Skating in Nelson

Where to skate in Nelson

The following maps are provided by Google Maps. If you hover your cursor over the map, when the hand appears you can click and drag your mouse to move the map north, south, west or east. 

Neale Park skate park

The concrete is cast and curvey at Nelson's premier skate park. Completed in 2008 to a design shaped by our skating community's own ideas, it's the place to skate in Nelson. Check out the Neale Park web cam -- updates every five minutes with six views of the park.


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Paru Paru Road skate bowl

The skate bowl is near the north end of Rutherford Park, by the Trafalgar Centre car park.


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Where can I skate?

Skateboarding is allowed at the following designated skate spots around Nelson:

  • Nelson Skate park situated in Paru Paru Road
  • Vert Skate ramp at Tahunanui beach reserve
  • Mini Ramp at the Hub (during open hours only)
  • Pioneers Park youth park which has a flat concrete area for beginners
  • Annesbrook youth park, which has a flat concrete area for beginners

In addition Council has an up to date skate park in Neale Park, which is comparable to the best in the country.

Council bylaws prohibit skateboarding in busy pedestrian areas including:

  • Nelson CBD
  • Victory Square
  • Stoke
  • Tahunanui

In order to ensure the safety of the public, Council’s Parking Officer’s will be enforcing the bylaw in these areas. Anyone caught skating will be fined up to $200 and any person who refuses to supply their name and address and is prosecuted for that refusal can be liable for a maximum fine of $5,000.

Neale Park skate park opened in 2008

On Saturday 17 May 2008 the Nelson Skate Park at Neale Park was officially opened with skate exhibitions, live music, and a ribbon cutting ceremony.

“There’s been a really high level of input into this project from many areas of the community and we’re confident we’ve come up with a facility that compares to some of the best skate parks in the country” says Nelson City Councillor Ali Boswijk, who cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony.

The design was driven by skateboarders and the wider community who voted on which features it wanted to see in the new skate park. The public consultation effort was steered by the all volunteer Skate Park Committee, largely made up of skaters and BMX riders from Nelson.

Grant awarded

The Canterbury Community Trust came through in spectacular fashion for Nelson skate enthusiasts. They allocated a huge $40,000 towards the construction of the new skate park at Neale Park.

Hub voting

November 2006

The Skate Park consultation finished on Friday 10 November 2006 with a total of 136 people visiting the Hub to have their say. Each person voted on obstacles for the new park including transitions, manual pads, pyramids, rails and features such as lighting, security cameras, drinking fountains, and seating.

The results from the voting and questionnaires will be collated by the Skatepark Advisory Group and passed onto the designer to direct the design of the new park.

Design features for the park were on display at The Hub for two weeks. During this time, the community, parents and anyone with an interst in using the park was invited to come and cast votes for their favourite obstacles and features.

To vote, people were asked to first fill out a quick and easy questionnaire at The Hub asking for more specific information and name and sponsorship suggestions. Then they chose their favourite 30 features from all those on display. As well as obstacles and jumps there were choices like shade trees, drinking fountains, toilets and spectator facilities.