Kevin's Guide to Nelson, New Zealand - Visiting Nelson (South of Nelson)

- Nelson South

- Accommodation

- Transportation

- Gay friendly
businesses
- Media and
Entertainment

Spectrum (Nelson) Inc.

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Nelson South

Following the main road south from Nelson (state highway 6), you pass through Richmond , Brightwater and Wakefield before heading further south to leave the region.

Looking south over the suburb of Stoke towards Richmond and beyond.
Click on the above photos for the bigger view - they will open in their own windows.

Richmond

Richmond (population of approx 8,500) is just a short hop south of the City, but 15Km from the centre of the city.

Richmond Park
This park is better known as the local racecourse. Both the Nelson Jockey Club and the Harness Racing Club (trots) hold meetings here each summer and winter, complete with full off-course and on-course T.A.B. betting facilities available.
Each November, the Nelson Agricultural and Pastural Association holds its annual show here, with trade displays, animal and produce competitions and horse riding/jumping competitions, not forgetting all the fun of the fair and "side-show-alley", held over a two day period. The one time each year that the country comes to the city and the city flocks to meet the country.
Washbourne Gardens
These public gardens are on grounds next to the historic Washbourne Home (not open to the public) and are best known for their large begonia house display.
Höglund Glass
This glass blowing family business has its own outlets around the world. Open to the public every day.
Wineries
There are a number of wineries in the Nelson area and Richmond is at their heart. Some very good wines come from here, and quite a few have on-site sampling and buying.
Take a non-drinking driver, and spend a day doing the wine trail.
Crafts
The Nelson region is well known for its thriving craft industry. Richmond seems to be at the very centre of this activity with public galleries to be found everywhere.
Craft habitat
The Craft Habitat is a centre where you can find several different crafts-people in the one place. Purpose built, it is on the Nelson side of Richmond, just as you leave town.
Aquatic Centre
The Nelson Aquatic Centre is on the Nelson side of town and as well as lap pools, toddlers pools, etc., there is a wave pool as well which gets cranked up to full power most Friday evenings.
Industries
On the outskirts of Richmond are reminders of the timber industry of the region with the chip-mill, and next door, the medium-density fibre board plant - the largest plant of its type in the world. The steam extraction columns form landmarks for the area, particularly near the southern coast.

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Brightwater

With a population of about 1,000, Brightwater is becoming popular as a place for the locals to live and then commute into Nelson to work every day, despite the main road now running past the edge of town.

Rutherford's birthplace
Brightwater is the birthplace of Ernest Rutherford, winner of the Nobel Prize, and the first man to split the atom, thus starting what we now refer to as the Atomic Age.
Although the house where he was born no longer stands, the site is marked with a memorial which incorporates an absorbing audio and visual display outlining his life.
This site is a very good one for those who are interested in Rutherford - there are photos of his birthplace (both before the present memorial was erected, and as it appears today), photos and information on his life and achievements, and his portrait appearing on the $100 bank note (New Zealand's highest value banknote).
Eves Valley and Timber industry
Just a few minutes out of Brightwater, is Eves Valley, the site of a large timber sawmill and chip mill, a reflection of the huge pine forests to the south and a major source of income for the region.

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Wakefield

Wakefield is a small settlement about half an hour south of the middle of Nelson. It is named after one of the pioneer settlers in the area, responsible for the original settlement of Nelson. Today, among the old buildings which make up the middle of the settlement, is one of the oldest churches in New Zealand still in regular use.

Steam Museum
A few minutes drive up Pigeon Valley, from the middle of Wakefield, is the Pigeon Valley Steam Museum. As its name implies, it is a repository of machinery of all types that are steam powered. Every so often, they fire up the boilers and everything that has been restored and safe to handle the steam pressures is put through its paces, whether it be a sawmill, or a butter churn or small power generator. They also have steam powered traction engines (and associated farm implements) which are taken around the South Island (under thier own power), and small railway locomotives.
The days that they get steam up are infrequent, but are advertised locally, usually only a few weeks in advance.

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Further South

Following the main road south from Wakefield, you head up over the Spooners Range which offers good views back over the forests towards Nelson and Tasman Bay, before dropping down to Kohatu Junction. (on the map above, where the red, brown and blue lines intersect just above the 'k' at the end of the word 'Park' in the bottom left). Here you can follow Highway 61 down the Motueka Valley to Motueka or just wet the whistle before continuing to the Hope Saddle.

The Hope Saddle has a lookout point at the summit with majestic views out over the forests towards the Nelson Lakes National Park, or, in the other direction, towards Mt. owen and the Kahurangi Natinal Park.

When you reach Kawatere Junction, stop and explore one of the few remainders of the rail line that ran from Nelson, and finished just a few kilometres south of here - the Government ripped up the lines in the late 1950s before Nelson's Railway (the first in New Zealand) had a chance to connect to anywhere.PR> Once you have explored the tunnel and the surrounding native bush, you can either turn left onto Highway 63 to St. Anaud and the Nelson Lakes National Park (about 15 minutes down the road) and then carry on to Marlborough, or you can continue on south on Highway 6 past the edges of the Kahurangi National Park (the main road forms the park boundry in a couple of places here) to Murchison before deciding whether you want to continue on to over the Lewis Pass to Christchurch (another 300Km away) or go through the Buller Gorge to the West Coast (a bit over an hour away).

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