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Voykit pocket guide · New Zealand
St Arnaud
Give St Arnaud one night as a Nelson Lakes base: walk to Lake Rotoiti in 5 min, do a half-day track, then drive on. No car, no base.
St Arnaud is a small settlement at the edge of Nelson Lakes National Park, on State Highway 63 between Nelson and the West Coast. It exists for the lake, the beech forest tracks and the DOC visitor centre. There is one shop with petrol, a handful of beds and no public transport of its own, so you arrive by car or pre-booked shuttle and leave the same way. One night covers the lake and a short walk; two nights if you want an overnight hut trip into the park.
- Country
- New Zealand
- Best months
- Dec–Mar for walking and the lake; Jul–Sep for Rainbow Ski Field
- Avoid
- Jun–Aug for low-level walking (cold, wet, short days); sandfly season peaks in summer
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- NZD
- Money
- Currency is the New Zealand dollar (NZD, NZ$). Cards and phone payments are accepted almost everywhere; some small rural stalls and honesty boxes are cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget NZ$80–140 excl. bed · Mid NZ$150–250 excl. bed · High NZ$300+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- One NZ, Spark and 2degrees sell tourist SIMs at Auckland and Christchurch arrivals and in supermarkets; passport not required.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 111 · Non-urgent police 105 · DOC Nelson Lakes Visitor Centre +64 3 521 1806
- Plugs
- Types I · 230 V · 50 Hz · Same angled two- or three-pin plug as Australia, Fiji and China; switch the socket on at the wall.
- Tipping
- Café or restaurant: Nothing expected; 10% for very good service at dinner is a bonus.; Taxi / Uber: Nothing; round up if you like.; Guide or tour: Optional NZ$10–20 for a day guide.; Hotel: Nothing.; Public holidays: Cafés may add a 10–15% holiday surcharge to the bill; it is legal and shown on menus.
- Water
- Tap water is safe almost everywhere; follow boil-water notices in small rural schemes. Treat stream water in the backcountry.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets in every town and at most lookouts; DOC long-drops on tracks. Carry paper; never use the roadside.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee or café lunch in the village | NZ$8–25 |
| Petrol, per litre | NZ$2.50–3.00 |
| DOC hut or campsite night | NZ$15–40 |
| Kayak hire, half day | NZ$50–90 |
| Glider flight voucher, up to 15 min | NZ$60 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- NSN · Nelson Airport
- One of the closest airports; about 1.5–2 h by road via Wakefield and SH6 (check). No public bus to St Arnaud, so pre-book a shuttle or hire a car.
- BHE · Blenheim Airport (Woodbourne)
- About 1 h 20 min to the Wairau Valley township and roughly 2 h on to St Arnaud via SH63 (check); useful if you come from Picton or the Marlborough wine country.
Typical fares
- Shuttle Nelson → St Arnaud
- about NZ$60 one way, 1.5–2 h (check)
- Shuttle Blenheim → St Arnaud
- about NZ$50 one way, 1 h 20 min to the Wairau Valley township plus onward (check)
- Rainbow Ski Field lift pass
- up to NZ$65 a day (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
The village is walkable: shops to Lake Rotoiti is about 5 minutes on foot. Everything else needs a vehicle. Nelson Lakes Shuttles runs scheduled and on-demand services to Picton, Blenheim, Nelson and track ends, and Rotoiti Water Taxis crosses the lake and hires kayaks. In winter a daily shuttle runs to Rainbow Ski Field from Blenheim, Nelson and Motueka.
See and do
Known for
- Lake Rotoiti
- Nelson Lakes National Park
- DOC Nelson Lakes Visitor Centre
- Rainbow Ski Field in winter
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Murchison | Drive SH63 west, about 40 min | About 45 min |
| Nelson | Drive via Wakefield and SH6, or pre-book Nelson Lakes Shuttles | 1.5–2 h (check) |
| Blenheim | Drive SH63 east | About 1 h 20 min to the Wairau Valley township, then onward to Blenheim (check) |
| Rainbow Ski Field | Drive to the turn-off 5 min south of the village, then the access road; winter shuttles from Blenheim, Nelson and Motueka | About 45 min from the village (check) |
Sleep
- Main Road village centre
- Shop, café, lodge and motel within a few minutes' walk of the lake turn-off; the only place to be without a car.
- Kerr Bay / lakefront
- Lakeside stays and a DOC camping ground, 5–10 min walk from the shops (check availability and season); quietest at night.
- West Bay
- Campground and picnic area on the far side of the lake mouth (check); drive or walk the lakeside track.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Thank you | Kia ora |
| Where is the visitor centre? | Kei hea te whare tirotiro? |
| How much is it? | E hia te utu? |
| Is the track open? | Kei te tuwhera te ara? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Kia ora or a handshake; first names from the start; avoid: Formal titles; overlong small talk before business
- Marae visit: Wait to be called on, follow your guide through the pōwhiri, remove shoes before the meeting house; avoid: Eating or drinking inside the wharenui; walking in front of speakers
- Tables and heads: Keep bottoms off tables and hats off tables; food stays away from heads; avoid: Sitting on tables or kitchen benches; touching people's heads
- Roads: Pull over at slow-vehicle bays to let queues pass; wave thanks; avoid: Stopping on the road for photos; drifting right after a stop
- Outdoors: Carry out all rubbish; use toilets; stick to tracks; avoid: Feeding kea and other birds; toileting outside
- Talk: Self-deprecating humour and understatement; avoid: Calling New Zealanders Australians; boasting
- Home visit: Bring wine or something to share; shoes off if the hosts do; avoid: Arriving empty-handed to a 'bring a plate' event
- Names: Use Māori place names and pronounce them with care; avoid: Joking about Māori words or haka
Scams and watch-outs
- No public transport from Nelson or Blenheim unless you book a shuttle in advance: turn up and you are stranded.
- The Alpine Store is the only fuel and supplies for a long way; fill up before you arrive.
- Weather in the park turns fast; check the DOC visitor centre forecast and track conditions before any walk.
- Sandflies are heavy near the lake in summer: bring repellent.
- Clean and dry fishing and tramping gear before you arrive to stop didymo spread.
Very safe. The real risks are weather and terrain in the national park, unsealed ski-field and Rainbow Road access, and driving SH63 with no fuel between towns.
One and two days
No timed day plan for St Arnaud yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Lake Rotoiti
- Nelson Lakes National Park
- DOC Nelson Lakes Visitor Centre
- Rainbow Ski Field in winter
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Department of Conservation — Nelson Lakes: www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/nelson-tasman/places/nelson-lakes-national-park/
- Nelson Lakes Shuttles: www.nelsonlakesshuttles.co.nz/
- Rainbow Ski Field — transport: www.skirainbow.co.nz/
- Wikivoyage: St Arnaud (New Zealand), revision 4480684 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=4480684
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
St Arnaud
Ki tēnei wāhi, koa
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance111
- Non-urgent police105
- DOC Nelson Lakes Visitor Centre+64 3 521 1806
No embassies in St Arnaud; the nearest consulates are in Auckland and Wellington (check).
Fuel and supplies are limited: buy in Nelson, Blenheim or Murchison.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/st-arnaud-new-zealand). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.