What's on in Nelson, New Zealand through the year

Peak crowds — Abel Tasman Great Walk season, New Zealand summer holidays

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Abel Tasman Great Walk season (1 Oct – 30 Apr), New Zealand summer holidays (20 Dec – 31 Jan)

Busy — Abel Tasman Great Walk season

• Season

  Apple and hop harvest

  15 Feb – 30 Apr · usually

  Nelson grows most of New Zealand's hops and a large share of its apples, and both come off between late February and April. Pickers fill the hostels and the roads out to Motueka run on truck time.

Still on: Abel Tasman Great Walk season (1 Oct – 30 Apr)

Busy — Abel Tasman Great Walk season

• Holiday

  Easter long weekend

  3–6 AprEaster & Holy WeekCrowdedBook earlyClosures

  Good Friday and Easter Monday are public holidays, and on Good Friday and Easter Sunday most shops must stay shut unless local rules or a tourist-area exemption let them open. New Zealanders make it a long weekend away, so motels, holiday parks and campsites fill. Source ↗

Still on: Apple and hop harvest (15 Feb – 30 Apr (usually)), Abel Tasman Great Walk season (1 Oct – 30 Apr)

Peak crowds — Easter long weekend, Anzac Day

• Holiday

  Anzac Day

  25–27 AprNational holidayClosures

  25 April remembers those who served in war. Dawn services are held at memorials in towns across the country, and by law most shops stay closed until 1 pm. When it falls on a weekend the public holiday moves to the Monday. Source ↗

Still on: Apple and hop harvest (15 Feb – 30 Apr (usually)), Easter long weekend (3–6 Apr), Abel Tasman Great Walk season (1 Oct – 30 Apr)

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

• Season

  Abel Tasman in winter

  1 May – 30 SepOff-season shutdown

  From May to September the water taxis run a reduced timetable and only sail when pre-booked, but the sea is often calmer for kayaking and the sandflies are gone. Beaches that are packed at Christmas are close to empty.

Quiet — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

• Holiday

  Matariki

  10 JulNational holidayClosures

  The Maori New Year public holiday falls on a Friday in late June or July, set by the lunar calendar, making a long weekend. Nelson and Tasman mark it with community events and gatherings. Source ↗

Still on: Abel Tasman in winter (1 May – 30 Sep)

Peak crowds — Matariki, Term 2 (July) break in New Zealand

• Season

  Rainbow ski area season

  1 Jul – 30 Sep · usuallySki season

  A small club ski field above St Arnaud in Nelson Lakes, a long day trip from the city, runs mostly at weekends when there is snow. Recent winters have been thin and the season short, so check it is open before driving up.

Still on: Abel Tasman in winter (1 May – 30 Sep), Matariki (10 Jul)

Quiet — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Abel Tasman in winter (1 May – 30 Sep), Rainbow ski area season (1 Jul – 30 Sep (usually))

Busy — Term 3 (Sept/Oct) break in New Zealand, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Abel Tasman in winter (1 May – 30 Sep), Rainbow ski area season (1 Jul – 30 Sep (usually))

Peak crowds — Abel Tasman Great Walk season, Term 3 (Sept/Oct) break in New Zealand

• Season

  Abel Tasman Great Walk season

  1 Oct – 30 AprTrail seasonCrowdedBook early

  October to April is the Great Walk season on the Coast Track: hut fees at their highest, a two-night cap per hut, and the water taxis running to timetable. Outside it the huts are cheaper and half empty. Source ↗

• Festival

  Nelson Arts Festival

  22 Oct – 1 Nov

  Eleven days of theatre, writers and street work across the town centre in late October. The masked parade through the middle of Nelson is the part locals turn out for. Source ↗

Busy — Abel Tasman Great Walk season

Nothing new starts in November.

Still on: Abel Tasman Great Walk season (1 Oct – 30 Apr), Nelson Arts Festival (22 Oct – 1 Nov)

Peak crowds — Abel Tasman Great Walk season, New Zealand summer holidays

• Season

  New Zealand summer holidays

  20 Dec – 31 JanSchool holidaysCrowdedBook early

  Nelson and Golden Bay are where the South Island goes for Christmas. Campgrounds, water taxis and the Abel Tasman huts are all taken well before the New Year, mostly by domestic bookings.

• Holiday

  Christmas Day closures

  25–26 DecChristmas & New YearClosures

  Christmas Day is one of the few days most shops must close by law, and many cafes, restaurants and tours shut too. Boxing Day is a public holiday as well, when shops reopen for the sales and the roads fill with families heading off on summer holiday. Source ↗

Still on: Abel Tasman Great Walk season (1 Oct – 30 Apr)