he Nelson Province lies right at the heart of New Zealand on the curving coastline of the Northwest corner of the South Island and is generally accepted as the "Sunshine Capital" of New Zealand.

The landscape of the region embraces skifields, alpine lakes, wilderness mountain country, clear rivers, forests, limestone outcrops and caves, rocky coasts & legendary golden beaches of Abel Tasman National Park.

Nelson culture boasts a vibrant Arts & Crafts scene. An excellent book, Art in its Own Place has been produced on the subject by the Nelson Bay Arts Marketing Network. It is the birthplace of the famous New Zealand Wearable Art Awards. There are over 100 Potters working in the area.

Take the opportunity to visit and taste internationally-acclaimed wines from some of New Zealand's top winemakers. Most are small, family-owned vineyards producing classic cool climate wines.

There are parks and gardens and historic places to explore and here you will find some of the greatest Brown Trout flyfishing in the World. Three National Parks lie within the Nelson region, providing some of New Zealand's greatest walks.

Then there are the locals to meet;  people who seem particularly good at reflecting the sunny lifestyle they enjoy.