activities• national parks • nelson lakes national park

Landscape
Nelson Lakes National Park is centred on two beautiful alpine lakes: Rotoiti and Rotoroa. Craggy mountains, tranquil lakes, beech forest, clear streams and pebble ‘beaches’ are synonymous with Nelson Lakes.. Vegetation is predominantly red, silver and black beech.
Birds - tomtits, robins and the tiny rifleman. The South Island kaka is less common, but can be spotted in Nelson Lakes.

Walks and Trails
With the Nelson Lakes National Park, there are both short tracks which highlight the forest, lakeshore and glacial features and longer more challenging walks. In summer tracks are suitable for an average fitness level; in winter more experience is required. The walk around the Nelson Lakes is spectacular and the terrain is suitable for most ages.

Access
Just 1.5 hours’ drive from Nelson or Blenheim is the park gateway at St Arnaud village.

Transport
Bus services leave Nelson for Nelson Lakes and St Arnaud on a regular basis. Scenic water taxis operate on both lakes. Several companies offer on-demand transport to Rotoroa from St Arnaud and Nelson.

Activities
There is something for everyone at Nelson Lakes - boating, fishing, walking, mountaineering, bird watching, swimming in the lake in summer, waterskiing on Rotoiti only. Read about the Nelson Lakes recovery project.

More Info
For more information on Nelson's National Parks in the region go to the Department of Conservation website and search on Nelson Lakes National Park.