HELLO SUNSHINE

Soaking up the attractions of Nelson

NELSON IS SHELTERED FROM THE PREDOMINANTLY WESTERLY AIRFLOW THAT HAMMERS MUCH OF NEW ZEALAND’S WESTERN COASTLINE. IT ALSO HAS A MORE-THAN-GENEROUS ANNUAL SUNSHINE ALLOWANCE. WHAT LURES VISITORS TO THE REGION OFTEN CONVINCES THEM NOT TO LEAVE WHEN THEIR HOLIDAY IS OVER

MĀORI ON SEASONAL FISHING and food-gathering trips arriving in the 1300s were Nelson’s first and only known inhabitants for hundreds of years. That was until mid-December 1642 when Dutch explorer Abel Tasman, on behalf of the East India Company, sailed in two small boats into coastal waters off what is now Golden Bay. This first recorded encounter between Māori and Pākehā did not go well, with four of Tasman’s men losing their lives after their rowing skiff was rammed by waka.

Tasman didn’t stay, and instead named the area Moordenaers (Murderers’) Bay (which didn’t stick) and sailed away to the north.

Early New Zealand land-brokers, the New Zealand Company, sold the region’s arable land in England where, on paper, it looked nicely farmable. However, when the company actually surveyed it (as ships carrying thousands of settlers were about to arrive), much of the area was found to be in forested hills and mountains and unsuitable for farming.

Today Nelson is known for its good soils and pleasant climate and for its artists and artisan food producers. It is a place for busy people. Sailors, walkers and mountain-bikers have access to vast tracks; recreational swimmers have river swimming holes and beaches galore. There are also many opportunities to get lost - literally - as the region borders three national parks.