| Tahunanui
Beach. One of the longest
sandy and gently shelving beach within any city is found here. It has
next to it a very large camping ground which is occupied fully for the
seven week holiday period round January. |
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The
Waimea Plains. Not far from
Nelson are the Waimea Plains. They are intensively farmed for grape,
apples,pear and stone fruit . The Grape Escape, and Weingut Seigfried
winery are both worth a visit and is the glass blowing
studios of
Hoglund Glass. All are within a dozen kilometres of Nelson. |
| The
Boulder Bank. A natural
occurrence, the boulder bank is a distinctive feature which has shaped
the coastline in this region. At the end of the bank a harbour for the
Port of Nelson had been dredged out and the port itself handles fruit
and timber exports . |
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Crafts.
This area has a considerable
number of craftsmen and women and visits to their individual workshops
or their collectives may interest you. Obtain a brochure from the iSite
and this will allow you to choose. ( One that we sometimes visit is by
South St immediately across the road from the Rutherford Quality Hotel.) |
| Mapua.
About twenty five
kilometres from Nelson is the small town of Mapua close to the mouth of
the Waimea River. The old wharfd there has one of the best restaurants
in the province in the Smokehouse. You can have a table inside or out
and have a great view of the estuary of the river. Perhaps you may even
see Hamish, a white heron (kotuku) which spends a lot of time there
since he has worked out that it is a good source of fish. Downriver
from the restaurant is a nudist colony so be aware if you
decide
to walk that way. |
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Kaiteretere
Beach. This Golden sand beach is
located to the north of Motueka. In summer, the camping
ground is full and there are many visitors. Boats leave the beach for
the Abel Tasman Park and the beach itself is gently shelving. |