Tāhuna Beach Holiday Park

15/10/2026

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Another fantastic Google review, this time from Niki!

“Amazing spot! First time to Nelson and did not disappoint. 4 mums and 6 kids. We had kitchen cabins and they were perfect. Had everything you needed and priced really well. Our only con was not staying longer. Shared bathrooms were really clean and showers were great with good pressure. Kids highlight were the little karts. Beautiful walk to the beach and location amazing. We already want to go back.”

We love that their first trip to Nelson was such a memorable one, and that the cabins, beach walks and pedal karts all got the thumbs up! 💙🚲🌊

Thanks so much, Niki, for taking the time to leave us a Google review. We’d love to welcome the whole crew back again, hopefully for a little longer next time! 😉

13/10/2026

Appreciate the mention Nelson Tasman, and congratulations to the other winners. We love our region!🥳🥰🙌

12/10/2026

💙 100 years of memories, friendships and familiar faces!

What a lovely time we had at our recent Staff Reunion, held as part of our centenary celebrations! 🥰

It was so special to welcome back people who worked at Tāhuna Beach Holiday Park over the decades, some as far back as the 1970s! A few even travelled all the way from Christchurch to join us.

There were plenty of smiles, laughter, stories shared and old friendships rekindled. It was wonderful to have a yarn with everyone, reminisce about the good old days and hear some of the memories that make this place so special.

A huge thank you to everyone who came along and helped make the day such a memorable one. You've all played a part in our Park's 100-year story, and it was a real pleasure to have you back! 💙

📸 Here are a few favourite moments from the day. Enjoy!

08/10/2026

🌊 Meet our October Tāhunanui Advocate!

This month, we’re celebrating Hogan, who grew up spending his summers at Tāhunanui Beach as a surf lifesaver and now returns to the Holiday Park each summer as part of our Events team, working alongside his university studies.

Here’s why Tāhunanui will always hold a special place in his heart. 💙

"I’ve always had a strong connection to Tāhunanui. I grew up around the beach through Surf Life Saving. It all started when I was around 7, when my mum signed my twin brother and me up for the Nippers programme.

Sunday mornings were spent learning life skills I’d retain forever, from beach flags (my favourite!) to board races, sprints, swimming and even rides on the inflatable rescue boats. Those summers were crazy fun and a big part of why this place still means so much to me.

If you live in Nelson, you’ll know Tāhunanui is special. But the beach is just the beginning. There are sports fields, the Holiday Park, cafés, tennis courts, Nelson Fun Park and so much more.

Tāhunanui thrives in summer. Compared with the beaches down in Dunedin, where I study, which are beautiful but often cold and rough, Tāhunanui is warm, shallow and safe. It’s the kind of beach where families spend entire days, wondering where the time went.

There’s also a real community feel here. Locals are friendly, beach cricket games welcome everyone, and the Holiday Park team helps make the place feel relaxed and welcoming.

Whether it’s families returning for their annual holiday, locals enjoying sunset walks or kids playing on the sports fields, Tāhunanui has a way of bringing people together.

It’s not just a beach. It’s a community that keeps pulling you back." 💙

Thanks for sharing your memories, Hogan! We love that Tāhunanui has been part of your story from childhood to today.

07/10/2026

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A lovely 5-star Google review from Emily for our Beach House!

“Great stay at the Beach House. Plenty of space to accommodate 11 of us. Great there were two bathrooms for that amount of people. House had everything we needed. Kids loved the basketball hoop and spent many hours there. Good location.”

We love hearing when the Beach House works so well for families and groups, especially when the basketball hoop gets a workout too! 🏀💙

Thanks so much, Emily, for taking the time to leave us a Google review.

See more about our Beach House here: tahuna.nz/nb_accommodation/the-beach-house/

07/10/2026

A wonderful look back at a very special evening from the Tahunanui Business and Citizens Association celebrating our centenary, book launch and 100th AGM. 💙

One of the most special parts of the evening was bringing together so many people with their own connection to Tāhuna, from former residents and long-standing supporters to staff, Board members and community friends.

Thank you for helping us celebrate the people, stories and memories that have shaped the Park over the past century.

07/10/2026

A lovely reflection from Hon Dr Nick Smith on our 100th AGM and the remarkable history of Tāhuna Beach Camp Inc.

We’re proud to be part of a legacy shaped by generations of volunteers, Board members, staff and supporters, all helping make Tāhunanui such a special place for locals and visitors alike.

Thank you, Nick, for joining us to celebrate this milestone and for sharing your own memories of the beach. ☺️

Tāhunanui Beach is the jewel in Nelson’s crown and it was wonderful this evening to join Chair Steve Cross, CEO David Pattinson, its board, members and supporters to celebrate its founding in 1926.

Hundred of thousands of people have enjoyed this beach or stayed at the campground over the past 100 years. It is where I proposed to my wife, but it will be a place of special family occasions for thousands.

I take my hat off to our forebears, both on Council and in the community, for their foresight in securing this stunning area. Council bought the land in 1909 for public recreation – a key first step.

The hard graft started 100 years ago, in 1926, when a group from the local community formed the Tahuna Sands Association and spent hours planting trees and building facilities to transform the reserve and open the original motor camp in 1937.

From that initial camp for a few hundred people, the holiday park has developed on its 54 acres of beachside parkland to become New Zealand’s largest campground that can – and does – comfortably cater for 2300 people in a range of accommodation from unpowered campsites to cabins and motel units.

There have been a few changes along the way. Part of the property served as an army camp during WWII and then housed returned servicemen and their families from 1945-50. In 1961, the Tahuna Sands Association became Tāhuna Beach Camp Inc to manage the campground, and Council resumed responsibility for the front beach reserve.

What hasn’t changed is the dedication of the people on the board of the organisation and working at the campground. They keep their community and their guests front of mind. One recent example of this was pragmatic agreement announced in October last year in relation to the planned Nelson Airport runway extension. The agreement grandparents the right of more than 100 long-term campground residents to their existing sites.

I have long voted Tāhunanui for best city beach. It’s a wonderful location with that deserves the title as one of NZ's best as does the holiday park.

My thanks to Tāhuna Beach Camp Inc Chair and board along with Chief Executive David Pattinson and his team, and the generations of volunteers for this 100-year legacy of which Nelson can be proud. May we continue as a city to enable people to have fun affordable holidays at the beach.

06/10/2026

What a milestone! Tāhuna Beach Camp Inc, the society that oversees Tāhuna Beach Holiday Park, recently marked its 100th AGM in style. ✨🥂

The society was established in 1926 to improve the Tāhunanui reserve and shoreline for recreational use. Over the decades, a small group of volunteers with big ideas developed many facilities for visitors to the beach, including, in 1937, the Holiday Park itself. Back then it was known as the 'motor camp', as there was no permanent accommodation.

Once the formal business was done, with plenty of good news shared by Chief Executive David Pattinson and Chair Steve Cross, the occasion’s speeches were very entertaining.

Nelson Mayor Hon Dr Nick Smith revealed his special connection to Tāhunanui: he proposed to his wife by etching the question in the sand at Tāhunanui Beach.

Ian Barker, who first joined our Board as a city council representative and then served as a Board member in his own right, from the 1980s to the 2010s, recalled his first encounter with the Holiday Park. He and his friends were turned away, because at the time single young men weren't allowed to stay!

Fellow Life Member Jim Bishop, who together with his father Eric contributed more than 50 years of Board service, told the story of units being built in the 1960s with bathrooms, which went against the Campground Regulations of the day. The Nelson Moteliers Association took legal action to stop the bathrooms being used, and the ban stayed in place until the regulations changed in the 1980s. (Rather than removing the bathrooms, the doors were simply boarded up.)

We were also delighted to welcome Margaret Hall, just shy of 100 herself, along with her family. Margaret's late husband, Keith Hall, was our longest-serving manager, leading the park for 17 years through the 1970s and 80s.

The AGM also saw the launch of our centenary book, '100 Years of Beachside Memories'. A fitting way to celebrate a century of stories, people and progress, and to look ahead to the next chapter of Tāhuna Beach.
Written by Emma Gilkison, it weaves together the stories of generations of guests who have returned year after year, creating family traditions, friendships and treasured memories, alongside the stories of Board members, residents and staff. Part local history, part social history and a celebration of a much-loved place, the book honours a century of beachside memories at Tāhunanui.

Emma will be talking about the book at a Nelson Arts Festival Pukapuka Talk on Monday 26 October. https://nelsonartsfestival.nz/event/behind-the-hill-beside-the-sea/

Copies of the book are available from https://tahuna.nz/retail/

Here’s to 100 years of beachside memories, and many more still to be made. 🥂

Nelson Tasman

Photo credit: Tim Cuff

05/10/2026

⏰ Just 4 days to go! ⏰

Our Staff Reunion is happening this Saturday, 10 October, and we’re getting excited to welcome everyone back to Tāhuna!

If you’re planning to attend and haven’t already done so, please take a moment to complete the registration form. This helps us confirm numbers for catering and ensures we can keep everyone updated with any event information.

👉 Please register here: tahuna.nz/staff-reunion/

We’d love to see as many past and present staff members as possible as we celebrate, reconnect, and share a few stories from the good old days.

See you on Saturday! 😊