RICHMOND Richmond is a satellite suburb of Nelson; but tell that a Richmond resident. Richmond is a very independent community that happens to be close to Nelson. Richmond is not an easy town to navigate as a visitor. For such a large community not having an Information Centre/booth does not help a visitor. For a relatively small town Richmond has a large shopping centre that draws on the Tasman and surrounding areas. This large centre has determined a disjointed main street that must struggle with retail balance. Other than for the shopping mall there is no soul in the community to draw you in. To the visitor all that was ‘old’ appears to have given way to the ‘new’. The Richmond War Memorial and gardens testify to a long history. Richmond can lay claim to the birth place of Ernest Rutherford (the man who split the atom) and an impressive monument to Rutherford will be found some 7/8 k's to the south of Richmond. This is a must visit and plenty of time to engage the way this Rutherford expose is presented. This actually first rate. But for Richmond itself, no museum and modern churches, with the exception of the Anglican, determine a bypass straight through after the Rutherford Memorial  to Nelson is encouraged.