Located at the Top of the South Island / Te Tau Ihu, the Nelson Tasman region is well connected to the rest of New Zealand.
Flying
Approximate flying times
Auckland to Nelson 85 minutes
Christchurch to Nelson 50 minutes
Palmerston North to Nelson 50 minutes
New Plymouth to Nelson 50 minutes
Paraparaumu to Nelson 45 minutes
Wellington to Nelson 35 minutes
Wellington to Takaka 60 minutes
Ferry
Several inter-island crossing are available every day by two carriers (Bluebridge and Interislander) between Wellington and Picton then connect through to Nelson Tasman by coach or car. A short drive over the Whangamoa Ranges links Picton in the Marlborough Sounds to Nelson.
Driving
The Tasman / Golden Bay region is accessible by road from Christchurch, Blenheim, Picton and the West Coast, measured to Tanaka.
Approximate driving times
Christchurch to Takaka – 6 hours 20 minutes
Picton to Takaka – 3 hours 40 minutes
Blenheim to Takaka – 3 hours 30 minutes
Westport to Takaka – 4 hours 10 minutes
Takaka Hill works – storm recovery repairs (updated 3/11/25)
The road over the Takaka Hill has been damaged during the winter storms. Ongoing storm recovery repairs have started to allow the road to reopen to two lanes, before the busy summer holidays and busier traffic periods. To this end, State Highway 60 Tākaka Hill maintenance closures are currently planned to begin on Monday 24 November through to Friday 28 November, between 9AM and 3.30PM. During this time, the road will reopen once at 11:30AM to let traffic through . Once the daytime chip-sealing work is complete, night closures will follow, during which asphalting and general maintenance will be carried out.
This will be followed by three weeks of night closures for asphalt resurfacing and other maintenance works – from Sunday, 30 November to Friday, 19 December – between 8 pm and 5:30 am (Sunday – Thursday nights). There will be one opening every night for traffic queued on each side of the hill. Traffic must be queued at the Aaron Creek Road closure point by 12:30 am or at the Riwaka Valley Road closure point by 1 am.
Outside of the closure times, stop/go traffic management will remain in place as recovery work continues. Expect delays of up to 20 minutes. Access will be available for emergency services.
Golden Bay Revisited
Saturday 22 November 2025: The venue for OY5 is Canaan Downs, located on top of the Takaka Plateau, on the way to Golden Bay, taking a right just below the Takaka Hill summit. Approximately 80 km away, please allow for a two-hour drive from Nelson Airport.
Sunday 23 November 2025: The venue for OY6 is near Kaihoka Lakes, a semi-new map on the West Coast of Golden Bay, almost exclusively on private farmland near the Whanganui Inlet. Think karst rock formations and sand dunes, this terrain is unique in New Zealand. An hour’s drive from Takaka.
Driving in New Zealand
If you’re from overseas, New Zealand roads are probably different to what you’re used to. Distances may seem short, but the roads can be narrower than you’re used to, cover hilly terrain, and vary from motorways to unsealed gravel roads.
Before you begin your journey, learn more about what’s different about driving in New Zealand:
- driving on the left-hand side of the road
- it’s easy to underestimate travelling times
- the roads are narrower, more winding and sometimes steeper than you might expect
- the roads are mostly two-way, with one lane in each direction – there are few motorways
- not all railway crossings have active warnings
- seat belts are compulsory for everyone in the vehicle
- it is illegal to use a phone while driving