tasman.  But I am eager to get moving again.  Tomorrow I will have another look at the forecasts and decide where to head next.