Nelson is a city on the eastern shores of Tasman
Bay, and is the economic and cultural centre of the
Nelson-Tasman region. Established in 1841, it is the
second oldest settled city in New Zealand and the
oldest in the South Island.
Nelson received its name in honour of the Admiral
Horatio Nelson who defeated both the French and
Spanish fleets at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.
Many of the roads and public areas around the city
are named after people and ships associated with
that battle and Trafalgar Street is the main
shopping axis of the city. Inhabitants of Nelson are
referred to as Nelsonians.
Together with the town of Richmond, the Nelson Urban
Area has a population of around 60,000 ranking it as
New Zealand’s 9th most populous city and the
geographical centre of New Zealand.
Nelson is well known for its arts and crafts, and
each year hosts popular events such as the Nelson
Arts Festival. The annual Wearable Art Awards began
near Nelson and a museum, World of Wearable Art, is
now housed close to Nelson Airport showcasing
winning designs.
Nelson's Māori name, Whakatū, means 'build',
'raise', or 'establish'. Nelson is one of the few
New Zealand cities to have its own flag.
The Nelson Tasman or "Top of the South" region is
administered as two unitary authorities by Nelson
City Council and the (much larger in geographical
area) adjoining Tasman District Council,
headquartered in Richmond 15 kilometres to the south
west. It is between Marlborough, another unitary
authority, to the east, and the West Coast Regional
Council to the west.
For some while, there has been talk about
amalgamating the two authorities in order to
streamline and render more financially economical
the existing co-operation between the two councils,
exemplified by similar action in the creation of
Nelson Tasman Tourism,a jointly owned tourism
promotion organisation.
Nelson has beaches and a sheltered harbour. The
harbour entrance is protected by a Boulder Bank, a
natural, 13 km bank of rocks transported south from
Mackay Bluff via longshore drift. The bank creates a
perfect natural harbour which enticed the first
settlers although the entrance was narrow. The wreck
of the Fifeshire on Arrow Rock (now called Fifeshire
Rock in memory of this disaster) in 1842 proved the
difficulty of the passage. A cut was later made in
the bank in 1906 which allowed larger vessels access
to the port.
The creation of Rocks Road around the waterfront
area after the Tahunanui slump in 1892 increased the
effects of the tide on Nelson city's beach,
Tahunanui, and removed sediment. This meant the
popular beach and adjoining car park was being
eroded (plus the sand dunes) so a project to replace
these sands was put in place and has so far proved a
success, with the sand rising a considerable amount
and the dunes continuing to grow.
Suburbs
Annesbrook, Atawhai, The Brook, The Glen, Inner
Glen, Hira, Monaco, Richmond, Stoke, Tahunanui, The
Wood
National parks
Nelson is surrounded by mountains on three sides
with Tasman Bay on the other and the region is the
gateway to Abel Tasman National Park, Kahurangi
National Park, Lakes Rotoiti and Rotoroa in the
Nelson Lakes 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 Mounts
Owen and Arthur, which hold the largest and deepest
explored caverns in the southern hemisphere.
Transport
The Nelson urban area is served by State Highway 6,
which runs in a north to southwest direction. The
highway travels through the city and nearby town of
Richmond, continuing southwest across the plains of
the Wairoa and Motueka Rivers.
Nelson is only one of two major urban areas in New
Zealand without a rail connection - the other being
Queenstown. The Nelson Section was an isolated,
3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) gauge, government-owned railway
line between Nelson and Glenhope. It operated for 79
years between 1876 and 1955. The only sign of rail
activity in Nelson today is a short heritage
operation run by the Nelson Railway Society from
Founders Historical Park using their own line
between Wakefield Quay Station and Grove Station.
The society has proposed future extensions of their
line, possibly into or near the city centre. There
have been several proposals to connect Nelson to the
South Island rail network, but none have come to
fruition.
Nelson has four bus routes within its urban area,
forming loops into the city's suburbs from a hub at
Wakatu Square. There is also a separate service to
Richmond which is outside Nelson's official
boundaries but which is often considered part of the
Nelson urban area. Both InterCity Coachlines and
Nakedbus.com provide daily services into Nelson from
around the South Island.
Nelson Airport is located southwest of the city, at
Annesbrook. The airport operates a single terminal
and 1,347-metre (4,420 ft) runway, and is the
fourth-busiest airport in New Zealand. Approximately
1.2 million people use the airport terminal annually
and the airport averages 90 aircraft movements every
day, with a plane taking off or landing every 4.5
minutes during scheduled hours. It is primarily used
for domestic flights, with regular flights to and
from Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington. Nelson
Airport is home to Air Nelson, which operates and
maintains New Zealand’s largest domestic airline
fleet and was also the headquarters of Origin
Pacific Airways until their collapse in 2006. Sounds
Air offers flights from Nelson to Wellington. In
2006, the airport received restricted international
airport status to facilitate small private jets.
Culture and the arts
As the major regional centre, the city offers many
lodgings, restaurants, and unique speciality
shopping such as at the Jens Hansen Goldsmiths where
"The One Ring" in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
was designed.
Nelson has a vibrant local music and arts scene and
is known nationwide for its culturally idiosyncratic
craftsmen and women. These include Potters, Glass
Blowers (such as Flamedaisy Glass Design and Höglund
Art Glass Studio & Gallery), Fibre Spectrum
Handweavers & Fibre Artists' Studio and dozens of
Wood carvers using native New Zealand Southern beech
and exotic macrocarpa.
Nelson is a popular visitor destination and
year-round attracts both New Zealanders and
international tourists.
The Nelson Saturday Market is a popular weekly
market where you can buy direct from local artists.
Art organizations include the Suter Gallery and
Nelson Arts Festival.
The Victory Village community received the 2010 New
Zealander of the Year award for Community of the
Year.
The first rugby union match in New Zealand took
place at the Botanic Reserve in Nelson on 14 May
1870, between the Nelson Suburbs and Nelson College,
and an informative commemorative plaque was
renovated at the western edge of the grassed area by
Nelson City Council in 2006.
Festivals
Music lovers may attend the biennial Nelson School
of Music Winter Music Festival, the Adam New Zealand
Festival of Chamber Music and the annual Nelson Jazz
Festival.
The Taste Nelson festival at Founders Heritage Park
highlights this region's gastronomy, the Festival of
Opportunities features alternative health and
lifestyle possibilities, while the Suter
International Film Festival screens 20 non-Hollywood
films in late May to June every year.
The Nelson Kite Festival takes advantage of the
reliable sea breezes that blow inland from Tasman
Bay across Neale Park each afternoon with kite
lovers arriving from around New Zealand and from
overseas.
Architecture
Unlike many towns and cities in New Zealand, Nelson
has retained many Victorian buildings in its
historic centre. The South Street area has been
designated as having heritage value.
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