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Studio open plan apartment
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2 Bedroom / 2 bathroom apartment
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Deluxe Hotel room
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Sunny Nelson has the highest daily sunshine hours in the country, something locals are quick to remind you of on a rainy day! The region enjoys glorious beaches, snow capped mountains, forested hillsides and hectares of grape vines, the latest boom to hit the economy. Artists and crafts people have been attracted to the area for many years, so now there are numerous galleries displaying a wide variety of creative works. The famous Wearable Art Awards originated in Nelson which is now home to the World of Wearable Art and Collectable Cars Museum.
The first human settlers of the area were the Maori who arrived some 700 years ago with the great migration from the land of Hawaiiki. The passengers of the waka (canoe) “ Kurahaupo” found a plentiful supply of birds and fish in the region and lived here comfortably until attacked by tribes from the north who all but wiped them out. The first documented European visitors were Dutch explorer Abel Tasman and his men in 1642. His party was attacked by the Maoris and he lost four men before sailing away again. Captain James Cook on a scientific voyage of discovery first arrived in 1770 when he put into Ship Cove to repair his vessel and then returned a few times for supplies and further repairs. Later sealing parties and whalers arrived to reap the rewards of the rich marine life.
Three ships of the New Zealand Company, the “Will Watch”, “Whitby” and “Arrow” arrived in 1841 under the command of Captain Arthur Wakefield. He was to establish the second colony for the company. This settlement was to be called Nelson in honour of the feats of the British Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson who died in the Battle of Trafalgar in October 1805. The settlers had left behind the rigid class system in Britain in hopes of a more free and independent life with the possibility of making a better way for themselves in the world. Native forests were felled for timber and to create farmland and slowly the town of Nelson developed and grew. While most settled on the coastal lands, some made their way to the more rugged areas where they could buy more land. Life for them was extremely harsh, hemmed in by mountains and swiftly flowing rivers. So many were drowned during river crossings, that death by drowning was termed simply the “New Zealand death”. The finding of minerals, particularly gold, brought even more to the area.
The settler community showed a range of literary, scientific, farming and entrepreneurial skills, so education became a high priority. Money was set aside for schooling and just 14 years after the first settlers arrived, Nelson College was founded, becoming the first state school in the country. It’s most famous graduate was Ernest (Lord) Rutherford of Nelson, the father of nuclear physics. Another graduate was Charles Munroe, who is credited for the introduction of rugby football and the first rugby match played in New Zealand, played in Nelson in 1870.
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