What to do In TASMAN-Nelson Area

There is a ton to do in the Tasman-Nelson region. It is often referred to as “Sunny Nelson” because it has some of the most favorable weather in all of New Zealand. The ocean is very calm due to the sheltering effect of Farewell Spit to the West and the Marlborough Sounds to the East. It is a big shallow bay that is great for swimming, kayaking and boating in the warmer months. There are three national parks in the area, all of which are worth a visit. The main towns are Nelson, Motueka, and Tākaka.

We will go through a selection of possibilities for you below. You can use the map as a reference to the locations.

The National Parks

There are three national parks in the area to consider. Abel Tasman, Kahurangi, and Nelson Lakes. Abel Tasman is a coastal park and easy to access; Kahurangi and Nelson Lakes are mountainous and can present some challenging tramping (hiking) and access. Below is a summary with links to pages with more specifics for each.

Abel Tasman National Park

This park is a must see if you come to this area. It is very different from a lot of the other parks as it is coastal and has some of the most beautiful beaches you will ever see. The walks through the lush bush with tree ferns and other prehistoric-looking plants will transport you to a different world. The bird life is quite good as well and you are sure to see a Weka…and it may steal you lunch if you are not careful.

Located about 1 hr west of Nelson and just north of the small town of Marahau is the park. It can also be accessed from Tākaka through Wainui or Tōtaranui. The main activities here are tramping and kayaking. There is also some mountain biking, but it is limited to winter months and only in a small area of the park. One of New Zealand’s Great Walks is the Coast Track in Abel Tasman and can range from a 3- to 5-day hut-to-hut hike.

We love to go here. It is close, beautiful and the hiking is pretty easy by New Zealand standards.

Nelson Lakes National Park

South of Nelson near the town of St. Arnaud is Nelson Lakes National Park. It is quite an extensive park with some very rugged mountains. There are two large lakes (Rotoiti and Rotoroa) that evidently have some amazing fishing. The vast majority of the park requires multi-day tramps, but there is an extensive DOC hut system in the park. The day hikes are a bit limited, but there are a few that we would put on the “Do Not Miss” list.

The Mt. Roberts Circuit just near Lake Rotoiti is one of the best in New Zealand. It is not an easy hike, but it is very doable if you have a moderate level of fitness. The hike along Lake Rotoiti is wonderful and will fill your ears with amazing bird songs. You can do this as a one-way hike as well by taking a water taxi to the end and hiking back.

Kahurangi National Park

This is one of the most inaccessible parks in the country and a lot of the terrain is extremely rugged and difficult to access. That said, there are a number of options that can be done as day hikes and/or relatively straightforward multi-day hikes. If that isn’t your jam, this probably doesn’t need to be said, there are heaps of total hairball routes that you could go and try and kill yourself on…it is New Zealand after all…harden’ up mate, she’ll be right.

Around Nelson Area

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Golden Bay/Tākaka

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It is worth the drive out to Tākaka and Golden Bay if you have the time. To help you prioritize, we have some assigned some relative star values to them (UK means that we have not done it). It is about a 2 hr drive to Tākaka from Nelson and does involve going up and over the somewhat hair raising Tākaka Hill. If you don’t mind that, there is a huge variety of things to do out there. In is probably worth spending at least one night if you have the time.

Things on the Drive There

Hawkes Overlook: (GPS -41.024076, 172.904727) *****

On the way up Tākaka Hill from Motueka on the left side of the road is a stop called Hawkes Overlook. It is a very short walk out to the lookout which gives you an amazing view out over Tasman Bay. You can also look down on the Riwaka Resurgence.

Riwaka Resurgence: (GPS -41.032985, 172.9011558) ***

Technically this isn’t Golden Bay or Tākaka, but I’ll mention it here as it is kind of on the way. It’s a cool little spot where the water from an underground river pops out onto the surface. It’s a short walk (300 m) in from the car park. It is a sacred spot for the Māori. The native bush around it quite nice, just not very extensive. The one down side of it can be that on a warm day people will swim there. They aren’t really supposed to, but they do. It really takes away from the mystical experience sadly.

Ngarua Caves: (GPS -41.01800, 172.90287) ****

This is a commercial cave located near the top of Takaka Hill. For a long time we avoided it as it costs $30 and just seemed like a tourist trap. Finally, we broke down and went. I will say, it is a pretty nice cave and they do a good job on the tour. The view from the cafe is pretty awesome. So despite our initial misgivings, this has made the list of things worth doing.

Tākaka Hill Walkway: (GPS -41.032004, 172.865484) **

There is a trailhead just past the caves a few kilometers. The view from the top is great, but the overall trail is a bit ho-hum, a bit overgrown and probably not high on the list if you have a busy day in Golden Bay.

Via Ferrata Tākaka Hill (GPS -41.0305663, 172.866437) ^UK

Tākaka Area:

Rawhiti Cave (GPS for trailhead -40.878434, 172.855975) *****

Te Waikoropupū Springs: (GPS -40.845857, 172.77117) *****

Just to the west of Tākaka is Te Waikoropupū springs. This is a sacred Māori site where an underground river emerges to the surface and forms a beautiful crystal clear springs. It a short walk around the springs (30 minutes or so) and there is some great Māori and natural information at the start of the walk. For just a short stop, this really hits above its weight.

Pupu Hydro Walkway: (GPS -40.854078, 172.738214) ****

If you are looking for a bit of exercise and nice walk, look no further. It is about a 10 km look that has some nice views and cool traverse an old water race.

Labyrinth Rocks: (GPS -40.848711, 172.824690) ^uK

A set of cool limestone rock formations that you walk through. I believe it takes 30 or so minutes. We have not been there; from the reviews it seems to be a great place if you have kids or really immature adults.

Cape Farewell/Farewell Spit

This is an amazing area with a lot of cool hikes and bird watching. Farewell Spit is a unique geomorphic feature that is a 29 km long sand spit that has developed at the end of the South Island. A large portion of it is now a nature preserve with very limited access due to large number of nesting birds that make the spit their home. Fur seals, sea lions, and whales are found all along the area.

Walkway Te Papa Atawhai: (GPS -40.520500, 172.742921) *****

There is an awesome 10 km walk along the spit that starts at the Triangle Car Park. The DOC info can be found here. It cruises out about 4 km, across a cool set of dunes and then back along the Tasman Sea. The bird and wildlife is great. We saw bar-tailed godwits, Arctic terns, swans, oyster catchers, herons to name a few. And fur seals. The only logistical complication with this hike is that it is best a lower tides; at higher tides the bay side of the spit becomes difficult to navigate. There are options to make this walk longer or shorter as well.

Gannet Colony Tour: ***

There is a gannet colony at that end of Farewell Spit that is unique. To visit it requires signing up for a tour with Farewell Spit Eco Tours. It starts in Collingwood and drives you out the spit to end where you get to see the old light house and the gannet colony. If you are into birds, the gannet colony was really pretty cool. However, it turns into quite a long day with a lot of sitting on the bus by time all is said and done. It is a bit difficult to schedule because they only have a few days in the year that they have time to drive the bus all the way out back and not get caught by the tide. The company runs other tours on the spit as well, but we havaen’t done them as the hike on the spit was pretty awesome. We felt like it was worth doing once, but wouldn’t do it again.

Cape Farewell: (GPS -40.502071, 172.698430) ****

There is a series of trails that hike along Cape Farewell and the coast. From the car park, it is a short walk out to the view point for the Cape. It lovely little walk. You can continue on the coast on the trail. It goes through some sheep paddocks and can be a bit hard to follow at times. It’s a great add on while you are out that way.

Other Areas:

There are number of trails and camp spots in the area. The Whanganui wetlands area is supposed to be a great birding spot. You can kayak there as well. We have not done this yet, but it is on the list.