Nelson and the Marlborough Sounds are favourite destination of ours and are often warm, sunny and very family friendly. Beaches, mountains, forests and lakes are bountiful. A true outdoor adventure playground. The work of the Department of Conservation is extensive in this area, with off-shore islands providing predator proof zones for New Zealand’s native wildlife. The coastline of Nelson and Marlborough is home to dolphins, whales and fur seals. The air breaths a sigh of pure escapism and relaxation.
In our pre-parent days we visited the vineyards and had a memorable time at the famous Marlborough Food & Wine Festival in 1998, when Dan got down on one knee and proposed (must have been all the champagne!).
We have walked the Queen Charlotte Walkway a few times and have enjoyed some stunning walks in Nelson Lakes National Park and kayaking the Abel Tasman.
More recent visits have focused on family friendly activities, of which there are plenty.
February 2023
Marlborough Food and Wine Festival to celebrate Dan’s 50th Birthday
January 2018
Picton to Kaikoura and onto Hanmer Springs and Lake Tekapo
February 2017
Revisiting the Marlborough Food and Wine Festival (nineteen years on from when we’d first visited!)
May 2016
My seventh half marathon, running in vineyard heaven – Saint Clair Vineyard Half Marathon
November 2015
Lochmara 1/2 Marathon in Queen Charlotte Sounds, Marlborough
January 2013
ADVENTURE for ‘The Gallery’ – a photographic journey of our Nelson Holiday with Grandma & Granddad
January 2011
Nature at its best in the Marlborough Sounds
Mother Nature gives us a sand whipping in the Abel Tasman
October 2009
April 2009
Eight nights of Southern Hospitality
We escaped to the South Island for some Autumnal fun in Picton and Nelson. Caves, quad biking adventures, cafes galore, Abel Tasman boat trip and sampling the local produce of Nelson at the Friday Farmer’s Market at Founders Heritage Park.
December 2008
A stunning weekend walking in the Marlborough Sounds with a friend.
April 2008
November 2007
A reflective post on our memories of kayaking the Abel Tasman in the mid-1990s.
August 2003
Charlotte’s first holiday – at six week’s old and a natural traveller.
