Travelling through Molesworth Station
Travelling through Molesworth Station is a unique high country experience. There are two routes through the station – the Acheron Road which opens to the public for usually just over three months from late December and the Rainbow Road which goes up the western edge of the station and through to St Arnaud.
The Acheron and Rainbow roads can be combined to make a good, though long, round trip.
To ensure a safe and enjoyable journey, travel on roads that are open to the public only. As well as being potentially dangerous, off-road driving can damage fragile plants, spread weeds and start fires.
Travel through Molesworth is at your own risk; for your safety, ensure you plan and prepare for your journey through the station.
Acheron Road
The Acheron Road is open from 28 December to 1 April, from 7.00am to 7.00pm but may be closed without warning due to weather conditions or fire danger. You should check the road status before setting out; it can be checked 24 hours a day by contacting the DOC South Marlborough Area Office: phone +64 3 572 9100.
The 207-kilometre journey from Blenheim to Hanmer Springs through Molesworth takes around 6 hours, with the 59-kilometre Acheron Road section through the station taking at least two hours. The road is suitable for two-wheel drive vehicles but not for caravans or vehicles over seven metres long. Careful and slow driving is needed on the narrow, unsealed road.
Camping is available at the Molesworth Cob cottage and Acheron Accommodation House at either end of the road.
Hanmer-Rainbow Road
The 112 km Hanmer-Rainbow Road is accessible by four-wheel drive vehicles only. The drive takes around three hours. Check with DOC or i-SITE visitor centres before setting out as road and access conditions may change at any time.
To prevent the spread of the aquatic pest didymo, drivers should use bridges, where these are available, rather than fords to cross creeks on the route.
Travel on this road is remarkable for the landscape’s transition from wide tussocklands and screes along the Clarence River to craggy, beech-covered mountains in the Wairau catchment. Scenic highlights include the 239-hectare Lake Tennyson – surrounded by mountains and forest – the Island Saddle alpine pass and wetlands around the Sedgemere Lakes.
There are places to camp on the route.
On the Hanmer-Rainbow Road, the four bunk Island Gully Hut is available to the public. While a woodburning stove is provided for heating, hut users should bring their own firewood and it is recommended that gas stoves be carried in for cooking. A DOC hut pass is required.
St James and Rainbow Stations are crossed courtesy of the runholders. From the beginning of December until the first weekend in March, a toll is collected at the Rainbow cob homestead and a gate here is opened for travellers. Outside this season, other locked gates will be encountered and access permission must be obtained from the runholder, Star Holdings Limited.
Open periods for recreation activities
The open periods for public recreation access vary across Molesworth with restrictions in place to protect the working farm. The Upper Clarence/Wairau rivers area in the western part of the station is open throughout the year. The Acheron Road through the station is open from 28 December to 1 April. Two large areas – in the north-west and east – are open for seasonal access. Open areas may be temporarily closed due to weather conditions or stock movements.
See the Molesworth map for more details on areas open for seasonal public access.
A permit is required for access to the central part of the station essential to the farming operation outside of the period when the Acheron Road is open. Those seeking permits should contact the South Marlborough Area Office.
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