Nelson
Introduction -- Accommodation -- Restaurants/Cafes-- Activities

Maitai River
Maitai River


Introduction:   The Nelson region, blessed with one of the highest number of sunshine hours in New Zealand, fringed by the beaches of Tasman and Golden Bays, and encircled by three widely diverse National Parks, is a very popular place to live and work, or for the not-so-fortunate, to holiday.  Even the region’s hub, Nelson City, exudes an unpretentious, laid-back air, where scores of artists thrive alongside their more commercially minded neighbours.  You’ll find one of the most vibrant art scenes in the country here, and scores of home-based galleries where you can meet the artists personally.  From the beak-like stretch of Farewell Spit in the north, to the alpine perfection of the Nelson Lakes National Park in the south, the Nelson region is packed with diverse scenic delights all within a couple of hours drive of Nelson City.  Heading northwest over Takaka Hill towards Golden Bay, the road skirts the south-western corner of the Abel Tasman National Park, New Zealand’s smallest, but extremely popular, National Park.  Golden Bay, stronghold of alternative lifestylers and artists, nestles under the peaks of the Kahurangi National Park, and stretches northwards to the South Island’s most northern point, Cape Farewell, and the beautiful dunes of Farewell Spit.  South-west of Nelson, the lakes and mountains of the Nelson Lakes National Park mark both the southern boundary of the Nelson region, and the northern extremes of the Southern Alps, which stretches its snow-capped spine down the length of the Island.

NELSON CITY
Nelson City basks unassumingly by the shores of Tasman Bay, in the fertile Waimea Basin.  Its historic single and double storied Victorian villas, built of native rimu and matai, sit proudly overlooking the Maitai River and the Bay, but the settlements which dot the coast towards Motueka and Golden Bay on SH60, are all part of the Nelson experience.  The apple orchards which used to blanket this area have mostly given way to vineyards, and many artists’ studios and galleries dot the route along the coast.  The city is alive with cafes and restaurants, not only in the city centre, but also lining the shore along Wakefield Quay, and at the seaside settlement of Mapua.  The city centre is dominated by the imposing Christ Church Cathedral, which sits at the top of Trafalgar St.  Constructed of local marble mixed with plaster, the cathedral took forty years to complete, and seats 1,200 people.  Beyond the cathedral to the west of Church Hill, the historic South St’s workers’ cottages, constructed between 1863 and 1867, reputedly form the oldest intact streetscape in New Zealand.  To experience the overwhelmingly positive vibes of the city, visit Nelson’s Saturday Market in Montgomery Square, a local institution where artists come to display their crafts, jostling for space amidst stalls selling fresh food, clothes and produce.

 

 

 

 

 

 



Abel Tasman National Park
From Nelson it is a 1.3 hour drive to Abel Tasman National Park