MAPUA - the District
Populated by some 36,414 people, the Tasman District is renowned for its tourism, agriculture, horticulture, forestry and fishing industries; not to mention its spectacular scenery, natural environment, mountains, rivers, bush, beaches and its range of recreational pursuits that make it nothing short of paradise!
Arts & Crafts
A thriving mainly cottage industry abounds in the area. The alterative lifestylers drive a number of unusual products to be found in the many local flea markets while the more established have their own premises that form an entertaining "craft trail" with items such as handcrafted knives and glasswork, dried flowers, handcarved wooden creations, pottery of all kinds and artwork modern, ethnic and traditional.
Wines
A number of award winning vineyards are established in the Tasman District. From Pinot Noir to Chardonnay and unusual fruit wines to liqueurs - its all available on the wine trail.
Animal Facts
Overall, the region has around 143,000 hectares of land devoted to sheep and beef farming, and 16,000 hectares devoted to the dairy industry. There's over 60,000 beef cattle, 45,000 dairy cattle and 4,000 pigs farmed in the region. But the farm animals you are most likely to see are the sheep; over half a million of them!
Fruit & Vege
It's estimated the region has around 3,000 hectares of apples, 1,000 hectares of kiwifruit, 400 hectares of pears, 300 hectares of berryfruit, and 200 hectares of hops. A large range of other crops are also grown for the market gardens from peas, potatoes and asparagus to exotic fruits.
Forestry
This is big business in Tasman with over 80,000 hectares under production by major companies. Apart from that we have 572,300 hectares of natural forest and scrub. Approximately a million tonnes of timber were harvested in 1995.
Health Care
The Nelson hospital is the main centre for health care services in the region though Motueka and Takaka also have hospitals that provide maternity and geriatric care. Wakefield and Mapua have community health centres that are equipped to deal with emergencies. A rescue helicopter also services the whole district.
Clubs & Recreation
From spoon collecting to belly dancing - if you want to join a club there's bound to be something for you. There are more than 500 groups registered in the district ranging from the strictly conventional to the proudly eccentric. Nearly every sporting activity is covered.
The Outdoors
The Tasman District has great caves, mountains, oceans with excellent beaches and fishing, rivers and bush tracks for tramping, including the world renowned Abel Tasman, Heaphy and Wangapeka tracks. Fishing, rafting, hunting, horse trekking and kayaking (sea, river or lake), gliding, parasailing, skydiving... all figure in the list of things to do in Tasman.
