What to do there

From Nelson it's easy to access any of three national parks. Abel Tasman National Park is a coastal wonderland of sea, sky, rocky headlands and bright golden beaches. The Nelson Lakes National Park is set in beautiful scenery among the mountains and valleys south of Nelson city. The park features beech forests and the beautiful jewel-like lakes, Rotoiti and Rotoroa. Kahurangi, New Zealand's second-largest national park, it has three- to four-day hiking trails. There is everything to do here for the adrenaline junkie: Kayaking, river rafting, mountain biking, horse riding etc. Nelson has fine beaches and a sheltered harbour. The harbour entrance is protected by a Boulder Bank, a natural, 13km bank of rocks transported south from Mackay Bluff via longshore drift. The bank creates a perfect natural harbour and with Nelson’s fantastic beaches water is inevitably a big part of the local lifestyle - but so is music. There is the biennial Nelson School of Music Winter Music Festival, plus the Adam New Zealand Festival of Chamber Music and the annual Jazz Festival. Taste Nelson festival at Founders Heritage Park highlights gastronomy, the Festival of Opportunities features alternative health and lifestyle possibilities, while the Suter International Film Festival screens 20 non-Hollywood films in late May to June every year. The Nelson Kite Festival takes advantage of the reliable sea breezes that blow inland.

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