Split Apple Rock has been voted the most popular landmark to represent the region in a local Monopoly edition being produced by Nelson Tasman Chamber of Commerce (NTCC).

After receiving 87 different suggestions that included Ernest Rutherford’s head, Tahuna playground whale and the Nelson Giants mascot, the eight most popular suggestions were then put to the vote. NTCC Chief Executive, Ali Boswijk, says Split Apple Rock was always a strong contender.

“I’m not surprised it won because when most people think of Abel Tasman, they think of Split Apple Rock. It would have been unusual for suck a striking geographical feature like that, placed near our biggest tourist mecca to not be in the top three, and so the fact it's the ultimate winner is actually unsurprising. I’m delighted.”

There are eight player tokens on a typical Monopoly board and while each token can be purchased by local businesses, NTCC decided to give the public the opportunity to vote for one of the pewter tokens.

People who submitted the idea for the winning token went into a draw to have their name immortalised in the game rulebook. The voting results in descending order were: Split Apple Rock, Boulder Bank lighthouse, Nelson Cathedral, mountain bike, Sun, kayak, fish and hiking boot.

NTCC plan to accept pre order sales of the local Monopoly edition by winter 2024.

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