Discover Todds Valley

History in the surrounding area

When visiting Todds Valley, it is also worth looking towards nearby Atawhai. John Oldham is believed to be the person after whom Atawhai was named; the name means “showing kindness or generosity”. The name was later adopted for the district when a post office was established in John Oldham’s house. This brings together a personal story behind the name and a concrete step in the area’s development. For travellers interested in how place names came about, it offers a tangible introduction to the region.

Atawhai is also home to Burnside, the former home of the Black family, associated with John Black and his family. The property is thought to be the oldest surviving house in Atawhai and is a private residence. The late Victorian villa has a square floor plan and was built to maximise views northwest across Nelson Haven and the Boulder Bank. Its exterior retains a remarkably high degree of authenticity. The relationship between its layout, orientation and period of construction offers a vivid example of how architecture and views work together. Burnside is therefore a tangible example of Atawhai’s architectural history.

The aquatic life in the surrounding area offers another perspective on the region. The lower reaches of Oldham Creek are home to inanga, smelt, banded kōkopu, eels and koura, or freshwater crayfish. This list of species ranges from different fish to crayfish and adds a natural perspective to the area’s history and architecture. If you would like your travel plans to take nature and culture into account equally, this offers another regional point of interest.

Nelson City: culture and landscape

Nelson City, as the wider travel destination, brings its own cultural history into focus. Nelson’s Theatre Royal is the oldest purpose-built theatre building in New Zealand still used for its original purpose. The building is privately owned and not generally open to the public. Its theatrical history is nevertheless one of Nelson City’s notable historical features.

The Trafalgar Street area has been Nelson’s commercial centre for more than a century. Albion Square is a historic area in the heart of Nelson City; signs on Hardy Street and Bridge Street provide information about the square and its features. Together, these places offer two different perspectives: Trafalgar Street represents the city’s long trading history, while the signs draw attention to the square’s history and distinctive features.

Art and regional identity also add to this picture. The Suter Memorial Art Gallery was built in 1899 in memory of Anglican Bishop Andrew Burn Suter. The Nelson Provincial Museum’s Regional Gallery focuses on Te Tauihu, the top of the South Island from Tasman Bay to Golden Bay, and explores the history and identity of this region. Its focus thus ranges from a specific commemorative purpose to a broader regional perspective.

Nelson City’s landscape includes the Boulder Bank Scenic Reserve: this rare, 13-kilometre shingle bank protects Nelson Harbour. Its length and function make it a vivid example of how natural geography shapes the harbour. Along with Burnside, whose architecture is oriented towards views across Nelson Haven and the Boulder Bank, it shows a shared connection between landscape and local history—each in its own location.

When looking for hotels, you can distinguish between the geographical areas: Atawhai is in the vicinity of Todds Valley, while Nelson City is the wider travel destination. If you are planning your stay around local history, architecture, city culture or landscape, compare accommodation locations with the places you want to include. This helps you tailor your search to the geographical area you have in mind without conflating the different locations.

Discover more destinations: Nelson

For the wider travel overview: Nelson City.