Located in Nelson Lakes National Park in the Nelson/Tasman region
10 km return return via same track
Lake Rotoiti from Parachute Rocks
PHOTO: John Abel | Creative Commons
This walk climbs steadily through beech forest to a height of over 1650 metres.
Above the bushline (at 1400 metres) after a 2 hour climb, there are spectacular views from Parachute Rocks, which gained their name from a parachute-shaped gravel scree located just to the north.
The track climbs for a further 30 minutes from here to the ridge line, where you are rewarded by spectacular views of the surrounding area: east down the Wairau Valley, north to Mt Richmond Forest Park, west towards Kahurangi National Park and the Buller Valley, and south to the rest of Nelson Lakes National Park.
Return via the same route.
The track starts in the eastern corner of Kerr Bay, on the edge of Lake Rotoiti in St Arnaud.
St Arnaud is 88 km from Nelson on SH6, 129 km from Picton on SH63, 157 km from Wesport on SH6 and SH63, and 350 km from Christchurh on SH65 and SH6.
The lower slopes are dominated by large red beech, with a healthy sub-canopy of other species, such as broadleaf andputaputawētā. Higher up, silver beech and finally the hardy mountain beech take over. Note how the mountain beech becomes progressively stunted as you climb higher to the bushline.
Trees give way to snow tussock, sub-alpine shrubs and, higher still, alpine herb fields. In late spring and early summer, these herbs flower, creating a glorious display of gold and white.
The lower section of the walk crosses moraine terraces deposited by past glaciers. The truncated spurs of St Arnaud Range are evidence of further glacial action at higher altitude. Advancing rivers of icecut off the ends of the ridges and, on the eastern side, gouged out the many small basins where small tarns now fill hollowsleft by the melting ice.
Rotoiti / Nelson Lakes Visitor Centre | |
Phone: | +64 3 521 1806 |
Fax: | +64 4 471 1117 |
Email: | nelsonlakesvc@doc.govt.nz |
Address: |
View Road St Arnaud |
Postal Address: |
PO Box 55 St Arnaud 7053 |
Full office details |
Whakatū / Nelson Visitor Centre | |
Phone: | +64 3 546 9339 |
Fax: | +64 4 471 1117 |
Email: | nelsonvc@doc.govt.nz |
Address: |
Millers Acre/Taha o te Awa 79 Trafalgar Street Nelson 7010 |
Postal Address: |
Private Bag 5 Nelson 7042 |
Full office details |