Ethicare Resourcing
Makers, hops and orchards

Food, craft & the everyday

Nelson Tasman Guide · Chapter 8 of 9

Nelson has two things a city of this size has no right to: a serious craft-beer culture and an active community of working artists. Both come from the same place — decades of people choosing to live here and then having to make something.

Hops, beer and wine

Almost all of New Zealand’s hops are grown on the Waimea plain, and that is not an incidental fact — it is why Nelson became the centre of the country’s craft-brewing industry. There are more breweries per head here than anywhere else in New Zealand, and a local culture around them rather than a tourist one.

The region also grows excellent aromatic wine — sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, pinot noir and particularly good rieslings and pinot gris — with cellar doors through the Moutere hills and out towards Māpua. Marlborough is next door if you want more.

What grows here

Apples and pears from the Motueka and Moutere districts, berries, kiwifruit, hops, and olives. Roadside stalls and orchard gates through the season, sold cheaply because there is so much of it.

The Nelson Market on Saturday morning is the region’s fixture and unusual in the country for being as strong on craft as on produce — pottery, jewellery, glass, wood and textiles alongside the vegetables. The Motueka and Māpua markets are smaller and worth the trip.

And the sea: Tasman Bay is a working fishery, with scallops, mussels, snapper and blue cod. Golden Bay is known for its shellfish. Rules on gathering are real and enforced.

The arts community

This is a real thing rather than a brochure line. Nelson has been a centre for potters, glass artists, jewellers, painters and weavers since the 1960s, drawn by cheap land and good light, and the community has compounded ever since. There are working studios throughout the region, a strong gallery scene, the Suter art gallery in the city, and the World of WearableArt originated here.

Practically, for a clinician: it means a small city with a lively cultural life, evening classes and studios you can join, and a social world that is not only sport. That is rarer in New Zealand’s small cities than you might expect.

Eating out and the everyday

Central Nelson
A good, compact scene — Hardy and Trafalgar Streets for restaurants, wine bars and cafés, plus the breweries. Better than the city’s size suggests.
Māpua & Motueka
The wharf at Māpua for a long lunch, Motueka for good cafés and a strong alternative streak. Both worth the drive.
Groceries
All the main chains across Nelson and Richmond. Prices around the national average, with local produce noticeably cheaper.
Specialist ingredients
The weak point. Some Asian and Indian grocers, but the range is narrow compared with a main centre. Check before you commit if a particular cuisine matters — see Finding your feet & your people.

The rhythm of the year

Summer is busy
Abel Tasman, Kaiteriteri and the campgrounds fill from Boxing Day to late January. Locals use the quieter beaches and enjoy February onwards.
Harvest runs autumn
Apples, hops and grapes, and a seasonal workforce arriving with them. The region smells of fruit.
Winter is mild and quiet
The coast rarely does anything harsh, the parks empty out, and the region belongs to residents again.
Joining in is easy
Tramping and cycling clubs, sailing, sport, studios and classes. A small city where turning up is enough.
Limitations
  • Retail is limited. Serious shopping means Christchurch, Wellington or online.
  • Big touring acts and major exhibitions mean a flight. The region’s own festivals fill part of the gap.
  • Specialist imported groceries are hard to find. Most people build up an order a few times a year.

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