Tahunanui is a beach suburb of Nelson, around 4 km southwest of the central city. It runs along Tāhunanui Beach between the Nelson Airport (west) and Monaco (south).

Is Tahunanui Beach safe for swimming?

Yes. Tāhunanui Beach is one of the country's safest mainland golden beaches, with sheltered sandy swimming areas and gentle currents. Surf Life Saving NZ patrols operate over peak summer. Popular with families.

What is the Tahunanui Beach playground?

The Tahunanui Beach playground at the Tahunanui Beach Reserve is one of the most popular free family destinations in Nelson, with multiple play areas, a paddling pool and BBQ facilities. Free public access.

Where is the Tahunanui Holiday Park?

The Tahunanui Holiday Park is on Beach Road, central Tahunanui, near the main beach. Cabins, powered and unpowered campsites, family pool and amenities. One of the busier campgrounds in the country.

How do I get from central Nelson to Tahunanui?

By car, around 8 to 12 minutes via Rocks Road and Tāhunanui Drive. Bus services run regularly from central Nelson to Tahunanui via the Tahunanui Drive route. The walk along the foreshore takes around 50 minutes.

Which schools are in zone for Tāhunanui?

Children living in Tāhunanui are in zone for Nayland College, Broadgreen Intermediate. Living in a school's home zone gives a guaranteed right to enrol.

How do I check my school zone in Tāhunanui?

Use the School Zone Checker on this page — enter your address to check your school zone and see which schools you have a guaranteed right to enrol at.

Tāhunanui, Nelson / Tasman | Schools, Lifestyle & Local Guide

Living in Tāhunanui

Tahunanui is Nelson's beach suburb, around 4 km southwest of the central city, on the long sandy curve of Tāhunanui Beach that runs from the airport down to Monaco. It's been the city's main family beach destination for over a century, and the suburb has been built around the beach economy: holiday parks, motels, fish-and-chip shops, the Tahunanui Beach Reserve and the kind of summer rhythm that defines the place.

Tāhunanui Beach is the main feature: 3 km of safe sandy beach, one of the country's best-known mainland golden beaches, popular for swimming, kite-flying, and the kind of late-summer evening that holiday-makers come back for year after year. The Tahunanui Holiday Park has been operating since the 1960s and remains one of the country's busier campgrounds.

The Tahunanui shops on Tāhunanui Drive have the local mix: a KFC, McDonald's, Raglan Roast coffee, the Tahunanui Pharmacy and a row of takeaways and motels. The Nelson Airport is 1 km west, which makes Tahunanui the standard arrival suburb for Nelson visitors.

Tahunanui School (state co-ed primary) handles the local primary. Older students attend Nelson College or Nelson College for Girls.

Is Tāhunanui a good place to live?

Tāhunanui is home to roughly 2,892 people. On Suburb's overall livability scale, Tāhunanui scores 65 out of 100, with a safety score of 75/100 and 22% green space.

Schools: Tāhunanui has 20 schools in or near the suburb, spanning early-childhood through to secondary education. See the Schools tab below for the full list.

Housing: The estimated median value is around $666K, and weekly rent typically sits around $400.

Lifestyle: Tāhunanui has cafés, shops and things to do nearby. The current temperature is 9.6°C. See the Weather tab for monthly averages.

Whether Tāhunanui is right for you depends on what you’re looking for. Use the data and community tips below to decide if it suits your lifestyle, family and budget.

Map

Livability Breakdown

Safety75
Amenities100
Schools62
Housing Affordability56
Green space74
Community22
Transport20

Property & Economics

Est. Median Value: $666K
Median Weekly Rent: $400/wk
Median HH Income: $59K/yr
Pop. Growth (5yr): +5.4%
Data Year: 2023

Key Financial Indicators (NZD)

† Est. Median Value is suburb.co.nz's own estimate, modelled from available public data. We aim for accuracy, but where data is limited, estimates may be imprecise.

Nearby Suburbs

Browse all suburbs in Nelson City →

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Tahunanui?: Tahunanui is a beach suburb of Nelson, around 4 km southwest of the central city. It runs along Tāhunanui Beach between the Nelson Airport (west) and Monaco (south).
Is Tahunanui Beach safe for swimming?: Yes. Tāhunanui Beach is one of the country's safest mainland golden beaches, with sheltered sandy swimming areas and gentle currents. Surf Life Saving NZ patrols operate over peak summer. Popular with families.
What is the Tahunanui Beach playground?: The Tahunanui Beach playground at the Tahunanui Beach Reserve is one of the most popular free family destinations in Nelson, with multiple play areas, a paddling pool and BBQ facilities. Free public access.
Where is the Tahunanui Holiday Park?: The Tahunanui Holiday Park is on Beach Road, central Tahunanui, near the main beach. Cabins, powered and unpowered campsites, family pool and amenities. One of the busier campgrounds in the country.
How do I get from central Nelson to Tahunanui?: By car, around 8 to 12 minutes via Rocks Road and Tāhunanui Drive. Bus services run regularly from central Nelson to Tahunanui via the Tahunanui Drive route. The walk along the foreshore takes around 50 minutes.

Schools & Enrolment Zones in Tāhunanui

Schools in zone for Tāhunanui

Children living in Tāhunanui have a guaranteed right to enrol at these schools, based on Ministry of Education home zones.

Nayland College
Secondary (Year 9-15) · roll 1312 · decile 6
Broadgreen Intermediate
Intermediate · roll 486 · decile 6

Check your school zone

School Zone Checker

Enter your address to check your school zone in Tāhunanui. School enrolment zones (home zones) decide which schools your child has a guaranteed right to enrol at.

Address matching is approximate and based on OpenStreetMap geocoding — confirm an exact result near a zone boundary directly with the school.

Other nearby schools

Schools close to Tāhunanui that you may be able to enrol at under open enrolment or by application (outside your home zone).

Tahunanui School
Contributing · roll 265 · decile 4 · 0.4 km away
Nelson Intermediate
Intermediate · roll 413 · decile 5 · 2.0 km away
Te Puna Wānanga o Te Wairepo – Victory Primary School
Contributing · roll 343 · decile 2 · 2.1 km away
Enner Glynn School
Contributing · roll 306 · decile 7 · 2.6 km away
Nelson College
Secondary (Year 9-15) · roll 1037 · decile 7 · 2.7 km away
Nelson College (Prep Dept)
Intermediate · roll 98 · decile 7 · 2.7 km away
Hampden Street School
Contributing · roll 422 · decile 6 · 2.8 km away
Nayland Primary School
Contributing · roll 367 · decile 6 · 2.8 km away
Birchwood School
Contributing · roll 236 · decile 5 · 3.1 km away
Nelson College For Girls
Secondary (Year 9-15) · roll 985 · decile 7 · 3.3 km away
Nelson Teen Parent Unit
Teen Parent Unit · decile 1 · 3.3 km away
Auckland Point School
Contributing · roll 83 · decile 1 · 3.3 km away
Nelson College For Girls Prep School
Intermediate · roll 98 · decile 7 · 3.3 km away
Nelson Christian Academy
Full Primary · roll 311 · decile 6 · 3.7 km away
St Joseph's School (Nelson)
Full Primary · roll 345 · decile 5 · 3.7 km away
Nelson Central School
Contributing · roll 370 · decile 5 · 3.8 km away
Stoke School
Contributing · roll 187 · decile 4 · 3.9 km away
Maitai School
Specialist School · roll 59 · decile 7 · 4.1 km away

Explore Tāhunanui

Things to do(15)

Tahunanui Recreation Reserve

Skate Nelson

Pro Karts

Paddys Knob Reserve

Nelson Bays Roller Derby

Indoor & Outdoor Rental Karts New Zealand Championship

Tahunanui Playing Fields

Tāhuna Touch

Tahunanui Holiday Park

Bowls Tahunanui Inc

Tahuna Football Club

Aikido Nelson

Nak Su Muay Thai Nelson

Nelson BMX Club

Tahunanui Tennis Club

Parks & green spaces(4)

Tahunanui Recreation Reserve

Paddys Knob Reserve

Tahunanui Playing Fields

Tahunanui Holiday Park

Healthcare

Pharmacies and clinics for this area haven’t been catalogued yet.

Month	High (°C)	Low (°C)	Rainfall (mm/day)	Sunshine (hrs/day)
☀️ Jan	22.25	14.29	1.95	11.24
☀️ Feb	21.97	13.64	2.44	11.22
🍂 Mar	20	11.34	1.81	10.4
🍂 Apr	17.79	10.26	3.77	8.36
🍂 May	15.2	7.89	4.6	6.86
❄️ Jun	13.58	6.04	3.56	6.94
❄️ Jul	13.07	5.36	1.56	7.35
❄️ Aug	12.97	4.85	2.66	8.8
🌸 Sep	15.25	7.29	2.08	9
🌸 Oct	16.67	8.37	3.97	10.42
🌸 Nov	18.3	10.41	2.63	11.11
☀️ Dec	21.66	13.72	2.37	11.51

Living in Tāhunanui

Is Tāhunanui a good place to live?

Map

Livability Breakdown

Property & Economics

Key Financial Indicators (NZD)

Nearby Suburbs

Frequently Asked Questions

Schools & Enrolment Zones in Tāhunanui

Schools in zone for Tāhunanui

Nayland College

Broadgreen Intermediate

Check your school zone

School Zone Checker

Other nearby schools

Tahunanui School

Nelson Intermediate

Te Puna Wānanga o Te Wairepo – Victory Primary School

Enner Glynn School

Nelson College

Nelson College (Prep Dept)

Hampden Street School

Nayland Primary School

Birchwood School

Nelson College For Girls

Nelson Teen Parent Unit

Auckland Point School

Nelson College For Girls Prep School

Nelson Christian Academy

St Joseph's School (Nelson)

Nelson Central School

Stoke School

Maitai School

Explore Tāhunanui

🎯Things to do(15)

Tahunanui Recreation Reserve

Skate Nelson

Pro Karts

Paddys Knob Reserve

Nelson Bays Roller Derby

Indoor & Outdoor Rental Karts New Zealand Championship

Tahunanui Playing Fields

Tāhuna Touch

Tahunanui Holiday Park

Bowls Tahunanui Inc

Tahuna Football Club

Aikido Nelson

Nak Su Muay Thai Nelson

Nelson BMX Club

Tahunanui Tennis Club

🌳Parks & green spaces(4)

Tahunanui Recreation Reserve

Paddys Knob Reserve

Tahunanui Playing Fields

Tahunanui Holiday Park

🏥Healthcare

Eat & Drink in Tāhunanui

🍽️Places to eat & drink(24)

Nook

Tāhuna Breakfast Club

Coffee On Queen Beached

Fresh As Bakery

Tahuna Breakfast Club

Thai Tahuna

Sprig and Fern Tavern

Sprig + Fern Tahuna

Mr Whippy Nelson & Tasman

Catch 22 Cafe and Bar

KFC Nelson

Beach Cafe

Get Real Fruit Ice Cream Cart

Smugglers Pub & Cafe

Gelato Roma

La Farina Pizza and Pasta Bar

The Shed Bar

Fishy Business on Roto

The Deck Cafe Tahuna

The Sprig & Fern

McDonald's Tahunanui

Subway

Things to do(15)

Parks & green spaces(4)

Healthcare

Places to eat & drink(24)

Tradies & services(22)

Shops(10)

Beauty & fitness(13)

Professional services(9)

Places to stay(24)