Wild magic of St Arnaud’s alpine world
Wild side
Anyone who has ever spent any time at the alpine village of St Arnaud, Lake Rotoiti, will already know what a special and captivating place it is.
Gateway to the Nelson Lakes National Park, St Arnaud is a small community which is home to a few hundred residents at most.
Straddling the divide between east and west, St Arnaud has a wonderful alpine climate moderated by the higher rainfall areas to the west and the drier inland climate of Marlborough to the east.
The town was named after the mountain range that looks down on the settlement and Lake Rotoiti, although there is still animosity lingering from when the town name was changed from Lake Rotoiti and gazetted by the NZ Geographic Board in 1951.
It’s all part of the history now, and for the record Jacques Leroy de Saint Arnaud was the French Commander-in-Chief during the Crimean War of 1853-1856. St Arnaud, the town, isn’t totally unique though because two other overseas towns bear the same name in Victoria, Australia and Algeria.
Ever since the early days of European settlement the area has been a playground for Nelson and Marlborough families and recreational sportspeople.
Indeed, early explorer Julius von Haast recognised the potential of the area for recreation when he said: ‘‘I am sure that the time is not far distant when this spot will become the favourite abode of those whose means and leisure will permit them to admire picturesque scenery’’
Part of the attraction is Nelson Lakes National Park being right on the doorstep, or even encompassing part of the town.
The park was gazetted in 1956 and covers more than one hundred thousand hectares of barren magnificent wilderness with silver rivers, high peaks and clothed in red, silver, and black beech trees.
There are bountiful opportunities to hike, fish, hunt, enjoy water sports, and commune with nature in all of its glory. Best of all the gateway of St Arnaud is only about an hour of driving from downtown Nelson city or Blenheim.
My personal association with the town goes back further than I can ever remember. As a boy I loved fishing and hunting the Travers Valley that drains into the upper end of the Lake.
Travelling up the lake in Dad’s aluminium dinghy we would camp overnight on the river flats and enjoy everything the National Park had to offer.
Later, those early trips set the scene for becoming a fishing guide when I was employed by Sharon and Tony Entwistle of Nelson Lakes Guiding Services as an apprentice fishing guide in 1985.
Exploring the area and learning my craft, I loved living around St Arnaud township, meeting the locals and being indoctrinated in their ways.
I lived in the town for many fishing seasons, over decades, but eventually moved to Richmond for the benefit of family life.
St Arnaud has always held a intermediate slopes open. Here’s hoping we get some really gnarly weather soon to pump up the snow pack and kick start the ski season.
Ice skating is always fun and most winters the pond close to the village freezes thick and solid. Last winter we had some good ice fun but these past holidays the skating was a no go.
Mountain biking abounds to every point of the compass. The boys love racing around on their bikes and a favourite location is down Teetotal Rd, opposite the West Bay turnoff on the main road out of town. There are miles of tracks that suit all styles of riding and every age.
Bush walks are something we always like to do as a family. There are some extreme and remote tracks further out in the park but we often do the short, local ones for family fun and to get out of the house for an hour or so.
Bellbird walk, Honeydew and Loop tracks are always good down on the lake front in Kerr Bay. This past trip we walked the Peninsula Track and also Black Hill. One of my favourite things to show visitors is the old railway tunnel walkway down the Buller valley at Kawatiri.
Cafes and bars are also a St. Arnaud opportunity. There are lots of local businesses that cater to the tourism trade and remain open all winter.
On our Black Hill family walk we made our way down to the Alpine Lodge and enjoyed latte coffee and bowls of hot chips outside in the warm afternoon sun. You could also try Elaine Richards fine cafe´ food at the General Store or enjoy lunch at the Clinker Cafe´.
Accommodation options abound in St. Arnaud too ranging from lodge and motel accommodation, through to bed and breakfast, backpacker, or rent your own from the numerous holiday homes dotted throughout the village.
Water sports are a bit chilly in winter but our kids regularly kayak in the lake and at times have even indulged in mid-winter swimming.
This past visit we played on the Rotoiti School grounds kicking around rugby and footballs as a family.
During one breather from running around, I looked back toward Black Hill, a mound of glacial moraine left over from the last ice age, and visualised how Thomas Brunner and his Maori guides on their epic 1846 exploration ordeal, turned right and missed finding Lake Rotoiti before travelling down the Buller to South Westland.
On a wet day there are many more activities at St Arnaud you could enjoy such as community activities at the Lake Rotoiti Community Hall, go to the Sunday service at the picturesque Rotoiti Chapel, or visit the Department of Conservation visitor centre with interactive and educational displays.
Our kids especially enjoy the unique movie of the lifestyle of the long finned eel, travelling to Tonga to spawn and ascending the Buller river as elvers to New Zealand’s most inland lake.
There are so many more wonderful winter opportunities hidden in the St Arnaud area but I’ve run out of space and haven’t even talked about trophy chamois, trolling for trout in the Lake, or tame eels off the jetties.
Maybe you’ll just have to explore the potential of St Arnaud for yourself.