Pelorus Scenic Reserve walking tracks

Track category

Easy access short walk
Tramping track

Description

From the car parks on either side of State Highway 6, the main paths in the reserve explore the forest and riverbanks. They are wide and gentle, built to a standard suitable for wheelchairs. Beyond these paths, and across the Rai swing bridge there are several other tracks.

Totara Path, Pelorus Bridge Scenic
Reserve

Totara Walk - 30 min

From the Kanuka Picnic Area this easy walking track loops through forest with a mixture of podocarp, broadleaf and beech trees.

Pause for a moment to appreciate the ancient totara tree along this path - a giant among giants!

Where beech trees grow close to the path, inspect their sooty mould-blackened trunks for short waxy filaments - the tell-tale sign of the presence of an insect which produces honeydew, an important forest food.

River Access - 5 min

A short walk, branching off the Totara Path, leads down to the river.

Circle Walk - 45 min

The Circle Track begins as an easy stroll alongside the Pelorus. The wheelchair-standard path overlooks the river. Further along, the river builds a beach as it sweeps around a bend. The path leads to a suspension bridge across the Rai River, just before it feeds into the Pelorus.

Beyond the swingbridge the walk is not wheelchair accessible and makes a loop through a pocket of forest. It has short stretches with steps and moderate gradients but is otherwise flat. For part of its length the track follows the river, providing good views of its junction with the Rai.

This track is part of Te Araroa Trail and connects to Daltons Track also part of the trail. Te Araroa Trail - The Long Pathway - runs the length of New Zealand from Cape Reinga to Bluff.

Daltons Track - 3 hr return

This section of the Te Araroa Trail follows the true left bank of the Pelorus River across farmland between the Circle Walk and Daltons Bridge (near State Highway 6). Follow the markers and stiles and respect the access across private land.

Elvy Waterfalls Track - 2 hr return

Beginning of Tawa Walk

This tramping track offers the opportunity to view two picturesque waterfalls, along streams that feed into the Pelorus River. The track branches off the Tawa Path and wanders along the bank of the river for most of its length, before turning up Elvy Stream. Access to the first waterfall requires a stream crossing so care should be taken during wet weather. Return via the same track or continue on to Trig K.

Trig K Track - 4 hr return

Superb views of the surrounding countryside reward those who climb to Trig K. In one direction the tramping track leading up to it continues on from the waterfall track, passing through mature and regenerating beech forest on a dry ridge. The other, shorter approach climbs through lusher podocarp-broadleaf forest.

Tawa Walk - 30 min

A gentle path from the café takes you through shady forest to explore river terraces left by the Pelorus River over thousands of years.

Getting there

The reserve is located midway between Blenheim and Nelson on State Highway 6, 18 km west of Havelock.

Plan and prepare

• Always carry warm, waterproof clothes, especially on longer walks. Take care when the tracks are wet or the river flooded. Remember you safety is your responsibility.
• Cats, dogs and any other domestic animals are not allowed in the reserve
• Fires are not permitted in the reserve.
• Rubbish facilities are provided in the car parks, outside the tearooms and at the campground.
• Please protect the reserve's clean waters. Use toilets where provided and keep soap out of rivers and streams.
• Boil, filter, or treat water for drinking.
• In late summer and autumn, carry antihistamine if allergic to wasp stings.
• Mountain bikes are not permitted in the reserve.

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