Nelson rental car companies should do more than hand you a set of keys and leave you to it. They should also give you plenty of ideas about where to explore while you’re here. We will! We have plenty of local knowledge and can advise you on a range of superb day trips that you can make from your Nelson base.
For example, Abel Tasman National Park is just an hour away from Nelson on State Highway 60. While you can do a multi-day walk along the coast, you can also enjoy shorter walks in what we think is New Zealand’s most beautiful National Park. Or, just laze on the incredible golden sands, or try sea kayaking, which the park is famous for. While it is New Zealand’s smallest National Park, the phrase “small but perfectly formed” is well warranted when describing Abel Tasman.
Further up the road from Abel Tasman National Park is Golden Bay. About 90 minutes from Nelson, this is a place beloved by locals and when you visit you’ll see why. To the north of the bay is the iconic Farewell Spit, the country’s longest sandspit. The rest of the bay is a mind-blowing combination of caves, freshwater springs, fishing, horse riding, a vibrant arts scene and scenery that has to be seen to be believed.
Wine lovers can make the relatively short drive to the vineyards and cellar doors of Marlborough. Someone will need to draw the short straw and act as the sober driver, of course, but the drive is a beautiful one and the winery restaurants are well worth a visit whether you’re imbibing or not.
These are just a few things you can do when you come to this part of New Zealand. Most of them are well-known destinations, but they are famous for a reason; they’re wonderful places to visit! But so is Nelson itself. That’s why we recommend you rent a car from us, use Nelson as your holiday base, and do a series of day trips during your holiday. After all, as the weather warms up at this time of year, you really want to be back in Nelson towards the end of the day. A late afternoon dip at one of our beaches followed by an evening enjoying our famous alfresco dining scene is about as good as a holiday gets – and waking up in Nelson, going for a morning stroll and breathing in the ocean air along Wakefield Quay is pretty special too.
Using Nelson as your holiday headquarters means you only have to book one lot of accommodation, and you get the best of both worlds during your holiday: the Nelson experience with some regional exploration thrown in for good measure. Give it some thought and if you agree it’s a good idea, chat with us when you book your car. We are famed for our local knowledge and will recommend some places that might not be as well known but are definitely worth checking out.
