Nelson Lakes National Park

Two Glacier Carved Lakes, Rotoiti And Rotoroa, Ringed By Beech Forest And Alpine Peaks At The Northern End Of The Southern Alps, Reached Through The Small Township Of St Arnaud And Popular For Trout Fishing, Short Lakeside Walks And The Start Of The Travers Sabine Backcountry Tramping Circuit · St Arnaud, Nelson

Nelson Lakes National Park occupies the northern tip of the Southern Alps, where two glacier-carved lakes, Rotoiti and Rotoroa, sit inside tall beech forest loud with native birdsong. The gateway is St Arnaud, a small lakeside township on Rotoiti with a general store, a few lodges and a Department of Conservation visitor centre. Rotoiti is the easy lake: a short walk from the village reaches a jetty, swimming spots and lakeside tracks under red, silver and mountain beech. Rotoroa, fifteen minutes further by road, has almost no shoreline road at all - most of it is reached only by boat or a day's walk in. The honeydew this beech forest produces draws native birds, including bellbird, tui and the mountain parrot kaka. The park is also the trailhead for the Travers-Sabine circuit, a multi-day backcountry tramp linking Department of Conservation huts past Blue Lake, among the clearest fresh water measured anywhere on Earth. Trout fishing on both lakes has a loyal following, and St Arnaud's unlit night sky rewards a clear night with good stargazing.

The northern end of the Southern Alps, reached through the township of St Arnaud, St Arnaud, Nelson, New Zealand

Nelson Lakes National Park itself has no gate and no closing time - the lakes, forest and walking tracks are open around the clock, free of charge. The St Arnaud visitor centre keeps shorter hours, roughly 8:30am to 4:30pm daily, shrinking outside the summer season, and is the place to check current track and hut conditions before any overnight trip. The Mt Robert ski field, a small club-run operation, opens only on selected winter weekends when snow allows and should not be counted on. Backcountry huts along the Travers-Sabine circuit require a Department of Conservation booking or hut ticket and can be fully closed by snow in winter regardless of the forecast at St Arnaud.

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