This is a great family pub - lovely atmosphere, plenty of space for the kids tp play out doors and fully fenced beer garden so they can’t wander off! They sell a great range of craft beers and of course non-alcoholic options for the littlies, plus a good snack menu.

If you need a place to relax and enjoy a beer while the kids have fun, Founders bar is perfect - with a playground for the kids and lovely outside area, umbrellas to keep the sun off and great food to go with the organic brewery beer that’s brewed on the premises.

This is one of Nelson’s long established pubs, and great place for a family outing. The outdoor area is very family friendly with space for children to run around, and there’s a bouncy castle on Sundays (weather permitting) which keep them amused for hours!

The Sprig and Fern on Milton Street, Nelson, has a fenced off outdoor deck which is safe for children while Mum and Dad enjoy the great award winning beer. Take the dog as well - they don’t seem to mind!

If you want a good family meal Speights Ale House has a good menu that suits all ages, there’s an outdoor beer garden and a nice friendly atmosphere. Good place for a family Sunday Lunch with the grandparents and the kids.

This is my go to nursery for native plants. Nikau Gardens is locally owned by Hugh Griffin, who started the business back in the 90s. Most of the plants are propagated on site so they are acclimatised to the local climate, and always do super well in my garden. Best of all Hugh will deliver the plants and offers a plant placement service.

Tasman Bay Roses is well known for its amazing range of Hybrid Teas, David Austin English Roses, Floribundas, Climbers and Old Fashioned roses. They propagate and stock over 1500 roses available from their nursery or online. It’s well worth a visit though to see the fantastic range of roses available and to talk to the experts about growing these beautiful flowers.

Nelmac is the place to go if you are needing a lot of plants - they sell to the public at wholesale price, and have great advice available on site preparation, planting and maintenance. They specialise in eco-sourced plants for land and waterway restoration.There are nurseries in Nelson and Blenheim.

This garden centre and nursery has a huge range or retail plants and garden accessories - rose, fruit trees, vegetables, perennials, native, trees big and small. Citrus, spring bulbs, azaleas and rhododendrons -its all here, along with good advice and local knowledge.

If you are looking for European style food then Krauts is a good place to start. They serve German style dishes using locally sourced, organic and free range ingredients. The restaurant is warm and inviting place and modern and the food is excellent quality - lots of delicious German style dishes including Weiner Schnitzel, Bratwurst and some yummy cheeses.

French food in Nelson comes from La Gourmandise -an authentic French style cafe, creperie and restaurant. During the day they serve beautiful coffees, french pastries and their speciality - delicious and crispy savoury buckwheat crepes with a variety of toppings, savoury and sweet. Then there’s also a traditional bistro style “a la carte” menu, with classic mains along with seasonal and regional French specialities. Yum.

Yummy mediterranean food from people who know how to make it. Comida is the restaurant arm of Prego mediterranean foods, and boy do they do good food. If you want to try beautiful pasta, cheeses, slow cooked meats, or peasant food from Tuscany give this place a try.

You can’t go past Stefanos for good honest pizza - best genuine Italian pizza in Nelson. Alway fresh, quick service, great range of flavours and very reasonably priced.

Just the best bar in Nelson for a whole lot of reasons - the best range of indie craft beers, best live music (in the yurt) and best place to take a takeaway to eat - they’ll even give you plates and cutlery and wash them up after.

Best bar for a more intimate evening - nice atmosphere, good live music and very good staff. It’s not a big place so doesn’t take a lot of people to fill it up but it has its own special vibe. I like this place alot.

Deville Cafe opens for evenings in the summer, on friday nights and has regular live gigs on Saturday nights - usually advertised. They support original local talent, national and international touring artists as well as appearances by ensembles from the Nelson Jazz Club, usually free of charge. The place has a lovely vibe, a good sound system and great service. Wonderful venue for a summer evening out.

The Mussel Inn is a legendary craft beer and live music venue at Onekaka in the wilds of Golden Bay. Lots of great touring live acts play there, and the Mussel Inn brewery has been pioneer in the craft beer movement in New Zealand. Fabulous atmosphere and just a great all round vibe.

I like this bar ‘cos it’s by the sea. Or very close to it. Lovely place for a drink on a warm evening, there’s a nice open air garden at the front and it’s just got a nice relaxed feel to it. Sprig and fern brewery beers are pretty good too.

This is the social centre of any Nelson dog’s life. Head down here at low tide for doggy meet ups, ball chasing, stick fetching, sand races, owner chats and general splashing around in the sea activities

There’s plenty of dog walking in the Maitai Valley - the walkway runs from the marina right up to the gold course. Excellent choice for dogs who like to swim although check that dogs are allowed in swimming holes, especially in summer when there are small children around.

You can’t take dogs to Rabbit Island but you can take them to Rough Island which is almost as good - there’s a great off-the-leash exercise area, nice coastal views, big trees and picnic areas.

Good place for doggy time and coffee in Motueka - the garden is dog friendly the cafe serves nice food and coffee and the service is excellent.

If you need a place in Nelson City to combine coffee/lunch/dog walking Devilles has a good fenced outdoor cafe area. I take a blanket for the dog as the concrete can be cold but it’s easy to tuck him away under the table and relax and enjoy my coffee.

If you really want something cool go to Go Clothing - the garments are designed and made by the talented Robyn Davidson. Robyn uses new and retro fabrics to create her one off pieces, and can alter to fit your shape. She also has a stall at the Saturday market.

Palm is well known among the fashionistas of Nelson - owner Jane Palm knows the fashion trends and has a great eye for what will suit any customer, for any occasion. Her range is always eclectic, interesting and varied, so you’ll always find things there you want find anywhere else.

Jaus is another lovely designer boutique full of really good quality well chosen clothing for ladies who know what they like. All the good designer labels are represented here, so you don’t have to go to the big city to look good.

This lovely emporium is located at the cathedral end of Nile street, so easy to miss if you don’t know it is there. Its a lovely place to shop for something special - clothing , jewellery and accessories. The stock includes both new and vintage pieces so there is always something different here. Great for ball gowns or mother-of-the-bride, but also worth checking out for something different tour every day wear.

This cool little boutique is located in the arcade off Montgomery Square. It’s well worth seeking out for it’s fresh designer range of women’s clothing. They also sell on line which is pretty convenient!