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Story: Nelson places

Māpua wharf

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Māpua wharf

Children fish from Māpua wharf in 2010. In the late 1800s Māpua was an important coastal port. From around 1920 it got much busier in autumn, as apples grown in the Moutere hills were shipped out from there. As roads improved apples were trucked to Port Nelson instead. The Māpua cool stores and other buildings have been converted into restaurants, galleries and shops, revitalising the area.

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Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

by Carl Walrond

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How to cite this page

Carl Walrond, Nelson places – Moutere Hills and Tasman Bay, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/29062/mapua-wharf (accessed 10 June 2026).

Story by Carl Walrond, published 31 August 2010, updated 22 April 2015.