Kevin's Guide to Nelson, New Zealand - Visiting Nelson (Things to do)

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Things to do

when visiting Nelson

There are many things for you to see and do when you visit the region. Whether you are a natural lounge lizard, or someone who never stays put in the same place for more than a few seconds, there is something to keep you interested here.
On this page, I will outline some of the activities that are available. The list is only a brief outline of what you can do. More details on some of the activities can be found on the different locality pages - use the links on the top half of the navigation bar on the left to get to these pages and have a good rummage around - you never know what you will find. For full details (contact names/numbers etc.), the Information Offices in Nelson, Richmond, Motueka, and Takaka should be able to help you when you get here and see what the weather is like, as some are dependant on weather/tide conditions.

Parks and Gardens

Nelson city in particular, boasts many public parks, gardens, and historic homes. (You will find a listing of some of the more readily accessable ones on the Nelson page.) Richmond has the Washbourne Gardens, and there is a smattering of others throughout the rest of the region.

Sports

What is your favourite sport? Do you prefer to play an individual sport like golf, against a single opponent (as in tennis) or a team sport? Whatever you prefer, the chances are very good that it can be found here in Nelson, and quite likely in the surrounding district as well.

Golf
For the golf players, there are courses in Golden Bay, Motueka, Tasman (between Motueka and Mapua), Golden Downs (on the way to the Nelson Lakes National Park), Wakefield, and three in Nelson. Most of them are 18 holes, a couple of 9 holes and one of the Nelson ones is 11 holes. Casual players are welcome at most of them and most have clubs etc. for hire.

Tennis
There are public tennis courts in most places - contact the local tennis clubs regarding court bookings (needed in someplaces at peak times) and racquet hire.

Team Sports
Rugby, rugby league, touch rugby, soccer (football for those from Europe), netball, cricket, basketball and softball all have strong followings during their respective seasons with keenly contested competitions in each sport, and several of them have local teams competing in national competitions - and often winning them.

'Adventure' sports
Rock climbing followers have a range of climbs in Golden Bay which are very popular (the locals will be able to help you out with their particular characteristics).
There are at least two major caving systems in the region, along with a few smaller ones. There are usually guided tours available in the smaller ones, but the major Nettlebed Caves and the Mt. Owen System are safest to visit by being part of an organised expedition (see the section on the Kahurangi National Park).

Beaches and other water activities

Swimming, yachting, fishing, surfing, windsurfing all have strong followings with numerous organised clubs and organisations.

Beaches Tahunanui Beach in the middle of Nelson, Kaiteriteri, Sandy Bay (Marahau), Rabbit Island, and most of the beaches in the Able Tasman National Park and in Golden Bay are safe for swimming, and very popular.

Swimming pools
There are public swimming pools in Nelson (year round) and Motueka and Takaka in summer.

Motor sports

During the summer period, the stock car track at Richmond holds regular and well attended meetings with stockcars, midgets, and sidechair classes all taking part, along with an ocassional demolition derby.
The Nelson Car Club periodically has time trials, and hill climbs. There are also regular motorcycle trials and motorcross cross-country races, and a local go-kart club.
All of these provide plenty of thrills and spills for the spectators.

Other land based activities

In winter time, there are several very active harrier clubs and during the summer, athletics has a fairly strong following. Their associated sports of orienteering etc. also have good followings.
Cycling has a good following, as does roller skating with a public rink at Tahunanui Beach. (Note that there are no ice skating facilities in the region.)
Richmond Park is the home of the Nelson Jocky Club and the local Trotting Club. Both of them hold race meetings in the summer and winter seasons, with full on-course (and off-course) T.A.B. betting facilities available.
There are numerous walking tracks and tramps available - some of the more popular ones are described on the other local region pages.

Air based activities

Parachuting
Tandem parachute jumps are available from Nelson Airport (where you get to jump out of an aeroplane attached to an experienced person who looks after the minor details such as what the parachute is doing).

The local aero club also operate scenic flights, and helicoptor scenic flights are available from Tahunanui Beach during the peack of the summer holiday season.
Parapenting and hang gliding also have good followings with several ideal locations for learning.