The Boathouse Nelson is a heritage waterfront venue at 326 Wakefield Quay, Stepneyville, operating as a cafe and restaurant, live-music venue and function space.
The building was constructed in 1906 for the Nelson Rowing Club on piles over the water, and is listed as a Category 2 Historic Place (List No. 1591) by Heritage New Zealand. It later passed to the Iron Duke Sea Scouts, hosted regattas and public dances, and faced demolition in the late 1970s before a group of Nelson residents bought it in 1986 to keep it as a community space. A major restoration followed in the early 1990s. After Cyclone Fehi damaged floors and decks in 2018, the owners raised funds and reopened the same year. It is run by a community society rather than a commercial operator.
The venue's website describes the food as good, without naming a particular cuisine, and lists weekday daytime opening, Friday trading until late, Saturdays available for hire and Sundays reserved for members. Private hire is used for weddings, fundraisers, celebrations and community gatherings. No capacity figures are published on the website, so planners should confirm numbers directly. The site also describes the venue as award winning, without naming the awards.
For groups looking at other options, see Nelson venues.
Capacity
Details