Intro to Nelson

A microcosm of New Zealand that is off the beaten track in the northwest of the South Island, Nelson has a lot of variety to offer. Much of the land and some of the waters are protected in the 3 national parks - Abel Tasman (coastal), Nelson Lakes (alpine) and Kahurangi (mixture) - as well as forest and regional parks.

What to see?

Unique landforms - ranging from the Boulder Bank in Nelson city, to kaarst landscape on Takaka hill and nearby ranges, granite headlands and golden sand beaches of Abel Tasman. Farewell Spit at the far end of Golden Bay is a major haven for seabirds, and is a big contrast to the nearby wild west coast (eg at Whakariki).

See the many arts and crafts on display all over the region.

What to do?

There are the usual and less usual adventure/adreline activities like flying fox, parapenting, sky diving. For those active, there are many fine walks and tramps in the hills surrounding Nelson - ranging from a short stroll up the Centre of NZ hill, to day walk up Dun Mountain to multi-day tramps.

There is a nice 2-3 day coastal walk in Abel Tasman National Park (tip - walk one way and get water-taxi or canoe back), but watch tide times as a couple of estuaries need to be crossed at low to mid tide. The kaarst limestone formations can best be seen from the inland track.

The Heaphy Track in Kahurangi National Park requires a higher level of fitness and covers a wide variety of terrain and scenery. Allow about 4 days for the walk, plus a minimum of one day at each end to get to/from the remote start and end of the track.

Nelson Lakes National Park has a nice moderate walk (1 longer day or 2 easy days) around Lake Rotoiti, with longer hikes in the back valleys and mountains. Note in this alpine region the weather can change suddenly and snow is possible year round. Parachute Rock is a short day walk from St Arnaud township with fine views. There are very easy walks through the beech forest around the township, and also near Tophouse on the road to Nelson.

Other short walks in the city include Cable Bay, The Glen/Boulder Bank, Maitai Valley, Byrant Range (hills behind Richmond township), etc.

When the weather is good and warm, laze on one of the many nice beaches. Tahunanui Beach is right in the city and focus of many summer activities and festivities. Rabbit Island is a huge beach about 30 minutes drive away towards Motueka, but is closed overnight due to fire risk. Further afield Kaiteriteri and surrounding bays are very popular with deep water only a few metres out and golden sand, nearby Marahau is much shallower but watch out for the large tidal range.

In season you can pick your own berries at many orchards to the south of the city. Mmmm fresh.

As with other wine regions, there are organised wine tours available.

World of Wearable Art museum in Stoke has a great collection of wearable art (the event itself has now moved to Wellington) as well as lots of cars.

There are 2 ski-fields near St Arnaud with relatively short seasons - Mount Robert requires a strenous walk in (or pay to be helicoptered) while you can drive in to Rainbow Valley (chains needed and a rough road).

Where to stay?

There are no major hotels in Nelson. Apart from the centrally located Rutherford Hotel, the hotels are small scale and mostly boutique type. Some B&Bs are award winning. There are also several large motor camps - be sure to book in advance if visiting during December or January as they do sell out.

How to get around?

Public transport is limited and not much help to tourists. There are a few buses running to Kaiteriteri and Golden Bay (Takaka or Collingwood), and to St Arnaud in the Nelson Lakes. Water taxis ply the coast of Abel Tasman National Park and you can pre-arrange pick up at many of the bays (some bays are not possible due to shallowness). Services are more frequent in season (summer for Abel Tasman and Golden Bay, winter for Nelson Lakes).

Major events

Summer festivals run from December through early February.

Tips & tricks


Links


When is the best time to visit?

Best weather - generally good any time due to the sheltering effects of the surrounding mountains
Best music and public events - Dec/Jan
Least crowded - winter