If aviation is your thing this is the place for you. Quite a collection of WW I and WWII planes in…read morethe hangers. You walk around on your own, there are placards in front of each plane sharing its story and background. Don't miss the Stalingrad movie- only 8 min and worth it.

Absolutely one of the best World War I and II plane collections I have seen. What sets this rather…read moresmall museum apart (from some massive.US plane museums) is the level of restoration and condition of the planes where a number of them are still in flying condition. The other is that the World War I planes are owned and staged by Sir Peter Jackson of Lord of the Rings fame. He used his movie company to create sets and stages for the planes that bring them to life. There are great stories of the pilots that flew them with uniforms and memorabilia that are extremely rare such as pieces of The Red Baron's plane. While the WWI museum is featured as the best of the three museums the WWII museum is well worth visiting just as well. There you will see the top fighters in WW2 and some rare Russian and German planes that survived the war and are in excellent condition. The third museum is one on antique cars in which we unfortunately did not have time to visit. This is a not to miss museum for the war historian and airplane buff.

Only sinners here to seek out an afternoon pick-me-up with a visit to a quaint, aged church,…read morere-purposed into a beer bar! Blessed be! When in hop capital, the Freehouse is an automatic add onto one's rotation. The most friendly, helpful staff to serve up a fresh pint and give all the best recs. Quite a few tap handles, but per the sheet, only those with the red check mark were the ones "On". No matter, because the selection with the 15 available was eclectic and very exciting. Surprisingly a number of sours on draft along with some cask options and beers featured from their on-site brewery "The Flavourtorium". We sat outside near this makeshift brewery within a shipping container, fermenter tanks and mashers in full view as a worker toiled away gathering the spent grain for disposal. Many a patron chatted away -- visitor and locals alike -- and dogs lazed away or wandered around off leash for a joyful afternoon basking in the Nelson sun. What an absolutely terrific vibe and what a time to be alive enjoying the fresh Nelson hops of the region!

Good place. They helped me out when I arrived in Nelson to an unacceptable hotel/motel, reviewed…read moreseparately. I ordered a pint and asked for recommendations. I got a few and followed up on one and ended up in a much better spot. It was admittedly not busy, so I had a bit of an opportunity to chat, and they were quite pleasant to get along with. A group came in as I was winding down my pint, and it is clear that they have a good community following (also confirmed by a recommendation of the Freehouse from a friend who lived in Nelson for quite a while). It was also a Sunday evening, so things were already pretty quiet in Nelson. There is a beer garden/patio out front with a food stand, but it is late winter now, so that wasn't active, and they have only a light kitchen themselves, so they were happy to recommend nearby places for take-out to eat-in at their spot. Good neighbors then. Good people. Very helpful. Good beer. Worth the visit. Oh, and it's in a repurposed church. Very cool.

Popped in here for a quick dessert and glass of wine. I had been told that this was a great local…read morebar and it did not disappoint! I had one of their excellent chocolate bourbon balls with a glass of great NZ rose and people-watched from the corner. Initially the bartender I got came off a bit salty and surly, but he warmed up a bit in the end. The other bartender was a bit more jovial and engaging and by the time I left you could tell this was a regular spot for some of the locals as well as a place recommended by the locals to visitors in the area. They looked like they had a good menu, if I had been in Nelson an additional night, I would have come back for lunch or dinner.

I was in Nelson for two nights and went here both times. The beers are all local, the staff is…read morefriendly and helpful explaining all the different beers. The beers are fantastic. I only wish my liver could handle a few more at each sitting. My favorite is the Porter. The have a couple of tables out front, a lot inside in two areas, including a separate smoking area which is very nice.

If you're Californian, and you've been in NZ, you know the pain of finding only 4% beer…read more Really? Dear god if I wanted coors light I would've stayed home. Enter CBD. An oasis. Apparently these are "California boys" who have started to make craft beer in Nelson, the northern part of the South Island. They know what they're doing. And they also have take-away beer that's excellent. If you like craft beer with higher alcohol than 5%, come here. The vibe is chill, the beer is excellent. Currently sipping a half pint of a 12% porter after a 6.5% red Ale. Considering we're from the land of hops and 7-10% beers, this place is a godsend. Come here, especially if you're from Cali and need a good brew. Growlers are for sale. No food on site. Eat before/after you come.

We loved this place!! We are from Hawaii and we stumbled across CBD to grab a beer and wine. The…read moreowner was so nice and we became instant friends!! Beer and wine were tasty. They even have kombucha on tap. We will definitely come back

We had a great time. Service was fine, but wine flights were diverse and delicious! And the pizza…read morewas yummy.

From the owner: Rimu Wine Bar at the Mapua Wharf offers an extensive range of premium Nelson region wines and a few…read morefavourites from New Zealand and around the world. All wines are available to taste, by the glass and by the bottle. You can also purchase wines and beers to take home. Rimu also has a range of quality whiskeys, ports and liqueurs, along with some of the finest craft beers available. Enjoy our wood fired pizzas, platters, or bring in your fish and chips from the Smokehouse to enjoy with your drinks. Watch out for special events over the winter months and come and enjoy the evening with friends in front of our roaring fire.

We were trying to find a place to stay in Nelson while using points and booked Honest Lawyer…read moreonline, when we arrived, we realized we were in for an experience. This is not your typical hotel/motel. It has character, we drove around finding the reception which was this very small office where she gave us the details about which room we were staying at and we drove in a circle to find the room. One great thing is you can park right next to the door so you're not dragging your luggage too far. The receptionist did let us know that they were having an event in the back area near our room, while we were driving to the back we did see people setting up near our room entrance and walking past it. We opened the door with the key given to us and the room was definetly more like Airbnb vibes from 1980s. I didn't do enough research to see if there is history with this hotel. There was no AC in the hotel so we tried to figure out what we were going to do in the night because it already felt warm, there was a fan from the 90s there with layers of dust which we turned on. We opened the windows however the second it was open, ants started crawling in so we closed those. We were so tired from the day, we decided not to go join the party outside. We wounded down and fell asleep. I am thankful we only booked this place for one night. I did like there was a lot of space and counter space for luggage etc. but it is very outdated- old, rusty, dusty, recommend bringing shower slippers, house slippers and more.

Stayed at the hotel while on vacation. Rooms are VERY outdated and need to be remodeled. Bed was…read moreok, we slept well and it was quiet. The toilet handle was broken and wouldn't flush. Ceiling in bathroom has peeling/chipped paint. The shower/tub was very outdated and the shower curtain smelled musty and was moldy. The faucet has separate faucets for hot and cold, which is annoying and inefficient. Room temp control is an oscillating floor fan... windows open but no screens. There is no coffee or breakfast on site until 10a weekdays (no breakfast weekdays at all) and 9a weekend and nothing close walking distance if you wish to have something before they open. They do offer tea and powdered coffee in your room but that's not my cup of tea! Staff also cannot recommend somewhere for coffee when asked. Had dinner first night and the service was just ok, ordered the salmon salad special and my bf ordered the steak cooked on the 400 degree stone. Which was really cool! Would have been nice to have some kind of instruction on proper cooking to medium temperature, but our plates were just dropped off without explanation. Please note there is no elevator. So you must carry your large bags up the stairs. Hangars are not removable in closet and there are no hooks to hang anything in the bathroom.

The best atmosphere! Amazing drinks and cool place to hang…read moreout. Ask for a cookie monster! Also Jam sessions are a must go to. Wed and Thursdays I think. Best bar in Nelson !!

There wasn't enough. I was extremely parched, I came here looking hydration and I didn't find it…read more Good vibes tho.

Came after the WOW exhibit, which is just across the street for a drink. I had the 5 malt old dark…read moreand it was great. Looks pretty busy current and a good atmosphere. Good place for a drink. Also close to airport. FREE WIFI