Hotels

Relaxed, hospitable, and easy to explore on foot, Nelson has a way of making you feel as though you should stay longer. You can make your way around the mostly two-story town in a day, poking into crafts galleries and stopping at cafés, but two days is a practical minimum. Use Nelson as a base for a variety of activities within an hour's drive of the town itself. Abel Tasman National Park, to the west of the city, is ringed with spectacularly blue waters studded with golden beaches and craggy rocks. To the southwest is Kahurangi National Park, home of the Heaphy Track, one of New Zealand's Department of Conservation's Great Walks. Nelson Lakes National Park, with its alpine lakes and snowcapped peaks, lies to the south.