Northbank, Mt Richmond Forest Park
Introduction
Mts Richmond and Fishtail,
Richmond Range
The northbank of Wairau River provides access to Mt Richmond Forest Park in the South Marlborough area.
Features
Natural
The Wairau Valley runs along the Alpine Fault, which has formed the mountainous Richmond Range. The lowland vegetation is mostly mixed beech and podocarp, with tussock grasses and shrubs on sub-alpine ridges. Alpine plants cling to high rock faces. Lake Chalice, created by a slip, is unusual in that its only fish are the native koaro.
Cultural/historical
At different times from the 1860s to the 1930s, gold was panned and mined in this area. European settlers cleared vast areas for farming. To stabilise the eroded soils, pine plantations began in the mid-1960s. Today, access to the forest park is through these plantations.
Location
Mt Richmond Forest Park.
Getting there
To get to this part of the forest park, turn off State Highway 6, just north of the Wairau River Bridge, 16 km from Blenheim.
There is no scheduled public transport available.
Activities
Dog walking
Fishing
Mountain biking and cycling
Mountain biking
You can mountain bike on the area's access roads.
Fishing
Anglers require a licence from the Fish and Game New Zealand.
Hunting
Hunters require a DOC permit to hunt on conservation land. To hunt in the pine plantations, a permit from Fletcher Forests is required.
Dog Walking
Dog access is controlled by permit, subject to approval and/or special conditions from DOC. Find out more about
dog access on conservation land.
Plan and prepare
Mt Richmond Forest Park access
Check if the access roads to Mt Richmond Forest Park are open.
Order a parkmap
Download an order form for the Mt Richmond Forest Park parkmap (PDF, 48K). The parkmap costs $18.99 plus postage and handling.
Viewing this document
This document is currently only available on this website as a PDF or other file such as Word or Excel. If you can't view this file please get in touch with the listed contact to request another format or a hard copy.
About PDFs and other inaccessible content.