NELSON

Nelson is home to dozens of fine craftspeople - glassblowers, potters, weavers, and carvers - who have congregated here, drawn by the high-quality raw materials and balmy climate. The mild climate of the region suits horticulture and it is one of the country's largest producers of apples and pears. The Moutere area also specializes in small boutique vineyards, some with cafes. Nelson is one of the older cities in the country. Founded in the early 1840s, it achieved city status early on because of its cathedral. It is well endowed with educational and artistic amenities, with the Suter Art Gallery having a particularly good collection of 19th~century oil paintings.

in the older parts of the city and in the country, particularly in the Waimea Valley around Brightwater and Wakefield, are many grand old houses; one of these at Stoke, now a suburb of Nelson, is Broadgreen, a restored Victorian home set amid extensive rose gardens. Nearby, in Isel Park with its magnificent specimen trees, is Isel House and also the Provincial Museum.

Nelson's sheltered bays and beaches have long been favorite camping spots with South Island families, and unless prior bookings are made you may have problems finding a camp in January. Being virtually surrounded by parks, the Nelson region is a hikers' paradise, containing well known tracks such as the Heaphy and Wangapeka in Kahurangi National Park and the coastal walk in Abel Tasman National Park. In the south of the region, the beautiful jewel-like lakes of Rotoiti and Rotoroa, set amid high peaks and beech forests of Nelson Lakes National Park, offer walks and hikes in unspoilt surroundings.
 

Nelson Golf

The Nelson Golf Club is a prime example of these truths of New Zealand golf. The course is set in the flat flood plain between the Nelson airport and the Tasman Bay, a deceptively calm body of water sheltered from the often churning waters of the Tasman Sea and the Cook Strait. Nelson city is little more than a driver and a 3-iron away from the course. It is a small city (population about 30,000) on the north coast of New Zealand's South Island, and a mere 35-minute flight due west of New Zealand's capital, Wellington. The city is blessed with the sunniest climate in the country, and is tucked between some notable mountains and a fabulous coastline (especially at the Abel Tasman National Park). Despite its small size, the city offers some of the best dining in New Zealand, being the primary urban center of the South Island's wine-producing region which has recently taken on world class status.

See Nelson golf courses: The Nelson Golf Club - The Greenacres Golf Club
 

Exploring the coast

The Abel Tasman National Park, located between Tasman and Golden Bays, is named after Abel Tasman, a Dutch navigator and the first European to discover New Zealand, who anchored in Golden Bay 350 years ago. Most of this unique coastal park of golden beaches, native bush, and rocky headlands can only be seen by hikers, or those exploring by sea, especially in sea kayaks.

The drive to Golden Bay, around the inland side of the park, requires a steep climb over the Takaka Hill, with its strange marble outcrops, large depressions and caves typical of limestone country. The views down into the Takaka Valley and out over the Kahurangi National Park are incredibly spectacular. In Golden Bay you might visit the crystal-clear Pupu Springs or some of the uncrowded golden beaches on th eastern side of the Bay.
How to get there: From Christchurch it's a 45 minute direct flight and there are flights from Wellington. Coach services run from Christchurch and from the Picton ferry terminal.

WEST COAST

When New Zealanders refer to the "West Coast" or the "Coast," they nearly always mean the narrow strip of land hemmed in between the South Island's formidable Southern Alps and the Tasman Sea. The Coast is a largely unspoilt scenic gem with four national parks comprising a World Heritage site. Nature went a bit crazy here - it's a little like the Rockies Switzerland, the Amazon Basin and coastal Alaska all rolled into one. Imagine this typical scene: You are surrounded by lush, dripping, impenetrable rainforest. Before you is a perfectly calm lake reflecting in every detail the view around you. In the middle distance you glimpse a glistening, white glacier disappearing into the forest, and in the background are jagged, snowy peaks, the highest in Australasia.