NELSON Locations
BRIGHTWATER
Brightwater is a town 20 kilometres southwest of Nelson in the
South Island of New Zealand. It stands on the banks of the Wairoa
River and is primarily a dormitory suburb of Richmond and Nelson.
COLLINGWOOD
Collingwood is a small township in the north-west corner of
the South Island of New Zealand cradled by the curve of Farewell
Spit. It is situated in the scenic area known as Golden Bay
27 kilometers north of Takaka, the main township of the area,
and a leisurely 35 minutes drive.
MOTUEKA
Motueka is a town in the South Island of New Zealand. It is
located close to the mouth of the Motueka River, on the western
shore of Tasman Bay. It is, after Nelson and Richmond, the third
largest centre in the region.
The surrounding district has extensive orchards, as well as
growing a variety of specialised crops such as hops. It was
formerly the main centre of tobacco growing when that crop was
permitted in New Zealand. A number of small vineyards have developed
in recent years, one (Neudorf) gaining an international reputation.
Nearby beaches (such as Kaiteriteri Beach and Marahau) are very
popular with holidaymakers, and the area around Motueka has
one of the country's highest annual sunshine hour indices.
It is one of the nearest towns to the Abel Tasman and Kahurangi
National Parks, and has become the base of many tourism ventures
in those parks, as well as Nelson Lakes National Park, and other
recreational areas. Extensive limstone cave systems (including
Harwood Hole in the Takaka Hill area north of Motueka) attract
cavers and rock climbers. Sea kayaking and tramping now attract
many thousands of visitors each year.
The area around Motueka is the home of many artists, especially
potters. New Zealand's longest established communal village,
Riverside, is nearby and has been the home of a pacifist commune
for over sixty years.
The name Motueka, or more correctly Motuweka, is Maori, and
means weka island, the weka being a small bird of the rail family.
MURCHISON
Murchison is a small town in the Tasman region of the South
Island of New Zealand. It lies on the banks of the Buller River,
close to its confluence with the Matakitaki River.
It is a rural service town for the surrounding mixed farming
district and lies on the highway approximately halfway between
Westport and Nelson.
NELSON
The city of Nelson stands on the eastern side of Tasman Bay
at the top of the South Island of New Zealand. Many believe
Nelson has the best climate in New Zealand, as it regularly
tops the national statistics for sunshine hours, with an annual
average total of over 2400 hours.
Nelson has good beaches and a sheltered harbour. The harbour
entrance is protected by a natural breakwater known as Boulder
Bank, which also reduces the effects of the tide on Nelson's
wide beaches. This allows for some of the safest sea bathing
in the country.
Nelson lies close to mountains, and to Lakes Rotoiti and Rotoroa
in the Nelson Lakes National Park, and functions as the gateway
to the Abel Tasman National Park and to the Kahurangi National
Park. It is a centre for both ecotourism and adventure tourism,
and has a high reputation among caving enthusiasts due to several
prominent cave systems around Takaka Hill and Mount Owen.
RICHMOND
Richmond is a town in the Tasman region of the South Island
of New Zealand. It is located 13 kilometres south of Nelson,
close to the southern extremity of Tasman Bay.
Townships nearby are Hope, Brightwater, Appleby, Mapua, Ruby
Bay, Mahana, Upper Moutere, and Wakefield.
TAKAKA
Takaka is a small town situated at the southeastern end of Golden
Bay, at the top of New Zealand's South Island renowned for it's
scenery and organic farming. Located on the lower reaches of
the Takaka River it lies at the start of the winding road which
follows the river valley before climbing over Takaka Hill, linking
Golden Bay with the more populated coast of Tasman Bay to the
southeast. Takaka is 109 kilometers from Nelson City which is
a lesisurely two and a half hour drive. The area around Takaka
Hill is notable for its cave systems, with New Zealand's deepest
cave, Nettlebed Cave located nearby.
TASMAN BAY
Tasman Bay is a large V-shaped bay at the top of New Zealand's
South Island. Located in the centre of the island's northern
coast, it stretches along 120 kilometres of coastline and is
70 kilometres across at its widest point. It is an arm of the
Tasman Sea, lying at the western approach to Cook Strait.
At the bay's western extremity, the land around the bay is rough
and densely forested. Separation Point, the westernmost point
of the bay, is located in Abel Tasman National Park, and separates
Tasman Bay from its smaller neighbout, Golden Bay. To the east,
the land is also steep, with the westernmost points of sea-drowned
valleys of the Marlborough Sounds. D'Urville Island sits to
the northeast of Tasman Bay's easternmost point.
The land between these two extremes is more gently rolling,
and also includes the coastal plains around the mouth of the
Waimea River at the bay's southernmost point. Other rivers to
enter the sea along the coast of the bay include the Riwaka,
the Motueka and Serpentine Rivers. The long low form of Rabbit
Island is located close to the bay's south coast.
The fertile land around the centre of the bay's coast is extensively
cultivated with such crops as hops and fruit. It is also the
most densely populated part of the South Island's north coast,
and several towns and the city of Nelson are all located close
to the shore. The towns include Motueka, Riwaka, and Richmond.
