Nelson Tasman Settlement Support

A Partnership between Department of Labour and Nelson City Council

Nelson Tasman: A rich and varied region

Nelson

The top of the Cathedral Steps looking down Trafalgar Street. Nelson city is the port and business centre of the Nelson Tasman region. From Murchison in the south to Golden Bay in the west, the many distinct communities provide an appealing sense of ‘small town’ familiarity, within a range of geographical diversity.

For visitors to the region, or for locals, there are as many reasons to explore the landscape as there are settlements tucked away in beautiful locations. The map on the inside front cover will show you the location of our townships.
Nelson was founded in 1842. As one of New Zealand’s earliest European settlements. The city is home to New Zealand’s oldest school of music and oldest state secondary school, Nelson College. Nelson city is known for contemporary arts and crafts, with an innovative commercial sector, supported by the strength of primary production in the rural hinterland. Nelson is a popular lifestyle and holiday destination for international visitors and Kiwis.

The central business district of Nelson city has a compact layout and is simple to navigate and enjoyable to walk. Sea views, historic buildings, Queens Gardens, the Cathedral, the Maitai River, Rocks Road and Tahunanui Beach are all striking features of the city.

With a population of around 43,000 Nelson is well served with health and hospital services, excellent educational facilities from early childhood to tertiary, extensive sports and recreation areas and a range of shops, theatres, galleries and restaurants, all boosted by a healthy tourism industry. Farming, forestry and horticulture offer opportunities for rural living on lifestyle blocks and in outlying townships.

Richmond

Richmond has a rapidly growing population, currently around 12,000, and falls within the boundaries of the Tasman District Council, one of New Zealand’s fastest growing districts with a population of around 45,000. Richmond has two primary schools, an established state co-ed college, a Catholic primary school, and a Catholic co-ed college. It also has an expanding retail base, including the region’s largest shopping mall, an aquatic centre, cafés, library, retirement complexes, and health services.

The low mountain range rising behind Richmond forms part of Mount Richmond State Forest Park. Adjacent river valleys with excellent swimming spots are popular for picnics, walking and mountain-biking.  

Brightwater and Wakefield

Brightwater and Wakefield are further west of Richmond, both with growing populations sitting now at around 2,000. They are strong communities with excellent primary schools, all within an easy commute to Nelson.

Nelson Lakes National Park

Further south, Lake Rotoiti, Lake Rotoroa and the surrounding mountain ranges form the Nelson Lakes National Park, a popular area for alpine tramping, skiing, bird watching, fishing, boating and picnicking. About 200 permanent residents live in the township of St Arnaud, where there is a lodge style hotel, an outdoor education centre, a nearby ski area, and a Department of Conservation office with their nature recovery project.

Murchison and Buller

Murchison has a population of around 700. Outdoor adventure and tourism activities now feature strongly alongside farming in this mainly rural economy. The town has an information centre, a new hospital, the recently opened Murchison Sport, Recreation and Cultural Centre and a shopping centre with motels and cafés serving Christchurch-Nelson travellers. Walkways around Murchison explore vantage points, old gold workings and beech and podocarp forests.

The Buller River is a rugged and scenic river providing some of the best kayaking, white water rafting and trout fishing in the country. It flows from Lake Rotoiti through mountainous country to the Tasman Sea on the West Coast. The river valley is mainly native beech forest with some rimu and rata.

Mapua and Ruby Bay

The coastal highway from Nelson to Motueka passes through the main apple growing area of the region, past vineyards and olive plantations. This route has numerous studios, galleries, cafés and wineries. Rabbit Island offers a large picnic area and 11km of sheltered sandy beach with safe swimming.

At the southern end of Mapua is a picnic area and the Mapua wharf. This was once a busy part of the coastal shipping network but is now home to cafés, a small museum, art gallery, aquarium and boutique shops. Mapua is a growing residential area with a population of more than 2,000, its own school, medical centre and small shopping mall. Tourism operators offer boat trips and tours on the Waimea Inlet.

The coastal highway continues along through the settlements of Ruby Bay and Tasman, past the tidal flats of the Moutere Inlet. Kina Peninsula lies on the far side of the inlet and has a picnic ground and boat launching area, while there is a reserve at Ruby Bay for picnicking and camping.

The alternative route between Nelson and Motueka is the Inland Highway, which cuts across the Waimea Plains and the Moutere Hills, which are the two major winegrowing areas in the region with many attractive wineries to visit.

Pupu Springs in Golden Bay. Motueka

Motueka and the smaller townships at Brooklyn, Riwaka, Marahau and Kaiteriteri add another 1,200 to the regional population. Surrounded by hop gardens and orchards, Motueka’s population swells during the apple-picking season (February to May). Kaiteriteri Beach is famous for its golden sands, attracting thousands of visitors each summer.

Marahau offers cafés and services for kayakers and other visitors heading into the Abel Tasman National Park. The Motueka Valley is one of the main entry points to Kahurangi National Park.

Golden Bay

The population of Golden Bay is around 5,000 including the rural areas and smaller townships, with 1,200 in the main town of Takaka. Just out of Takaka is the famous clear water Waikoropupu (Pupu) Springs and in the other direction is Paynes Ford, with some of the best limestone crag climbing in Australasia. While dairy farming is still a mainstay in the local economy, tourism is growing, with cafés, craft outlets and homestays now serving many visitors to the region. Golden Bay is known for its natural, healthy lifestyle and its strong sense of community.

A gannet colony at Farewell Spit. Gold was discovered in the Collingwood area in 1856, sparking New Zealand’s first gold rush. Now, with a population of around 200, this seaside township has a general store, pub, cafés, galleries, a new heritage centre and a range of accommodation and tour operators offering guided trips to Farewell Spit.

Farewell Spit, or ‘Onetahua’ in Māori, is an internationally important bird sanctuary with more than 90 species of sea bird. Every spring, hundreds of thousands of waders, including godwits, knots, curlews and turnstones, arrive from Siberia to join other birds, whose permanent home is the Spit. Access to the Spit is restricted, but there are walking tracks to the base of the dune area and four-wheel-drive tours make regular trips out to the lighthouse.
Puponga Farm Park at the base of Farewell Spit combines farming with the protection of archaeological sites, rare native plants and natural features. There is a café, a former pa site at Puponga Point, and dramatic West Coast surf beaches such as Wharariki.

Whanganui (Westhaven Inlet) is a large estuary on the West Coast, now protected as a reserve, with its surrounding coastal forests. The road continues along the shoreline of the inlet to the small settlement of Mangarakau.