KEY POINTS:
When it comes to choosing a summer holiday destination - particularly if Auckland is still wrapped in that frequent grey rain - one sentence recommends Nelson very strongly: One of the highest number of sunshine hours a year in New Zealand.
That's a nice, big tick in a
very important box - a chance to avoid reliving those childhood Coromandel summer camping trips in which you wake to find yourself bobbing around the tent on a lilo.
But whether you opt to tent it or book in at a luxury lodge, there is something intrinsically old school about summers in Nelson.
The food, coffee and wine have improved but the seemingly endless white sand and blue skies of Tahunanui Beach - Tahuna to the locals - are the same.
And if you do want to recapture those summer beach camping holidays of old - particularly if the kids are with you - it's hard to go past Tahuna Beach Holiday Park. Not only is the beach a short walk away across the tussock-strewn sand flats, so is a hydroslide park, Natureland zoo and skateboard park. So there's enough there to keep the kids amused in between swims in the sea.
Tahunanui is a short drive west around the bay from Nelson city. It's close enough to make for a great walk if you're up to it - but leave it until the evening when the heat has gone out of that ever-present sun.
The road - which can get backed up with traffic in peak times - winds around the waterfront, past the legendary, must-visit-although-pricey Boat Shed Cafe seafood restaurant perched enticingly over the water. Follow the footpath as it clips the edge of Nelson port as you veer towards town.
The Nelson region is to the South Island what Coromandel peninsula is to the north, and it's not just the beaches. Like the Coromandel, Nelson is home to a thriving creative community and it wears its beautifully designed heart on its hand-crafted sleeve.
The city's main shopping area is nicely balanced between the usual chain-stores and fabulous boutiques selling locally made jewellery, food, art and clothing. And if shopping for local goodies is your thing, then ensure you're in Nelson on a Saturday, which is market day.
The Nelson market, which started long before the nationwide farmers' market explosion, is one of the best in the country. It's in an open car park in Montgomery Square, just behind the main drag of Trafalgar St, from 8am to 1pm.
Here you'll find some of the best coffee anywhere, as well as a vast array of fresh veggies, bread, fruit, cheeses and gourmet foods - it's an excellent place to stock up if you're catering for yourself - as well as designer clothing, jewellery, art and crafts. Get there early and be prepared to take your time mooching around the many stalls. And if you want to fully explore Nelson's creative side don't miss the stellar Suter Gallery or the world-renowned Hoglund Art Glass International Glass Centre, beyond the city fringes at Stoke, which offers glassblowing and bead making demonstrations and classes.
On the way, at Richmond, any arts geek should stop at the World of Wearable Arts Museum near the airport.
Nelson was the birthplace of the annual Wearable Arts competition before it grew huge and left home for the bright lights and big city of Wellington. But its beginning is well remembered and the museum has a gorgeous - and sometimes startling - collection of wearable arts.
In the same buildings, check out the Classic Cars Museum, which has 50 vehicles spanning 300 years - an excellent way to keep most members of any family entertained simultaneously.
Richmond is the gateway to wine country. You can either book a tour with one of the several operators working the area or pick up a WineArt map from the airport or information centre.
This route explores 25 boutique wineries in a region traditionally known for great chardonnay and pinot noir, and increasingly for pinot gris and riesling.
A third option is to do a little of your own research and then just wing it.
Take a drive through Richmond and keep heading west.
Some of the larger vineyards are signposted from the main road to Motueka - start with one and see where you end up. It's beautiful, green, rolling countryside that's sublime to get lost in.
From the cluster of vineyards west around the coast from Nelson you can either head back to sample more of the city's sunny attractions or keep heading into the sunset.
The drive along the Tasman Bay coast is a gorgeous pilgrimage through small seaside towns and settlements Mariri and Motueka, and onward towards the glass-like azure waters of Abel Tasman National Park, Marahau, Kaiteriteri and eventually Golden Bay.
A congregation of some of the country's most beautiful beaches. And the perfect destination for hunting down the classic Kiwi summers of our childhood we all seem to be so keenly chasing.
- DETOURS, HoS
