Nelson Bays

Photo: Dilaudid, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Photo: Javiersanp, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Essential Destinations

Nelson

Photo: AlasdairW, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Nelson is the second oldest settled city in New Zealand and the oldest in the South Island. It is in a region often known as Nelson Bays or the "Top of the South" and is actually slightly north of the capital city of Wellington in the North Island.

Abel Tasman National Park

Photo: Wikimedia, CC0.

Abel Tasman National Park is in the Nelson Bays region of the South Island of New Zealand, between Golden Bay and Tasman Bay.

Kahurangi National Park

Photo: Kiwibrew, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Kahurangi National Park is a national park near the northwest corner of the South Island of New Zealand. At 4,520 km² it is the second largest of New Zealand's 13 national parks. Since 2007, the park has been on the tentative list for world heritage.

Destinations to Discover

Golden Bay

Photo: Knipptang, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Golden Bay is a very beautiful, relatively untouched and quiet area at the northern end of the South Island of New Zealand that is often missed by travellers.

Collingwood

Takaka

Onekaka

Nelson Lakes National Park

Photo: Zoharby, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Nelson Lakes National Park is in the South Island of New Zealand, at the northern end of the Southern Alps. It was created in 1956. The park contains beech forests, multiple lakes, snow-covered mountains and valleys created by glaciers during the ice ages.

Motueka

Photo: Samuel J Arnold, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Motueka is a town in the Nelson Bays region of New Zealand's South Island that lies close to the Motueka River. Nearby beaches are very popular with holidaymakers, and the area around Motueka has one of the country's highest annual sunshine-hour indices.

Wakefield

Photo: Mattinbgn, CC BY 3.0.

Wakefield is a small town in the Nelson Bays region of New Zealand's South Island, 25 km south-west of Nelson. This travel guide also cover the town of Brightwater, 4 km east of Wakefield.

Murchison

Photo: Tournasol7, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Murchison is a small township in New Zealand on SH6 between the West Coast and Nelson. It has a small selection of cafes and restaurants.

Mapua

Photo: Hollahollaholla03, Public domain.

Māpua is a small town in the South Island of New Zealand. It is to the west of Nelson on State Highway 60 and on the coastline of Tasman Bay. With a thriving wharf and commercial area, Māpua has grown in popularity for visitors, with numbers swelling the region over the summer months.

St Arnaud

Photo: Podzemnik, CC BY-SA 4.0.

St Arnaud is a settlement in the Nelson Bays region in the north of the South Island of New Zealand. It is the gateway to the Nelson Lakes National Park.

Nelson Bays

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