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New Zealand
> Nelson - Westland > Motueka
 Motueka is so popular over the summer months that the
population swells from its usual 12,000 to about
20,000. Students are lured to the area by the
seasonal work, which is readily available during the
University holidays, while tourists come for the
sparkling weather and the proximity to Abel Tasman National Park
The weekly Sunday Market in the centre
of Motueka hosts an array of arts, crafts and
bric-a-brac stalls, as well as offering market-style
food. You’ll also find an abundance of
independent arts & crafts galleries and small
vineyards in the township and the surrounding areas.
Arts and crafts on offer range from traditional
paintings to papier-mache sculptures to
ceramics. The vineyards produce a variety of
red, white and fruit wines, and most offer wine
tasting. The local Information Centre will be
able to provide you with a guide to where to find
these.
Hopping in a car and visiting these as
you come to them would make a pleasant day-trip,
particularly with a lunch-break at Jester House Café
(10 minutes drive from Motueka). Jester House
offers fresh baking and casual dining in the garden,
or by the open fire in the quaint cottage. The
garden has a myriad of playful features, including a
maze and a giant chess set. In the summer, you
can even feed the tame eels which live in the stream
which runs through the garden.
Motueka has its own Aviation college,
where you can learn to fly small planes or simply
take in a scenic flight over the diverse countryside
and coastline. Alongside the college, Nelson
Sky Diving is offers tandem or static line skydives
to the adrenaline junkies. They have specially
trained cameramen on staff to capture your skydive on
tape.
Despite the once legendary Gathering
being now defunct, (an annual weekend of music and
mayhem) the rave scene is alive and well in the
Motueka area. There are various New Year’s
raves making an effort to replace the Gathering, most
notably Visionz. It is located near the
base of Farewell Spit, and so is a bit more of a trek
to get to than the Gathering was, but it is well
worth it. It is a four day rave with live
performance as well as dance music. Cafes and
food stalls are on site and, as it is run by a
charitable trust promoting sustainability, workshops
are offered on various environmental issues, such as
alternative energy, as well as craft workshops such
as harakeke (flax) weaving. There are also many
other raves and dance parties throughout the year,
largely run by a group called “Stardust”,
whose regular dance parties on Takaka Hill are
becoming renowned.
Though camping is discouraged along the
Motueka River banks, a shantytown of tents and
campervans belonging to tourists, students and
seasonal workers pops up there over summer. If
you prefer a little comfort and some facilities, a
range of accommodation is on offer. Motueka Holiday
Park has tent, caravan and campervan sites with
shared toilet, laundry and kitchen facilities.
They also offer motel and backpacker accommodation.
At the other end of the scale, various places
offer boutique-style bed and breakfast accommodation,
often in the form of private cottages – perfect
for a romantic getaway! For the more
adventurous, the Tipi Stay backpackers are located a
short drive along the Moutere Highway. This is just
as is sounds – accommodation is in the form of
traditional Indian tipis. Kitchen and laundry
facilities are provided in a charming thatch-roofed
hut, and there are open-air showers and baths with
mountain views.
 Kaiteriteri is a short
but windy drive down the road. This small town
is launch point for many activities in the Abel
Tasman National Park – a beautiful park with
native bush alongside stunning beaches. Tracks
wend through the park and there is a walk to suit
everyone, from easy day-walks to four-day
tramps. Kaiterteri is beautiful in its own
right, however. It is a picturesque seaside
area, with golden sands and clear blue water.
The swimming areas are safe enough for even the
smallest children, and for the more adventurous
grown-ups, a wide range of water activities are based
in Kaiteriteri. Sight-seeing and guided tours
of Abel Tasman National Park are provided from kayaks
and yachts. You can also hire your own yacht to
see the sights at your own pace. Water taxis
also give tours, or can drop you in the middle of the
Park so you can walk whichever part of the track you
want. If you want to stick around the
Kaiteriteri area, wind-surfing and snorkelling are
also offered.
Kaiteriteri has a well-appointed camping
ground, which is very popular over summer. It
has its own mini-supermarket for whatever provisions
you need, as well as a mini-golf course and a
licensed restaurant which operates over the summer
months. For those who are seeking a little
luxury,
Time and Tide is a delightful holiday home that can be rented. Kimi Ora Spa Resort offers Swiss Chalet style
apartments, each with a view of the ocean.
There are heated indoor and outdoor pools on site, as
well as spas and saunas, and a licensed vegetarian
restaurant. In addition, Kimi Ora offers a
variety of health and beauty treatments.
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