Nelson’s national treasure
They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder but it’s not hard to be beholden to the stunning scenery, birdlife and tranquillity around Nelson Lakes, writes
Of all my teenage embarrassments, one of the most character-building was having to wear a plastic rubbish bag as a raincoat at a school camp at Nelson Lakes. I may have been a kid who went without but, if there’s one thing I’ve learnt over the years, it’s that outdoor adventure is a great leveller.
For this seed of wisdom I can thank a particular Marlborough Girls’ College teacher, Mr Rees.
On that school camp, he sparked a love of te taiao/the natural world that still grows stronger. And maybe it’s just nostalgia, but Nelson Lakes is the place where I feel that mauri the most.
This national park will do that do you. While it lacks glamour attractions, such as Abel Tasman’s golden sand or Fiordland’s majestic Milford Sound, Nelson Lakes’ beauty, birdlife and tranquillity more than make up for it. There are many ways to explore it, including a growing network of bike trails on the edge of St Arnaud village.
Biking the Teetotal trails
The Teetotal Recreation Area lies within Big Bush Forest, a block of native bush and forestry a couple of kilometres west of St Arnaud (on the edge of the national park, but not quite in it). The local trails trust has been building trails there since 2014, but it was only on this trip that I finally ventured in. What a discovery, Teetotal is terrific.
There are around 30 kilometres of rideable trail so far, and more are under way. Some wind around the grassy flats, but the best riding is in the cool, fragrant beech forest.
We climbed to Big Bush Ridge via Ka¯ ka¯ Track, then descended via Flying Moa, before heading home via Sidewinder and Skating Pond Loop. The result was a splendid, two-hour intermediate-grade ride, with just enough challenge, and a fair amount of flow. Loved every minute.
It’s less than 2km from St Arnaud to the Teetotal Trails via the Village Link track. For details of these and others (including the backcountry mission, Maitland Ridge Track), visit the MTB Trails Trust website, mtbtrailstrust.org.nz.
For on-the-spot advice, head into DOC’s everfriendly Lake Rotoiti Visitor Centre to pick up its Mountain Biking Around Nelson Lakes leaflet. While there, check out the excellent interpretive displays.
A day tramp up St Arnaud Range
It’s a good 10 years since I’d tramped to the top of the St Arnaud Range. Taking a reasonably tough five hours (with around 1000 metres of climbing), the 10km return track takes a mostly zig-zagged line up to a rocky outcrop overlooking the scree fan known as Parachute Rocks, before straight-lining it to the ridge of the range, 1650m above sea level.
With my partner Lee Slater on the laptop doing real work for the day, this was a rare solo mission for me. And I confess that, in the early stages of the fairly brutal climb, I felt pretty psyched out. But the birds twittered and the beech trees eventually thinned, my spirits rising with every step. By the time I popped out above the bushline, I was belting out The Carpenters’ Top of the World. Lee will be glad he missed that.
Patchy cloud swirled around as I made the final scramble from Parachute Rocks to the ridge. With stupendous views across Nelson Lakes, the Richmond Ranges and Wairau Valley, Kahurangi and the Buller, the three-hour climb was easily worth it.
It was so beautiful, I nearly cried. If I make it up there in another 10 years, I’ll probably cry for a different reason, but live for the day.
An overnighter to Angelus Hut
For fit trampers with the right gear, a good forecast and two days up their sleeves, the must-do is the overnighter to Angelus Hut via Robert Ridge, returning on the Cascade Track and a water taxi across Lake Rotoiti.
This trip starts with a fairly punishing climb up Mt Robert on the Pinchgut Track. Once above the bushline, in clear weather, this is about as spectacular as a day’s tramping gets.
Lake Angelus/Rotomaninitua is a breathtaking
revelation at the day’s end. Filling a cirque basin gouged out by glaciers, it’s almost completely surrounded by huge scree fans and shattered greywacke peaks. Mt Angelus (2075m) stands sentry to the south. A glorious DOC hut, now 10 years old and worth every controversial penny, sits supremely positioned on the lake edge.
Sadly, we were too short on time to get up to Lake Angelus this time, but word is that we might have been lucky to secure a bunk in the hut, especially at the weekend. New Zealanders are all over it, and quite right too.
Camping at Kerr Bay
On the edge of Lake Rotoiti, Kerr Bay campground is a favourite for its bushy setting and tranquil atmosphere, not to mention civilised amenities, including hot showers, laundry and kitchen shelter.
It also has adventure in every direction. Hire a kayak or hop on a water taxi, jump off the jetty and swim to the raft, and check out the eels that slither around in the shallows.
But one of the best things about Kerr Bay is the birdlife. The local trapping group, Friends of Rotoiti, work incredibly hard, and the benefits are obvious. A series of short walks from the campground offer a chance to encounter many forest darlings, including pı¯wakawaka/fantails and korimako/bellbirds. On this trip, I was serenaded by a riroriro/grey warbler, a bird I often hear, but seldom see.
Kerr Bay camp is also just a few minutes’ walk from the DOC visitor centre, shop, and awesome Alpine Lodge.
Proper hospitality at the Alpine Lodge
This family-owned lodge is the beating heart of St Arnaud. A reasonably large, mid-budget hotel with a classy, yet casual vibe, it has a public bar and restaurant open as many hours as it can muster given its location. We look forward to an evening meal there every time we visit.
The bar is cosy and atmospheric, with natural timbers, big picture windows and candlelight at night. The menu is a crowd-pleaser, with healthy salmon fillet to burger and fries. The drinks list champions local beer and wine.
On the bar, jars full of big, homemade biscuits beg to be stashed into your tramping pack for the next day.
The cheerful guy buzzing about the bar is owner-operator Leighton, and one of the nicest guys in New Zealand hospitality.
Five years or so ago, he told us about the Teetotal MTB Trails and said they were destined for greatness. He probably then up-sold us on dessert and another glass of wine. I think he should be made mayor of St Arnaud.
This trip to Nelson Lakes was all too short. I didn’t even jump off the jetty, or get a chance to break out one of my many and varied raincoats.
The writer paid her own way, and thanks Rose and Hugh for the generous use of their bach.