Caroline C.'s
Organic Food Stores
- 11Organic GreengrocerNelsonTucked away in the Wood area of Nelson, this is our local, iconic organic food shop and lunch bar. The store carries a brilliant range of organic groceries, fresh fruit and veggies, health and body care products, cleaners, garden supplies. There’s also food and drinks. I like the fact that you can fill your own bags - no horrible plastic packaging. There’s also a great selection of lunch foods, plus coffee, great selection of tea and their own juices and smoothies.
- 22The Wee Shop OrganicsRuby BayNo this is not a toilet stop in Ruby Bay - it’s a gorgeous little food store selling a fantastic range of fresh and bulk organic produce, health products, natural remedies, herbs and spices, cleaning and toiletry products -everything you need for an organic lifestyle. They have an online shop and deliver to Nelson and Motueka weekly. But go and have a look - its a lovely wee place!
- 32Fresh Choice NelsonNelsonThis is my local supermarket which just also happens to stock a fantastic range of organic produce, plus lots of local foods as well. Shopping here makes buying organic easy as it’s all there on the shelf, competitively priced, fresh and tasty.
- 41Golden Bay OrganicsTakakaGolden Bay Organics is a long standing organic store right in the heart of Takaka, Golden Bay. It’s a vegetarian store with a great range of organic food, body care and baby care products, herbs, local fruit & vegetables and eco store products. It’s been there for a long time and I think it is one of those businesses that makes Takaka such a cool, alternative place to visit.
Caroline C.'s
Nelson Second Hand Dealers
- 12There’s always something I didn’t know I wanted in the Hospice Shop. Last week it was a yoghurt maker. This week, who knows - crystal glasses? Shoes? A warm cuddly jumper? I walk through whenever I can and usually something catches my eye. Good to know its for such a good cause as well.
- 21Recycle CentreAnnesbrookNelson Recycle Centre is a veritable treasure trove of useful stuff. Everything from tools an hardware to books and magazine,s garden equipment, home wares, sports equipment, all sorts of things that people have decided they don’t need any more. Want a bicycle or a lawn mower?Check out here first before you head to the proper shops.
- 32Nelson SPCA Op ShopNelsonThis is a lovely, clean, well run op shop that doesn’t smell musty and has a good range of stuff. Clothing, jewellery, kitchenware, furniture, linen, toys and bric-a-brac are all to be found here at very competitive prices and of course all the money you spend goes to helping the animals in need.
- 41Nelson Red Cross OpshopNelsonNelson Red Cross Opshop is a great place to go for clothing and home wares. There’s a good variety of gear, the shop is clean and tidy and it’s nice to support the great work done by the Red Cross in places like Nepal.
- 51Lipscombe Auctioneersis a local family run business that hold general auctions every two weeks on a Wednesday night at 6pm. They also have antique and collectable auctions and do house and estate clearances so are a great place to get a bargain, especially for furniture and commercial equipment, They have a showroom on New Street so well worth checking out if you are in town - you can put a bid on things before the auction.
Caroline C.'s
Eat till you drop in Nelson
- 14Hearty and delicious - this could be the best German food in New Zealand I was pretty hungry so ordered the Meat Platter, which was generous in proportions and very tasty. Service was prompt and very friendly and they’ve done a good job of the ambiance here.
- 26Indian CafeNelsonIf I’m hungry this is where I go for a delicious, rich, tasty meal that will fill up the tummy without breaking the budget. Naan breads, poppadoms, Chicken Tikka Masala, rice - try being hungry after that lot!
- 33Panama Kitchen & BarNelsonThe good thing about tapas style eateries is you can just keep ordering plates of food ‘til you are full. Panama has lots of flavours on its tapas menus or you can go the whole hg and have one of their delicious mains - Moa Cider Marinated Pork Chop, or maybe an Angus steak. Great flavour, nice atmosphere and well worth a visit
- 41The TidesNelsonThis restaurant and bar is part of a hotel, located on the Maitai River close to the city centre. It’s known for its good service, friendly staff and delicious food. The menu is large and full of choice - platters to share, starters, light meals and hearty mains, meat and seafood as well as vegetarian options. There’s also a set menu on offer. Great selection of wines both local and from further afield. Go, eat, enjoy!
- 53If you’re after a well priced pub meal Speights Ale House is worth a visit - hearty food, generous proportions and good service make for a relaxed enjoyable family night out. Or if you're looking for a place for brekky while you watch an All Blacks World Cup game Speights has you covered. There's a sweet deal on too; 21.90 gets you a big breakfast and a beer wine or coffee. Not bad!
Caroline C.'s
Free things to do in Winter
- 11Pelorus RiverMarlborough SoundsGet your Hobbit fix at this beautiful riverside spot, half way between Blenheim and Nelson on State Highway 6. Pelorus River was the setting for ‘Forest River’ in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Sir Peter Jackson chose this river valley tucked into one corner of a forested conservation area as the setting for the ‘dwarves escaping in barrels’ scene.
- 24Abel Tasman National ParkMotuekaWinter is the best time to walk in the ATNP. You’ll have the golden sands and native forest to yourself, and although it might be a bit chilly for swimming, the Abel Tasman Track is beautiful in the clear winter light. Take a picnic, walk from Marahua to Anchorage and back again and revel in the beautiful Nelson landscape.
- 31Kaiteriteri Mountain Bike ParkKaiteriteriEven in winter a day trip to Kaiteriteri Mountain Bike Park is full of fun The sandy tracks are usually dry, there are trails for all levels of skills and ages, and of course once you’ve run out of steam on your bike you can head to the cafe or enjoy a picnic on the beach in the winter sun.
- 42Ohau Point Seal ColonyKaikouraLocated on the coast about 25km north of Kaikoura - in winter the Ohau Seal Colony is the place to see baby seals frolicking in the waterfall while their parents are off fishing for dinner. Park on the main highway and walk about 10 minutes in to the pool and waterfall. Very cute!
Caroline C.'s
cafes with wifi
- 13Bridge Street Collective Cafe has great wifi, and great coffee. It’s a really cool place for an out-of-office experience, with lots of creatives, designers, business people and travellers using it to catch up on email, work on their great novel or just do stuff that needs a fast connection.
- 25DeVille CafeNelsonThis cool and trendy cafe has good wifi and a choice of indoor or outdoor seating, so it’s a great place to park up on a sunny day with the laptop and work in a relaxed environment. Good food and coffee as well - the date scones are legendary.
- 38Kush CoffeeNelsonKush is the coffee lover’s office away from home - wifi, coffee, snacks, comfy chairs, groovy decor and good service. Located on Church Lane just a short walk from Trafalgar St, its handy and central, and a nice place to hang out. Great selection of fair trade coffee too so have more than one while you are there.
- 41Zumo Coffee HouseNelsonZumo is a roaster and cafe on the corner of Rutherford and Bridge Street, Nelson. Good wifi, separate meeting room available and an impressive array of coffee roasted on the premises. Not much food - just snacks really, but nice environment and good free parking just outside.
- 52Cafe on OxfordRichmondIf you need a coffee-wifi fix in Richmond go to Cafe on Oxford, open during office hours with delicious morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea and great coffees as well as wifi and space to work. It’s a contemporary cafe that uses a lot of local produce and serves an impressive array of coffees including Espresso, Syphon, Aeropress, Swiss Gold, V60, French Press, Chemex and Cold Drip. So you can’t really go wrong!
Caroline C.'s
Hot Spots in Nelson
- 13Suter CafeNelsonThe Suter Cafe has just moved to Halifax Street while the old building is being renovated, and the new place is humming! Had coffee there today on a wild and windy morning and while it’s got a different vibe to the old Suter cafe, the food and coffee is just as delicious as ever.
- 21Pop ArtNelsonPop Art has just popped up on Bridge Street in Nelson, in the old Nelson City Taxis building. Its a cool, funky little gallery selling genuine vintage pieces from the 50s and 60s. All sorts of cool art pieces, furniture and collectables. I have a look every time I go past - there’s always something new and cool in the window. If you like vintage, check it out!
- 32Go ClothingNelsonI love Go Clothing’s original skirts and dresses, and they have a cool range of printed Ts as well. The workshop is tucked away in an alley off Buxton Square (next to speedy print) and they also do alterations. I’ve also seen Go Clothing at the Saturday Market - owner Robyn has a regular stall there. Style is fresh and funky, bight colours and yummy mix of fabrics.
- 41MD OutdoorsNelsonGreat to have a new independent outdoors shop in Nelson. MD Outdoors has taken over the retail space opposite the Info Centre, at Millers Acres. It’s a well stocked outdoors shop with great brands and most importantly plenty of local knowledge. The owner has years of experience and has proven to be very helpful with sourcing product he didn’t have in stock. AZnd being owner operated you know he’s not going to sell poor quality equipment.
- 51Urban Eatery and Oyster Bar is the new brain child of well known Nelson chef Matt Bouterey. It’s a cool-chic-groovy bar with tapas, small plates, large plates, food to share,. Billed as having no reservations and no pretensions it’s filling a gap in the Nelson food market - rock up, have a glass of wine or a craft beer and relax with friends while you graze through the menu. Does get busy but then all the good places do!