1. Geographical Centre of New Zealand
There seems to be a bit of healthy debate about this at the moment and although the centre of New Zealand on a map looks like it is situated in the midst of the Cook Strait (between the north and south islands), the New Zealand geographical is actually this hilltop which you can access from the city, by taking a short stroll along the Matai River then a short but steep (ish) 15 minute walk up the hill.
At the top, marvel at the 360 degree views of Nelson’s coastal views and learn more from the interpretation panels and trig point at the summit, from which the first New Zealand geographic surveys commenced in the 1870s. Take a picnic or cold drink along as there are a couple of benches at the top for you to get your breathe back at.
2. McCashin’s Brewery / Stoke Brewery
A little outside of Nelson city centre, we made a ‘pilgrimage’ to McCashin’s Brewery (owned by former All Black Terry McCashin), as it has a daily brewery and tasting tour and also produces Stoke Dark, our favourite dark New Zealand beer. Once you’ve worked up a thirst from watching all that beer (or cider) being bottled, stay around and spend some time in the tap-room working your way through their range.
3. Christ Church Cathedral, Nelson
We have included Christ Church cathedral as given its hilltop location at the foot of Trafalgar Street, it dramatically dominates the Nelson skyline and acts as a nice focal point for when exploring the pretty precinct below.
Forty years in the making (construction was started in 1925 and completed in 1965), you can visit by walking up the granite steps (sourced from nearby Abel Tasman National Park) from Trafalgar Street. We visited one weeknight at around 6pm but there was a church service going on which we didn’t wish to disturb – even so, the views from the top are superb and the grounds are nicely kept.
4. Nelson Saturday Market
Based in Montgomery Square and held every Saturday between 8am and 1pm, we really loved the weekly Nelson Saturday market. There are lots of local crafts to be discovered but we enjoyed it mainly because there were so many delicious food offerings (Kiwi and international – we had Filipino fare) at reasonable prices. There is also a farmer’s market held every Wednesday (which we have yet to visit).
5. Tahunanui Beach
Walkable from the city (1 hour) with glorious views of Golden Bay, Tahunanui Beach is spotlessly sandy and plays host to all manner of activities like kite-surfing and kayaking. There is also plenty of parking and picnic benches, so why not take along some ‘fush and chups’ and enjoy some sunset vibes.
6. Nelson pubs
Most of the city’s bars are centred around Hardy Street, but it isn’t the most salubrious of areas, especially when walking along it in the daytime (maybe it comes alive at night?). The one beacon on this street is the Sprig and Fern outpost, one of several bars run by the famous Nelson craft brewery. We also visited the Sprig & Fern bar on Milton Street (more in the suburbs) and were treated to an impromptu Morris Dance performance.
The most unusual yet welcoming bar we came across was The Freehouse on Collingwood Street, as it situated in an old converted church, has lots of local beers on draft plus has one of the biggest beer gardens in Nelson.
We also like the area on Trafalgar Street, as several bars and restaurants have outdoor seating areas in the square, which gets some of the early evening light. We had a couple of pints from the Nelson Mac’s Bar here, whilst enjoying sunset views of Christ Church Cathedral.
7. Nelson Annual Kite Festival
One of our visits coincided with the Nelson Kite Festival, held annually every January (NZ summer) in Neale Park. Now in the 24th year, this is a fun and free activity (donations encouraged) where you can enjoy all manner of huge colourful kites floating in the sky (the year we visited, one of the kites reminded us of a scene from the famous New Zealand movie Whale Rider.
