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

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Spectrum (Nelson) Inc.

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Transport Connections

Getting Here

You have two main ways of getting to Nelson - by road and by air. There is no regular passenger service by sea, and the closest that the railways get to here is 100Km away.

Air
With over 60 flight in and out every day, Nelson airport is the fourth busiest in the country after Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch - the three main international airports in the country. There are regular non-stop flights from Nelson to these three airports every day. You can also fly non-stop to Hamilton, Palmerston North and New Plymouth on selected days. With the connections available through the three main airports, it is possible to reach any other part of New Zealand by air within a few hours of leaving here, and you can be in London (England) within 28 hours of leaving Nelson.

Air New Zealand, the country's main carrier, and a member of the Star Alliance, services all of New Zealand's commercial airports every day. The airline has three subsiduary airlines that fly for them, usung the Air New Zealand colours. The largest of these, Air Nelson, is based here in Nelson. They are phasing out their 33 seat Saab 340 aircraft and replacing them with brand spanking new 50 seater Dash 8 aircraft (a new one arrives every 6 weeks, direct from the factory in Canada after an 11 day delivery flight via Europe and Asia). They fly to Wellington every hour or so, Auckland at least 5 times a day, and every couple of hours to Christchurch.

Road
There are several bus companies which operate a daily (sometimes more than once a day, especially over summer) service between Nelson and Picton (and the Cook Strait Ferry), Christchurch and the West Coast. The Intercity buses arrive/depart from the Suburban Bus Depot in Bridge St., in the middle of the city, while all others use the man bus terminus at the Information Office, also in the middle of town, and only a few minutes walk from the Suburban Depot.

Nearly all of New Zealand's main centres have rental car offices for Hertz, Avis, and Budget rentals, along with a few other smaller companies. Rental cars are readily available at the airports and the ferry terminal in Picton.

Getting Around

The biggest thing to remember in Nelson is that a Public Transport System is almost non-existent. Taxis are readily available, and there is a very limited bus service.

Rentals
As mentioned above, rental cars are readily available in Nelson - the main companies all have offices at the airport, and the smaller companies have their offices on the outskirts of the central business district or near the airport.
The cycle shops in town usually have a small number of bicycles (and helmets) available for hire - remember that if you are cycling, it is compulsory to wear a cycle helmet; failure to do so carries a $75 instant fine, regardless of where you are on the New Zealand roading system, or your age.

Bus
As mentioned above, gettining around by bus within Nelson city is very limited
On the other hand, there are regular services by bus from Nelson to Motueka, Golden Bay, and the Abel Tasman National Park, with several companies operating services at least a couple of times a day - more frequently in summer. Some of these services connect directly with the services from Picton. All of these services operate from the Information Office, in the middle of the city except for the Intercity buses which operate from Bridge St., a 4 minute walk away.

Sea
There are small sea charter companies that operate from Nelson, most economic for large groups.
There is a regular service in and around the Abel Tasman National Park (operating from the beaches), especially during the summer season. These services take both day-trippers (sight-seeing) and those who wish to get to a certain point and walk out a couple of days later.