Tahunanui

Tahunanui - beach, fun and so much more

Just a short drive from Nelson City along Rocks Road with its stunning views across Tasman Bay brings you to Tahunanui Beach one of Nelson's most popular destinations for tourists from all over the country.  It is one of New Zealands iconic summer holiday destinations. On a hot summer's day the only place to be is Tahunanui Beach.

Tahunanui provides an excellent swimming beach which is great for a casual stroll or just to sit and watch the world go by, if you enjoy water sports try windsurfing or kite surfing, you can even paddle a kayak.

And it does not just stop at the beach.  Surrounding the sand dunes is the Tahunanui Beach Fun Park, family fun attractions designed for everyone, and situated next to the Beach Cafe.

For families with young children there are many choices located at the Tahunanui reserve:

The Lions Playground
Natureland Zoo
Roller Skating Rink
Go Carts
Crazy Golf
Water Fun Park & Hydro Slide
Model Railway
Tennis Courts
BMX Track
In the summer try your hand at Beach Volleyball, Paddle Trikes and Helicopter Rides                                                                                                                                                                                   
Located near the beach is a small shopping precinct offering an array of Restaurants, Cafes and Takeaways as well as some localised art & craft. Tahunanui also offers the essentials Pharmacy, Doctor, Hairdresser etc. In Tahunanui there is something for everyone from young to old.

Great place to Dine and highly recommended by Kingsland Court Motel is Smugglers Pub & Cafe walking distance from our motel.

Kingsland Court Motel is located in this area and is an easy walk to all the amenities Tahunanui Offers and only 4.6 km from Nelson City.

Also in Tahunanui you will find the World of Wearable Art and Classic Cars Museum. The World of WearableArt and Classic Cars Museum is an iconic ‘must see’ Nelson NZ visitor attraction that celebrates two distinctly different passions. A world class collection of classic cars can be viewed alongside incredible wearable works of art from all around the globe.

The Back Beach is Dog Friendly and many Locals and Visitors enjoy a stroll along it with there dogs. (Dogs are not permitted on the Main Beach)

Base yourself in Nelson or Tahunanui and Experience all our Region has to Offer from the Abel Tasman National Park with Abel Tasman Sea Shuttles now departing daily from Nelson or try some of our famous wines with Bay Tours.

A Brief History of Tahunanui

When the first European settlers arrived in Nelson, the area now know as Tahunanui Sands Reserve was the main channel draining the Waimea Inlet alongside Beach Road, and at low tide the inter tidal sandbank of Rabbit Island extended across to the western end of the present Tahunanui beach. At that time the beach alongside Rocks Road was a gravel beach, and much gravel was taken from it for building roads in the Tahunanui area.

The effects of weather and people using the beach led to serious erosion problems most noticeable in the late 1990s. This erosion was best observed by the amount of sand that used to gather in the Rocks Road car park and blow up the street.

Much of the sand being moved by the currents around Tasman Bay ends up in the southern corner of the bay. There is no shortage of sand, and the quantity is increasing all the time. Thus any erosion that occurs at Tahunanui is just localised repositioning of the sand within the stockpile - none is being washed out of the system.