Local fare - freshly steamed green-lipped mussels perfectly matched with a local vintage at a local restaurant or on board a mussel cruise.
The excitement of fishing for large snapper in the sheltered inlets of the Pelorus and Kenepuru.
Dawn birdsong, dolphins at play, breathless sunsets against a backdrop of serene beauty.
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A round of Golf in a Nopera’s picturesque 9 hole farmland golf course.
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For a real “get away from it all” experience make your way to French Pass and the d’Urville Island for a superb nature appreciation experience. Dive with dolphins. See Orca at play.
Go mountain biking, sea kayaking, wilderness walking or simply let the area’s remote beauty wash over you.
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For detailed activity options visit Sights and Activities
Gateway to the pleasures of the Pelorus and Kenepuru Sounds, the historic, seaside town of Havelock was once a thriving gold-mining town. Now it thrives on riches from the sea – as Greenshell Mussel capital of the world - and a growing market for its memorable holiday experiences.
This is an area steeped in Maori and European history. Maori canoes first breasted these waters 1000 years ago. In 1642 Abel Tasman sailed past d'Urville Island, French and Russian explorers followed and in the 1770s Captain James Cook arrived. Within a century the area was home to farmers, fishermen, whalers, miners and saw - millers. Today visitors can still find traces of many of these early activities.
Inside the quaint colonial buildings of main street Havelock you’ll find boutique art and craft galleries, cafes, and fine food establishments. You’ll also find a good range of accommodation options, which makes Havelock an ideal base from which to explore further afield.
Much of the Pelorus and Kenepuru area is accessible by road, but to truly experience the timeless magic of this area, stroll down to the Havelock marina where waterfront taxis and charter vessels are moored. Take your camera with plenty of film and head out into the crystal clear waterways of the Pelorus and Kenepuru Sounds. Acclaimed for fishing, as well as great diving, boating, kayaking, swimming and water-skiing, these waters offer picture-book scenery. There are studios and gardens open to the public to visit and numerous lodges, B&B’s and home stay establishments where you’ll be pampered by the warmth and hospitality of the people of the Sounds. Discover campsites, holiday parks, fishing lodges and backpackers tucked in fern-fringed coves.
If you want to experience nature at its untamed best, travel by road (from Rai Valley) or boat (from Havelock) to Tennyson Inlet and French Pass, gateway to the wilderness experience of d’Urville Island. Dolphins will ride your bow-wave, while seals bask in the sun. They, too, enjoy the superb fishing and absolute peace and quiet…
Driving west from Havelock towards Nelson on The Treasured Pathway you’ll find Canvastown, an historic settlement that began as a tent city in the 1864 Wakamarina gold rush. Further on route is Pelorus Bridge forest reserve and Rai Valley. Cast for famed Pelorus River trout. Hike away from the world on the Nydia Track or one of the other remote walks in this area.