Nelson Tasman Settlement Support

A Partnership between Department of Labour and Nelson City Council

Recreation and leisure

Cyclists on a cycleway.

The Nelson Tasman region has a high level of recreation activities both indoor and outdoor - and a wide variety of things to do across the top of the South.

Local parks and reserves

Toddler on a swing.

From the Maitai Valley to Queens Gardens to Miyazu Gardens to further afield, there are parks and play areas aplenty across the region. Leisure and fun is priority number one in Nelson Tasman

The Nelson region abounds with heaps of recreation activities, from sporting events to boating and fishing, to shopping, and dining and nightlife.

Hockey, rugby, basketball, soccer, squash, tennis and netball are well represented in Nelson at senior level, with high age-group participation through clubs and schools. Saxton Field, between Nelson and Richmond, covers 73 hectares and is being developed as a complex with 40 playing fields including cricket, soccer, archery and all-weather softball, netball, hockey and athletics tracks.

Rugby

Nelson’s enthusiasm for rugby goes right back to hosting the first ever rugby game played in New Zealand in May 1870, between the Nelson Football Club and Nelson College. The Tasman Makos have represented the region in provincial competition.

Golf

Nelson has a seaside 18 hole golf course as well as several rural 18 and nine hole courses and a driving range. The Nelson City Council Waahi Taakaro golf course in the Maitai Valley offers possibly the cheapest casual game of golf in the world. Murchison has a delightful nine hole course on the banks of the Buller River, and there are also courses at Golden Downs, Takaka, Richmond and Motueka. Tasman Golf course at Kina is pretty stunning.

Local events

Nelson Tasman hosts several high profile sports events, such as the Rainbow Rage - a mountain bike race where 1,500 cyclists traverse the rugged terrain from the Rainbow Valley to Hanmer Springs; the Abel Tasman Coastal Classic run; and the Rollo’s 24 Hour Adventure Race that involves sea kayaking, running, trekking, navigation, orienteering and mountain biking.

The popular entry level Taylors Nelson Women’s Triathlon is matched by the Port Nelson Blokes Day Out and the more challenging Buller Gorge Marathon. Mountain bike events include the Marble Mountain Challenge on the Takaka Hill and the Maungatapu Gold Murderers’ Trail on the hill between Nelson and Pelorus. Murchison hosts the Teva Bullerfest every March, a national kayaking event in the Buller Gorge.