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Located at the top of the South Island, Nelson is one of New Zealand’s sunniest cities and a real hub of outdoor activities.
While Nelson may not attract the same number of international visitors as Queenstown, it’s a true gem and is a popular Kiwi holiday spot. Nelson is especially popular in the summer when people can take full advantage of the amazing beaches!
I’ve spent nearly a year living in Nelson and have explored so many of the regions highlights (like the Abel Tasman National Park and the areas many beaches and hiking trails). If you’ve got a weekend in town, this is how to spend 2 days in Nelson. I’ve focused on the best experiences town has to offer!
Quick Tips for Visiting Nelson
☀️ When to Visit: Jan – Feb for full summer vibes! Nov for decent weather & less crowds
🚗 How to Get There: Renting a car is best – 5.5 hr from Christchurch or 2 hr from N. Island ferry
🏨 Best Hotel: Tides Hotel Nelson
🍴My Favorite Restaurants: Eddyline Pizzaria, Nahm Thai and Lombardi’s Italian
🏖 Best Activity: Kayaking or hiking in Abel Tasman N.P.
Why I Love Nelson
Nelson is a perfect blend of beach town with access to mountains and so many great hiking trails! The town itself is cute and not overly touristy, but for me the real appeal is getting out of the city and into nature!
Nelson is a perfect jumping off spot to explore the top of the South Island, whether you want to take a day trip to Abel Tasman, the nearby town of Picton or the Marlborough Sounds, Nelson is a great home base.
This blog is all about outdoor adventure travel. Almost all my itineraries are going to have some sort of hiking involved, and Nelson is a great spot for all things nature! There are 2 national parks nearby, tons of hiking trails and beautiful beaches. But there are also wineries, the art trail, the classic car museum and relaxing in the sun!
Where to Stay in Nelson
The key to having a good trip to Nelson is having a comfy place to stay!
As a resident of the area I’ve admittedly only stayed at one hotel in town (the Grand Arden) but I’ve listed 2 options here. While I haven’t personally stayed there, the Tides Hotel has a great reputation in town.
The Tides Hotel: The Tides in consistently rated one of the best hotels in town! It’s centrally located so you can walk to nearly everything in town. It has everything you could want from a heated pool to riverside rooms! This is the ultimate treat yourself hotel in town! A riverfront studio with a spa-bath is $350 NZD
The Grand Arden Monaco Hotel: My friend and I spent a night in the Grand Arden and had such a fun girls trip! The hotel is made from beautiful brick and it right across from walking trails and the water. While it’s not right downtown (it’s located near the airport, about a 10 minute drive from downtown Nelson), there is one of my favorite pubs located right across the street! Enjoy a cozy atmosphere in a quiet neighborhood. Rooms start at $185 NZD
Those are the only 2 hotels I would recommend. If you’re looking for a backpackers option, make sure you do your research as I haven’t heard many good things about the hostels in town! If you’re not keen on a hotel, the other option I would explore would be AirBnB or VRBO.
👉 Click Here to Compare Nightly Hotel Rates 👈
Where to Eat in Nelson
There are so many good eateries in town! I’ve narrowed it down to the best of the best. This is where I’d recommend a friend to eat if they were in town for a few days!
Nahm Thai Fusion – Nahm is one of our favorite spots for lunch! It’s located right on the water so the view is unbeatable, and the lunch menu is a discounted version of the dinner menu (we always feel like we’re getting a deal). The restaurant is cute, clean and bright and the food is amazing!
Lombardis Risturante – We love Lombardis for a nice Italian dinner night. The food is incredibly authentic and the waitstaff are so kind! Plus it’s right downtown so it’s easy walking distance to other spots you may be frequenting.
Red 16 – Red 16 is a cozy little cocktail bar, if you’re looking for a late night drink or bite to eat, it’s the best spot open late. They have live music every other Saturday and open mic nights on Thursdays, so there’s often something fun going on there!
Eddyline Pizzaria – The best pizza and beer in town! I am completely biased because I worked here hahaha, but I can tell you so much care goes into the food (and the pizza is woodfired and so yummy) and the craft beers are delicious. Eddyline is just outside of Nelson in Richmond, so it’s a great stop if you’re on the Great Taste Trail or coming from further afield.
DeVille– This one is for all you brunch lovers! Devilles is a hip breakfast/brunch spot with ample outdoor seating and natural light. I am still dreaming about the coconut mango muffin I had there a few weeks ago!
Honorable mention is The Smoking Barrel! It’s a top notch eatery but it’s about a 50 minute drive from Nelson in the town of Motueka, which is why it’s not in the main list! If you’re driving out to Abel Tasman, you should absolutely stop in for the best BBQ in New Zealand!
How to Spend 2 Days in Nelson – Highlights Itinerary
On to the good stuff! This is how to spend 2 days in Nelson, an itinerary based on a year of living here!
Day 1 – Around Town
Take your first day in Nelson to explore around the town center. Here’s a comprehensive overview of what I recommend in and around town –
Center of New Zealand Hike
This is can either be viewed as an easy hike or a hard walk, but in less than 2 miles you can go up to “the center of New Zealand.” This isn’t the true geographic center of the country, but back in the 1870’s it was used as such.
The view from is great as you can see all of Nelson town and out to the water. The hike is part of the Botanical Hill Loop.
The center of New Zealand viewing platform will connect you to a network of trails if you’re keen on continuing your walk! We did the Sir Stanley Whitehead track, which is a pretty trail along the ridge of the hills. You’ll get great views the whole way and the trail ends across from Founders Heritage Park which often has big town events.
Nelson Cathedral
You’ll hardly have to go out of your way for this one! If you’re downtown on Hardy or Trafalger street you’ll easily be able to view the iconic Nelson Cathedral. Located up a flight of stairs, this beautiful building overlooks the downtown and is a popular photo spot.
You’ll likely already be downtown so this should be a quick walking detour to take a look at the architecture and surrounding gardens.
Bonus – if you’re eating lunch or dinner at Lombardi’s you’ll be right at the footsteps of the Cathedral!
The Market
The Nelson Market is a large outdoor market held every Saturday. It runs from 8am – 1pm in Montgomery Square. It’s so fun to stroll around and look at all the amazing goods! It’s a great spot to buy local produce and products (like carrots, honey and the best BBQ sauce!) as well as locally made art and clothing.
Whether you’re looking for a unique gift for someone back home, fresh bread or just to have a look around, this is a top tier attraction! Of course it’s dependent on you being in town on a Saturday…. but there is also the smaller “Nelsons Farmers Market” which runs Wednesday on Halifax street from 8am – 1pm.
Pics Peanut Butter Factor Tour
When I learned I could get a tour of a local peanut butter factory, I knew I was in the right town! I have taken this tour 3 times and I recommend it to everybody! Your $25 NZD ticket gets you an amazing 1 hour tour that is both comprehensive and fun.
You’ll learn about everything from where the peanuts are grown to how they are processed and packaged. The tour is super interactive and informative. Plus you get a jar of peanut butter at the end!
The tours sell out fast in the summer so make sure to book ahead.
Classic Car Museum
A $19 NZD ticket will get you into the 150 car collection at the classic car museum. Even if you’re not a major car lover this museum is pretty sweet! The cars are displayed amongst “sets” which makes the viewing experience all the more fun.
My favorite area is the Americana collection, which has a big 1950’s style ice cream shoppe set right in the middle.
Tahunanui Beach
If you’re in Nelson in the summer (or even in the winter), Tahunanui is the local town beach! The sand is so soft and the beach goes on for miles! You can wade out in the water or go for a swim if you’d like. Keep your eyes peeled for the “Mr. Whippy” ice cream truck in the parking lot during the summer.
Day 1 Sample Itinerary
8am – Up and at ’em! If you’re in town on a Wednesday or Saturday head over to the farmers market first where you can grab breakfast and shop. If you’re not there on a market day consider DeVille for breakfast.
10 am – Center of New Zealand hike and surrounding trails
12:30 pm – Lunch at Nahm Thai
1:30 pm – Pics PB tour or Classic Car Museum. Or if it’s super nice and sunny out head out to Tahunanui beach!
Dinner at Lombardis Risturante!
I personally like to hike in morning and relax in the afternoon, but you could just as easily flip flop this day.
Day 2 – Day Trip to Abel Tasman
To really explore all the Nelson/Tasman area has to offer, a day trip out to Abel Tasman is a must!
This beautiful National Park will have you questioning where you are – I couldn’t believe how tropical it felt. The beaches are golden sand and the water is an inviting turquoise. Not to mention it’s perfect for day hiking, a boat ride or a kayak!
Here’s now to get there and what to do once you’re in the park.
How to Get to Abel Tasman from Nelson
To get to Abel Tasman, you’ll either need to drive or book some sort of tour with private transportation. Unfortunately the public transportation in this area is not very strong and privatized methods are really the only option.
Driving – From Nelson, it’s about a 1.5 hr drive out to Marahau, where the National Park starts. From Marahau you can park in the free Abel Tasman carpark and hop directly onto the Abel Tasman Coastal Track. Or you can utilize one of the many tour operators in the area (like Abel Tasman Aqua Taxi and Marahua Sea Kayaks) to get deeper into the park territory.
Tour Operators – If you’re not going the “do it yourself” route, the best tour operator in the area is Wilson’s. With Wilson’s you can park at their facility in Kaiteriteri (a 45 min drive from Nelson) or they can connect you with a shuttle service from Nelson. You’ll cruise from Kaiteriteri to the National Park by catamaran before getting dropped off to kayak or hike (guided or self paced).
Best Thing to Do in Abel Tasman
For a day trip to Abel Tasman, I recommend some combination of walking and kayaking! I prefer to go at my own pace for these activities, but there’s plenty of guided versions of this itinerary as well.
Hiking – I recommend driving to the “Abel Tasman DOC carpark” in Marahau and hiking to Akersten Bay, which round trip is 7 miles. It’s a rolling hills type of moderate trail and truly not that strenuous. Plus the beach at the end is awesome.
Kayaking – We went with the 1 day freedom kayak rental and I can’t recommend it enough! The staff were super friendly and the kayaking safety tutorial was very in depth. Once we were out on the water we had the full freedom to go pretty much wherever we wanted! You can pull the kayak up on any beach and have a little picnic in a scenic location. Truly a great way to see the park.
Hike & Kayak – Of course you can hike either before your after your 1 day kayak rental, but with Marahau Sea Kayaks we were able to drop our kayak off at Anchorage Bay and then continue hiking from there! If you are hiking back to the carpark at the start of the track, it will be a big day with 2ish hours of kayaking and then a 7 mile walk. But truly a great option for those adventure lovers!
Here’s the 3 tours I recommend, including the freedom kayak rental!
When you’re driving back from the park I recommend making the quick detour to split apple rock. This is a super iconic spot in Abel Tasman and it’s just 5 minutes outside Marahau. From the car park you’ll walk 10 minutes down to the beach.
Day 2 Sample Itinerary
8am – Another early start to the day! If you’ve got a rental vehicle I think it’s best to drive out to the park because it gives you the autonomy to pull over at bonus stops (like local fruit stands) plus the drive is pretty!
10 am – Hike or kayak or both! Check out the 1 day freedom kayak rental here.
TOP TIP – There’s limited food options once you get to Marahau and no grocery store. I recommend packing your own little picnic lunch to enjoy in the park.
Post adventure – On the drive home I recommend either The Smoking Barrel in Motueka or Eddyline Pizzaria & Brewpub in Richmond for dinner!
Final Thoughts
There is truly so much to do and see in Nelson! I expanded on this how to spend 2 days in Nelson itinerary even more in an article I wrote called “Best Things to Do Near Nelson.” Which offers my top 10 sights and attractions in and around Nelson if you have more time.
Seeing as most people only get a day or two in town, I wanted to hit the highlights with this guide. If I only had 2 days in Nelson this is the itinerary I would do. It’s the perfect blend of nature and town time! After living here a year, I still haven’t done or seen it all, despite my best efforts!
Ahoy! I’m Bree and I’ve started this blog to help you plan your next great outdoor adventure. With a background in marine science, I’ve got an aptitude for all things ocean, but you’ll find land based adventures here too! Everything you see here is based on my own travel experience and paid for myself. I hope you stick around!