Tahuna Beach Holiday Park — Hotel in Nelson

Having made use of many Top 10 sites on our tour of the South Island,, we expected Tahuna Beach to be of a similar standard. Not so. A HUGE impersonal site with outdated facilities, akin to the 1970’s. It most certainly requires a face-lift which would transform it. The site had lots of unkempt and scruffy caravans with make-shift shelters and attachments. It just looked outdated and shabby. I can’t lie - the views of the shore line/water were fantastic and so there is so much potential for this site but not taken advantage of. The gents toilet block is something to behold, but not in a good way. If you’ve a problem ‘revealing’ yourself - don’t go there ! There is almost no privacy whatsoever. You are obliged to leave your towel etc on a bench just OUTSIDE your shower and a flimsy shower curtain protects your modesty - nowhere to hang even a towel. Once finished, feel free to step out to the bench naked, to grab your towel. Fortunately, the block was empty and no one had to witness my middle aged, over sized frame ! The poorly painted (no doubt a long time) walls of the toilet block did nothing to improve my assessment of the place. I didn’t truly witness the on site shop/store which apparently doubled up as the Deck Cafe. That said, I was told it sold only basic provisions such as bread and milk. For a site of this size I found this quite remarkable having regard to the town not exactly being a stone’s throw away. We had booked for a three night stay but one was more than enough. We left the following morning and vowed never to return. The Top 10 Franz Josef site the previous nights AND the former Tasman Top 10 site in Picton later that day were SO much better. Sorry Tahuna, but you guys need to spend some money on the place : new toilet blocks, better signage, better shop, and removal of those awful ‘lean to’ attachments would be first on the list. The only positive was a very helpful and friendly young man on reception duties on the morning of January 22nd 2025…as we left ! Conclusion :...

We recently stayed at Tāhuna Beach Holiday Park with our caravan setup measuring a total of 14 metres, and had absolutely no issues navigating the park. The sites here are fantastic: spacious, level, and many offer stunning views straight out to the beach. It’s an ideal spot for a quick stop or a longer stay, like we ended up doing.

One of the best things about this park is its unbeatable location. It’s right on the Great Taste Trail cycle route, making it incredibly easy to bike or walk into Nelson City or head the other way to Richmond. Having direct access to such a scenic and safe path adds a whole new level of freedom to the stay.

The facilities are genuinely impressive, clean, and well-maintained. There are multiple amenity blocks, a great playground, jumping pillow and mini-golf, and everything needed for a comfortable stay. And don’t miss The Deck, the on-site café. It’s a brilliant spot to grab breakfast or a coffee and just soak up the relaxed, beachy vibe.

But what really sets Tāhuna Beach Holiday Park apart is the sense of community. From chatting with fellow travellers to being welcomed by the staff, there's a genuine warmth that makes the experience memorable. The team here are exceptional, friendly, helpful, and clearly passionate about creating a positive atmosphere. Massive thanks to Debbie, Julia and Tina for making our stay so easy.

This park is more than just a place to stay, it’s a place to come back to. Which we will. Oh! And the laundry...

Unfortunately our first impression of this place wasn’t the best… we contacted via email to book as on the website for the dates we wanted said to contact to book. I got a confirmation email saying a site had been booked for us by the beach. When we arrived we went and checked in and we were given a map of the place, and our site in the yellow zone was circled for us, we were then sent on our way. We drove to the site and noticed there were no other people in other sites around us, but believed we had been given the right area and so started to set up. A man on a tractor then came over, I believe his name was barry, and asked if we were lost. We said no this is the site we were given and showed him our map and he confirmed we were in the right place, but said that this area of the campground was closed and had been for over a month. He was kind enough to help us and radioed over to reception and found us another site, which wasn’t as nice and was in the dog area and quite run down facilities. We were grateful for the man who helped us out though as none of the people in reception seemed to actually be aware that they had sent us to a closed area and it seemed that the communication wasn’t the best. We would stay again if we were able to actually stay in one of the areas we booked for and when facilities are upgraded one day so you feel like you are actually getting your...