Nelson/Tasman Fire Update

Our thoughts are with those who have been affected by the current fires and forestry closures in the Nelson Tasman region.

The whole community has rallied together to fight these fires and some of our visitor business partners were involved directly – especially the helicopter pilots and some who are volunteer fire fighters in their “spare” time. We are pleased to say that while they fires are still burning they are now contained.

ALL tourism operators in Nelson City, Abel Tasman National Park, Golden Bay and Murchison are operating as usual – they are unaffected by the fires

There is NO noticeable smoke over Nelson city, the Abel Tasman, Golden Bay or Murchison.

• All main roads in the region are open
• Some parts of the Great Taste Trail are closed, but there are plenty of options available, for example: the Rail Route to Brightwater is unaffected so Wine Cycling on the Waimea Plains is a fantastic experience.
• Some reserves are still closed as a precaution (eg the walk up the Centre of NZ) but with rain forecast for the end of the week we hope these will be lifted soon

The current situation is:

• The fires are now contained 
• The fire is in valleys near Wakefield, a settlement 30kms south of Nelson City.
• It is mainly plantation pine forests affected

If you have specific concerns, the best place to go for detailed updates is the Nelson Tasman Civil Defence website.