Nelson Tasman Delights: A Kid-Friendly Journey to New Zealand’s Sun-Drenched Gem
Nelson Tasman is the closest city to the Able Tasman National Park on the northern tip of New Zealand’s (NZ) South Island and is considered to be the sunniest part of the island. It is the oldest city in the South Island, too. Like many NZ cities, Nelson Tasman is full of outdoor adventure, art, beautiful scenery, and kid-friendly fun.
We stopped in Nelson Tasman for two days on our way east from Wanaka towards Picton on a two-week trip to NZ with our toddler.
Here are some kid-friendly activities in Nelson Tasman you just can’t miss:
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Jump To...
- Hike the Centre of New Zealand Mounument
- Splash at the Tahunanui Beach & Playground
- Visit the Boulder Bank Lighthouse
- Find birds in the Brook Waimarama Sanctuary
- Explore the Founders Heritage Park
- Where to Eat
Getting There
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Nelson Tasman is on the traditional lands of the Māori.
Hike to the Centre of New Zealand Monument
The Centre of New Zealand Monument was built at this very location because it was an important place in the 1800s for surveying the island.
Located on Botanical Hill in the eastern part of the city, the trails to the monument are short, steep, paved, and stroller friendly.
The one-mile roundtrip hike won’t take too long unless your toddler decides to stop and see at every native plant species along the way. Once you reach the top, enjoy a snack on a bench, and marvel at the views of mountains and sea.
Splash at the Tahunanui Beach & Playground
Quinta da Regaleira was my favorite palace in Sintra because it was less crowded than Pena Palace, and full of unique and accessible buildings, gardens, fountains, and grottos.
My kiddos wore princess dresses and danced through the palace grounds, getting “oohs” and “awws” by everyone who passed by.
We enjoyed snacks at the café, looking for cats, and wandering down the famous Initiation Well.
Check out our blog post for tips on visiting Quinta da Regaleira with kids.
Visit the Boulder Bank Lighthouse
The Boulder Bank Lighthouse has protected the port of Nelson Tasman since the 1860’s.
Able Tasman Sailing Adventures offers the Historic Harbor Cruise and Nelson Lighthouse Visit tour to get up close and personal with the Nelson Lighthouse. The short boat ride left Nelson Harbor and took us directly to the sand bank – the small piece of land where the lighthouse stood in the middle of the bay.
Once we landed, my partner and I asked the guide if we could take a walk to get our toddler to nap. The guide was funny and patient with us. He laughed, saying the gulls were nesting and wouldn’t let us get too close. He was right, of course. The gulls started squawking and diving at us along the walk so much that we couldn’t wander too far from the lighthouse. The shore was uneven and rocky and our child did not nap after all. After the walk, the guide unlocked the light house and let us climb to the top and take photos near the lens.
The lighthouse tour costs NZ$130 per person for passengers over 5 years of age.
Find Birds at the Brook Waimarama Sanctuary
Brook Waimarama Sanctuary was highly recommended by locals as a fun place to wander with kids. This preserve provides a predator-free zone to allow native species to return to this part of NZ.
We went for an early morning walk along the clearly marked and paved loop track. My engineer husband was mostly interested in the dams, while I enjoyed looking for birds along the route with our toddler.
Explore Founders Heritage Park
Founders Heritage Park is a historic recreation of the town of Nelson Tasman from when it was founded in the 19th century by European settlers.
We walked in and out of historic buildings, browsed the windmill gift shop, and enjoyed a new experience while we learned a bit about NZ life.
If you arrive on a weekend, hop on the train that cruises around the park. Don’t forget to check out the playground near the café.
Tickets to enter are free for kids under 5, NZ$5 for children ages 5-16 and NZ$11 for adults). Tickets for the train are an extra $4 for children ages 5-17 and NZ$6 for adults.
Where to Eat
The Styx
The Styx is a beautiful restaurant overlooking the Nelson Tasman harbor. The restaurant invites you to “get away from it all” and relax in their ocean oasis for dinner.
We enjoyed the restaurant’s locally sourced seafood cuisine from the shaded outdoor patio with long wooden tables.
The food was great, but watching the sunset over the harbor with a cocktail in hand was my favorite part of the dinner experience. Try their chowder (NZ$20) and fish plate (NZ$34).
Founder’s Cafe
Located inside Founders Heritage Park, Founders Café is known for serving a large range of local and native craft beers as well as delicious café style food (i.e. burgers, sandwiches, baked goods).
Enjoy your drink and vittles in the hop garden while your kiddo plays on the playground. If you do not want to explore the park either before or after your meal, you can let the staff know upon arrival and skip paying the park entrance fee.
Final Thoughts
We didn’t encounter many tourists on our stay in Nelson Tasman. We were, surprisingly, the only people on the harbor tour, and one of the few families at Founders Heritage Park when we visited. Having the tourist scene to ourselves was not the worst, though, as we had the whole lighthouse to ourselves for the entire tour and felt like locals while we explored the city.
I love lighthouses so much that I make it a point to visit at least one lighthouse on each of our adventures, like at Point Cabrillo and Pidgeon Point in California.
Climbing up the lighthouse transported me to my happy place – on a lighthouse, with my baby, listening to the waves crash, the gulls squawk, and the wind blow. I will never forget this moment, and hope to remember that moments like these are why we travel with our littles.
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