Nelson Attraction Tours: Spit, Boats and Cars

October 30, 2026

Paid attractions around Nelson fall into four groups: a car museum, tours of the far northern sand spit, boat trips on the Abel Tasman coast, and winery visits. Prices are NZD. Some come from operator pages and some from resellers, so use them to compare and confirm before booking.

Booking

Farewell Spit departures follow the tide, and the boat operators work to a summer timetable, so book those ahead with the operator.

Car museum

Nelson Classic Car Museum, 1 Cadillac Way, Annesbrook, trades daily from 10:00 to 16:00 and shuts on Christmas Day. The wearable art museum that once stood alongside it closed in 2020. Since August 2020 the building has housed the cars alone, and the wearable art awards are held in Wellington.

Ticket	Price
Adult	20
Senior or NZ student	15
Child 5 to 15	8
Under 5	Free
Family, 1 adult and 2 children	30
Family, 2 adults and 2 children	50
Annual pass	30

Farewell Spit

Only the first 4 km of the Spit is open to the public on its own. Past that point, vehicles go in on concession tours run by Farewell Spit Tours from 6 Tasman Street, Collingwood. Pick the Farewell Spit Tour for Cape Farewell, Fossil Point and the lighthouse, the Gannet Colony Tour, or the Wader Watch Tour.

Allow 6.5 to 7 hours for the main tour. The tide sets the start, anywhere from 6am to 4pm. Resellers quote about 200 for an adult and 65 for a child aged 0 to 15. Because Collingwood sits beyond Takaka Hill, which is roughly a 2 hour drive to Takaka, a night in Golden Bay before the tour makes it less of a rush.

Boats on the Abel Tasman coast

Wilsons Abel Tasman, Kaiteriteri: the Vista Coastal Cruise covers the whole park from 120, Anchorage Beach Explorer (cruise and walk) is from 104, and the Bark Bay Waterfall Trail is from 120.
Abel Tasman Sea Shuttles, Kaiteriteri: a summer coach links Nelson and Motueka with Kaiteriteri. You can only ride it with a boat ticket, booked by the day before.
Abel Tasman AquaTaxi, 275 Sandy Bay-Marahau Road, Marahau: the water taxi for people starting at Marahau.
Abel Tasman Sailing Adventures, Kaiteriteri: day sails listed at about 98 to 190.

Plan on roughly 100 to 120 for a cruise with no walking. Book through the operator.

City walk

Sunny Nelson Tours offers a guided walk through town for about 48 per adult. Expect 1.5 to 2 hours. It operates January to June and October to December, and the meeting point varies, so ask when booking.

Wine

Neudorf Vineyards at 138 Neudorf Road and Gravity Winery and Cellar Door at 243 Old Coach Road are both in Upper Moutere. Hours vary through the year, so telephone before the drive.