Nelson is a small city at the top of the South Island and a gateway to three national parks. Abel Tasman opens along the coast to the northwest; inland lie Kahurangi and Nelson Lakes. Many people arrive not to stay, but to continue towards mountains, forest and sea.

Nelson itself deserves half a day. There are apple orchards and local craft breweries; Pic’s peanut butter, which we often buy in Auckland, is made here too. Hammocks even appear along a central city street, inviting anyone with tired feet to lie back and look at the sky.

After landing, a shuttle took us from the airport to collect our rental car. We only needed to reach Mārahau that evening, so we gave the afternoon to Nelson.

Our first stop was Botanical Hill. We followed the loop track to the survey marker known as the Centre of New Zealand. The name suggests a geographical midpoint, but the site was actually an early reference point for surveys in the Nelson district. Katherine crouched beside the plaque and placed her hand on it.

A few steps farther on, the city opened below us. Houses ran towards the waterfront, Tasman Bay was blue in the sun, and distant ranges hovered beyond the water. We had not entered the Coast Track, yet the sea had already appeared.

After coming down, we went to Christ Church Cathedral. Its bell tower rose from the centre of the city, while inside everything was still. Katherine sat in a rear pew beneath the red glow of the cross. The light outside was hard and bright; here, the volume of the day seemed to lower.

From the cathedral we walked through the South Street Historic Precinct. Century-old timber cottages still held their narrow verandahs, weatherboard walls and small street-facing windows. The city had continued to grow around them, but this street had felt no need to become larger.

It had been a long time since the two of us had shared a draught beer. After South Street, we sat down at The Vic Public House and ordered one each. Condensation gathered on the glasses; sunlight rested along the edge of the table. No one was asking us to hurry towards the next stop.

From The Vic we drove to Queens Gardens. The path curved beside the water, a white bridge held its reflection, and several ducks moved past our feet.

Within the gardens is the Huangshi Chinese Garden. A sign explains that Nelson and Huangshi, in China’s Hubei Province, are sister cities. Katherine is from Wuhan, also in Hubei. When she left twenty-three years ago, she could not have imagined finding the name of her home province in a Victorian garden at the top of the South Island.

We stopped beside the commemorative stone. People continued along the path behind us. The ducks had reached the other side of the pond.

Red Chinese characters were carved into the stone: Huangshi Chinese Garden.