NELSON LAKES NATIONAL PARK - St Arnaud.
Nelson Lakes National Park was established in 1956. This park consists of 102,000 hectares of the northern most Southern Alps and offers tranquil beech forest, craggy mountains, clear streams and lakes both big and small.
There are a variety of walks available which allow you to enjoy the beauty the park has to offer; Lake Rotoiti walk, Lake Rotoroa walk, Flowers Brothers walk, Tavers Abine circuit and Angelus Hut tracks.
Please visit the website below for information.
Location: Access from St Arnaud, 1-2 hrs drive from blenheim or Nelson.
Price: free, tours will charge
Hours: 24
Web: http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/national-parks/nelson-lakes/
Photo courtesy of Touism Media
KAHURANGI NATIONAL PARK
- Kahurangi National Park
Kahurangi is New Zealand's newest national park, Created in 1996. It spans a distance of 452,002 hectares and is the second largest. The park offers a diverse landscape of untracked wilderness, with a wonderful network of tracks allowing you to explore wild rivers, high plateaux and alpine herbfields, and coastal forests.
Location: Kahurangi National Park, access from Motueka, Takaka, Karamea, Tapawera and Murchison.
Price: free, tours will charge.
Hours: 24.
Web: http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/national-parks/kahurangi/
Photo courtesy of Go Visit New Zealand
TAHUNANUI BEACH - Nelson
Tahunanui beach is located 5km's southwest from Nelson city. The beach has limited surf and is most popular for sunbathing and swimming. The beach has an adjacent fun park for fun for the kids and family and has good facilities; kiosk, car parking & toilets. The beach has surf lifesaving services during summer and school holidays.
Location: Nelson CIty.
Price: free
Hours: 24
Web:
Photo courtesy of Surf Lifesaving NZ
NELSON MEMORIAL PARK - Nelson
The Nelson Memorial (ANZAC) Park recognizes Nelson's contribution to the world wars. The park is centred with the iconic Cenotaph which memorialises those who gave their life in service. In 1957 the memorials inclusion of names to its plaques was finalised, the memorial was formally recognised in 1958 and relocated in 1988 from Halifax St bridge to Anzac Park. It consists of 15 tonnes of concrete.
Location: Anzac Memorial Park, Motueka, Nelson.
Price: free
Hours: 24
Web:
FALLS RIVER SWING BRIDGE
- Abel Tasman National Park
The falls river swing bridge is a length of 47m and crosses the falls river situated between Torrent Bay & Bark Bay on the Abel Tasman Track.
Its location is considered the most picturesque part of the Abel Tasman Park.
The walk from Bark Bay to Anchorage Bay is 11.7km's.
Please use the web link below to see a map of the location.
Location: Abel Tasman National Park, Abel Tasman Track.
Price: free, tour operators and taxis to location will charge.
Hours: 24, times vary for tour operators and taxis.
Photo courtesy of alpenz, Flickr
KAITERITERI BEACH - Kaiteriteri
Kaiteriteri Beach offers gold sand, is handy to Abel Tasman National Park and is situated 13 kilometres from Motueka. The beach & area are popular for its beautiful beach and clear blue-green water. There is a motor camp, motels, a general store and a restaurants available. From here you can access a walking points; Withells Walk and Kaka Pah Point.
Location: Kaiteriteri, 13km's from Motueka.
Price: free.
Hours: 24
Web:
Photo courtesy of nicola k barnard
TORRENT BAY - Abel Tasman National Park
Torrent Bay is situated in Abel Tasman National Park, next to Anchorage Bay. The bay offers white sand and clear water in a temperate climate. The bay is a popular camping site and holiday spot with access from the abel tasman track or by tour operator or aqua taxi. Please use the link below for a map of the Abel Tasman Track and its location.
Location: Abel Tasman National Park, Access by track, kayak, tour operator or taxi.
Price: free, tour operators and taxis will charge
Hours: 24, taxi times vary as do tour operators.
Photo courtesy of Rod St. Amand and Kathy Johnson
Helpful Links
Nelson/ Tasman Sights
Nelson, Richmond, Motueka,
Abel Tasman National Park, Collingwood, Takaka, Brightwater, Murchison, Mapua
Ian Trafford
HEAPHY TRACK - Kahurangi National Park
The Hemphy Track is considered one of New Zealand's great walks. The track offers 82km's of scenery you would never have seen over an excursion which takes around 5-6 days. There are tours available for those not wishing to go it alone, for those that are there are camp sites and accommodation huts available along the way. The track diverts off onto other tracks which decend down to the many beautiful bays you'll discover, remember to take your simming gear and some bug spray for the occasional infestation of sandflys.
Location: Kahurangi National Park.
Price: free
Hours: 24
Photo courtesy of The Abel Tasman
TE WAIKOROPUPU (PUPU SPRINGS)
- Golden Bay
The Pupu Springs, situated just 7 kms from the nearby township of Takaka in Golden Bay, are held in high regard to Maori for their Spiritual healing and considered the second purest body of water in the world (visually), second only to water found beneath Antarctica’s near-frozen Weddell Sea. Worth a visit but due to the Tapu (sacred) being placed on the spring by Maori you are not able to enter.
Location: Takaka Valley, 7 km's from Takaka Township, well signposted.
Price: free
Hours: 24
Web: http://thegrid.co.nz/realestates/te-waikoropupu-pupu-springs/
Photo courtesy of sharmon33, Flickr
HARWOODS HOLE - Nelson
Harwoods Hole is New Zealand’s deepest vertical shaft and the Southern Hemisphere’s deepest sinkhole. The long rope descent is considered one of the most spectacular parts of the caving experience at Harwood’s Hole with an overall massive depth of 357 m – and if you want to get in, then you have to abseil a heart-stopping 183 metres. The way back home is caving the spectacular Starlight Cave.
Location: State Highway 60 to the near top of Takaka Hill, follow an unsealed 11 km side road to Canaan Carpark, from there take the track 2.9km's to the hole.
Price: free
Hours: 24
Photo courtesy of www.southern-edge.com
STARLIGHT CAVE - Takaka, Nelson
Starlight Cave is part of the Harwood cave system which issues from the marble of Tākaka Hill and flows into the Tākaka River. In October 1959, cavers looked for a way through to the subterranean stream that was found at the bottom of Harwoods Hole, on Tākaka Hill. Starlight Cave was named by Kevin Blythell, and refers to the play of reflected light from the first explorers’ lamps on the crystal floor and walls.
Location: lies at the head of The Gorge Creek Takaka, or access from Harwoods Cave.
Price: free
Hours: 24
Web:
Photo courtesy of www.teara.govt.nz