Which NZ city has the best art scene?

Question

Would you say it is Auckland, Wellington, or Nelson? Or is there some other city more known for the arts scene?

Please only answer if you live or have lived in New Zealand.

Answer 1

Beautiful is one thing, but it dpends on what you want.

If you are looking for the arts centre of New Zealand, then Wellington is know for this.  The art scene there is pretty thriving.

If you are looking for a place to hang out and be an artist, live off the land and be eco-friendly with other artists, then you should head to the Coromandel, the Otago Peninsula (near Dunedin), or areas near Nelson, including the Abel Tasman region.

Answer 2

Wellington, hands down. Look on any travel site, they will say the same, and the town itself screams artistic

Answer 3

auckland and wellington...they have the best art city scenes I hav ever been to..they have some pretty cool art mueseums and galleries in auckland ...most of it is new art and classic sculpture arts..I forgot what it was called but its next to AUT...I remeber going to it on a school trip

Answer 4

As an artist, I would say Auckland has the biggest and best art scene. Wellington would come second. Im talking contemporary fine arts, not the more craft oriented stuff like in Nelson and Queenstown.

Answer 5

Christchurch and Queestown in the South Island are the beautiful cities.

Answer 6

Christchurch probably has the best in the way of Galleries.  However if you want to live somewhere truly inspiring it has to be Wanaka an hour north of Queenstown.  Heaps of artists live here as the scenery is breath taking.  There are a few small Galleries, but it's only a small town, with lots of tourists, who like to spend big money on a souvenir of there NZ experience.

Answer 7

I personally would go with Nelson.

If I ever decide to move back to New Zealand, I think thats where I would go to get my creative juices flowing again.

Quiet, peaceful, very inspiring...

Answer 8

All those places are good and offer their own unique oppurtunities. Nelson is good for hippies, Wellington you're more likely to get a break and Auckland has the best galleries and is where the real money is.

Answer 9

I lived for 10 years in the Wiatakari of Auckland,Huia and then Karekare.There are alot of creative people living and working in this area.Coromandel and the Nelson ares are also very similar.Its strange that these areas are also areas close the wine producing areas of NZ----any connection do you think?

Most people in these areas exhibit their works in Galleries in Auckland or Wellington,although the local gallerys also cater very well for their resident artistic sorts.