Nice and simple Italian pizzas on Hardy St. This place is usually busy so it pays to book - the pizzas are hot, fresh and tasty and well made. Great selection of flavours from the simple to the more gourmet, and they do a gluten free option as well.

Definitely the best Pizza in Nelson - a light thin soft crust, the toppings are simple (i.e not too many things on one pizza) but there is always plenty of it. Highly flavoursome and great for sharing, and very well priced. And especially good - order one for delivery to the Free House and enjoy it with a craft beer. Perfect.

McCashin’s do a great wood fired pizza (available from 5.30pm Thursday and Friday evenings, and from noon on the weekends) cooked on an outside pizza oven, using fresh home made dough and delicious flavours. I love this mix of good craft beer and piping hot pizza, and McCashin’s does it particularly well.

If you are looking for an expansive range of pizza flavours then give Hot Rocks on Tahunanui Drive a try. The menu includes a range of gourmet pizzas with everything from roast lamb, refried beans, cajun spices, chicken and beef. There are also a couple of vegetarian options. There’s a kids menu and a value menu, with wheat-free, gluten-free, egg-free and soy-free bases available.

What could be more romantic than a bicycle ride for two? Nelson’s Great Taste Trail can be the backdrop for the perfect date day. Easy biking, beautiful scenery and plenty of places to stop for coffee, lunch, wine or beer - what ever rings your bells. Bike to Rabbit Island and walk hand in hand on the beach, or bile out to Brightwater for via a wine tasting or gourmet lunch

The Cellar Door at Mahana is the new tasting room/restaurant at Woollaston Estate Vinyard. Go for a wine tasting and delicious lunch - open 7 days, 11am to 4.30pm. The menu of platters and light lunches has been carefully designed to complement the wines on offer, plus there’s the Woollaston Gallery, with eight art shows a year, and a hand picked selection of gifts to take away. This is a sophisticated date venue, set among the Woollaston vines and in the lovely rolling Moutere hills, that is bound to impress!

Delicious dining on Nelson’s Trafalgar St. For’s has a reputation for good service and delicious food. It’s in the centre of Nelson but is a small, intimate venue and even has an upstairs if you want to hide away.

The Cellar Door and Cafe at Rockferry has a great reputation for its food and wine. Drive through the Marlborough landscape, laden with vineyards and wineries, and stop for lunch at Rockferry. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming and the food is characterised by local ingredients and down to earth but absolutely delicious flavours. Even the locals dine there so it must be good.

Here’s an unforgettable date idea - charter a chopper for a food and wine experience at one of the top of the South’s back country lodges. Awaroa Lodge, Westhaven Retreat of the Bay of Many Coves are all within a short hop in the helicopter. Or take a picnic to enjoy on a mountain top somewhere - you’ll get more brownie points that you can imagine.

This is my pick for a hassle free weekday lunch - try the fish sliders or yummy kebabs from one of the food carts, and sit out in the sun to enjoy it. Streat Kitchen operates from an empty lot on Bridge Street, not far to walk but far enough to stretch your legs and get some fresh air. And the food is delicious and very well priced.

Friday nights at Founders in the summer are a beautiful thing. Try a founders pie and salad for $13 - best valuer and delicious too. There’s a great family summer evening atmosphere here and plenty of kid friendly room while the grown ups relax over a founders beer.

Head down to Wakefield Quay for a feed of fish and chips from Guytons that won’t break the bank, and eat it on the quay with a view of the Cut and the Lighthouse. Delicious food, hot and fresh, from Nelson’s best fishery.

East Street Cafe has a cool little outdoor eating area and a very well priced menu - the food is not glamorous but it is fresh and tasty and of course healthy being meat free. Nice place to go on a summer evening, and they often have live music.

Good choice for lunch, the Swiss Bakery has yummy fresh baking and lunch time food. It’s not expensive but very good value and always very tasty. Buy a rye roll and stroll to the Maitai River for a picnic.

There’s always a queue here at lunchtime for their take away sushi and miso soup - delicious, fresh, clean and healthy. Ikko is hidden away in a little arcade by the Montgomery Square car park but it’s well worth searching for. Gwt in quick at lunchtimes though as they sell out fast.

The Indian Cafe’s takeaway includes plenty of healthy options including gluten free and vegetarian. The food is always delicious and if you order on the phone there’s no queue to worry about.I especially love their Dal Makhani lentil curry and the Sag Aloo with potatoes and spinach.

Choose a vegetarian or chicken kebab with loads of salads and a yoghurt dressing and you’ve got a fresh, healthy meal that’s not fried or full of artificial sweeteners. Akbabas is open in the evenings, their food is well priced and the service is fast. You can eat in if you need to or take out.

Mexican food is traditionally fresh and full of flavour. Nicola’s Cantina food is delicious and there are plenty of healthy options including vegetarian, gluten free and dairy free. It’s basically Mexican street food cooked with flair. Order over the phone because it gets pretty busy in there!

This little place is a lunch time option - look for the little french style baguettes made with freshly baked bread, salad, cheese and salami. No fried stuff, not slathered in dressing and ask for dairy free if you need to. The cafe is located in The Doctor’s complex on Collingwood Street.

On the Track Lodge is located on the Nydia Track between Duncan Bay and Havelock. It’s a family run eco-lodge with backpacker style accommodation, meals available or self catering. A night at On the Track is a wonderful part of a weekend’s introduction to tramping for all the family. Boat transport is available at the Havelock end of the track, or just walk in from Duncan Bay and out the same way. Lovely Kiwi experience

A Nelson Icon, Cable Bay is a lovely place to go for a weekend break with the kids. It’s a low-key Kiwi campground on a farm by the sea - what could be better? Take the kayaks, paddle boards, bikes and walking shoes and enjoy the lovely quiet bay. There’s a small cafe, Nelson is not far away if you need to stock up, and you are at the northern end of the Cable Bay walkway if you feel like a hike. Camp fires on the Cable Bay beach are a lovely family experience.

What a nice place to take the kids over the holidays! Kaiteri Lodge is a stone’s throw from the golden sands of Kaiteriteri Beach. It’s close to the Kaiteriteri Mountain Bike Park and its also a pick up and drop off point for water taxis in to the Abel Tasman National Park. You can hire kayaks, walk the track, or just relax on the beach. The water might even be warm enough for a swim.

Old Macdonalds Farm is a lovely quiet holiday park located in Marahau at the southern end of the Abel Tasman National Park. Plenty here for families - it’s close to Marahau beach and the water taxis out to the Abel Tasman, or you can access the track on foot. The holiday park has barbecues, natural fresh water swimming holes, farm land, relaxing bush walks, a farm park and an al fresco style cafe onsite. There are Llama and Alpaca and lots of other animals, and plenty of space for mum and dad to relax while the kids go wild.

Head down the Buller Gorge for a different kind of family holiday in the top of the South’s white water capital. Murchison Motels is a great place to base the family while you explore the numerous activities on offer here. The motel is centrally located, has a pool and excellent family facilities. Try out gold panning, white water rafting, tramping, fly fishing, kayaking or jet boating and then a good night’s sleep in one of Murchison Motel’s comfy beds.

Pro Combat Laser Tag has the best Laser Tag guns available and is the only Laser Tag in the top of the South. If you book in advance you get a discounted rate but you can also just turn up - it’s based at the Pro Karts office in the Tahunanui Fun Park. Pro Combat is suitable for ages six years and up, and is heaps of fun and much less messy than paintball - and safer too!

Red Barn is a farm park and cafe located a few kilometres north of Murchison, on the road towards Nelson. It’s a good place to take the kids - they can feed the animals in the park, stretch their legs after a long car journey or chow down on the yummy food at the cafe. There are goats, chickens, donkeys, red deer and plenty more animals, all of which stay safely behind a fence but are happy to come up for a feed or a scratch.

Head just two kilometres out of Takaka, on the road towards Pohara, and follow the signs to the incredible Labyrinth Rocks Walkway. It truly is one of Golden Bay’s most amazing secrets. The walkway is through a maze-like network of limestone canyons. The walkway is open to the public and still being developed but, with solid footwear, kids will love it. It’s a very special place and enchanting family wonderland. Suitable for young or old - one of this region's great little discoveries.

Located in the white water mecca of Murchison, Ultimate Descents family rafting adventures cater for children as young as five years old. I highly recommend this bonding experience rafting one of New Zealand's most stunningly scenic rivers as it winds its way through the bush and mountains. They even have child-sized paddles for the little ones so they can participate, or they can just sit back and enjoy the ride. And afterwards there is a safe spot for kids to jump in the river off rocks and have a swim if they like. An excellent Kiwi family adventure!

If you’ve got a few days and want a back-to-basics family adventure, take the kids camping at Quinney’s Bush. Kiwi families have been getting in touch with the great outddors here for many years. There are lots of on-site amusements including water slides, flying foxes and an obstacle course as well as river swimming when it's warm enough. Check when you book as to what is open. If you want a relaxing family break that’s not too far from town and easy to get to, give it a try.