A look at the facilities available at the Pelorus Bridge camp-ground
One
of the iconic spots you might visit while tramping in New Zealand is Pelorus
Bridge, roughly 20 kms north of Havelock in Marlborough.
There is (obviously) a bridge
at Pelorus but there is also a camp-ground you might need to stay in as
Pelorus Bridge is the gateway to the Richmond Ranges, one of the more remote tramping areas within the country. This is arguably the most difficult section of the Te Araroa Trail.
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| Pelorous Bridge on SH6 between Havelock and Nelson |
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| Map: Pelorus Bridge and the approaches from Daltons Track and Maungatapu Road |
I stopped by recently on the way to Nelson and thought a few photos of the facilities might be useful to those of you planning a visit to the Richmond Ranges.
Pelorus Bridge Reserve, Marlborough
There
have been four bridges over the Pelorus River between Havelock and
Nelson, the current bridge was built in the 1950's and is still going
strong. There has also been a camp-ground in this scenic reserve for
over 100 years now, this is the last taste of civilisation before
starting the 7-10 day crossing of the Richmond Ranges.
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| Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve: from the northern terminus |
There
is a sizeable car park at Pelorus Bridge it is well sign posted from
both directions so it is impossible to miss. There are public toilets
and fresh water available near the car park as well as the DOC office
and a small café I will talk about below.
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| Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve: the car-park off SH6 |
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| The Pelorus Bridge café and DOC office |
There
is a handy DOC information kiosk showing the surrounding area located
on an island in the middle of the parking area. It has details of all
the walks and facilities available here.
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| Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve: map of the scenic reserve and information |
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| Map: Pelorous Bridge Scenic Reserve: detail of the reserve |
As
you can see there are a lot of nice bush walks in and around the bridge
area, Te Araroa trekkers will approach the bridge using Daltons Track or
Maungatapu Road. The camp grounds are scattered around Kahikatea Flat
for the most part with a picnic area where the lower camp-site used to
occupy.
The Pelorus Bridge Café
There
has been a café at Pelorus Bridge since I was a child, I remember
stopping here on occasion for a swim in the river and an ice cream while
transiting between Blenheim and Nelson.
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| Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve: directions to facilities |
The
café building is readily visible as you enter the parking area, the
building contains the DOC camp ground office and the attached café.
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| The Pelorus Bridge Café, Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve |
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| Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve: map of the area near the cafe |
The
ownership of the café has recently changed hands (2017), the new owners
have carried out a lot of renovations and have improved the food on
offer immensely. I had a quick peruse of the wares and they looked top
quality and I assume really delicious.
There
is no camp shop at the café as in older times, what they sell is your
usual café fare: cabinet food (pies, sandwiches, rolls, cakes and
slices) and a small menu of fresh cooked meals. They also sell ice
creams, cold drinks, water and good coffee if you need a fix.
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| View into the Pelorus Bridge Café |
There
are some nice outdoor seating areas if you want to enjoy your repast el
fresco, one area is covered and the other consists of outdoor seats and
picnic tables.
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| Pelorus Bridge Café: outdoor seating area |
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| Pelorus Bridge Café :the bush comes right up to the door |
If you are planning to stay in the camp ground you need to check in with the DOC office co-located with the café.
The Kahikatea Flat camp-ground
The Department of Conservation camp ground is located at
Kahikatea Flats
which is accessible using a short road way next to the café building.
It looks like a really nice area and has a wide grassy clearing with
about 30 established camp-sites. Over the busy summer period
(November-April)
the sites need to be booked, it would probably be a good idea to call the camp ground office before you arrive
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| Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve: Kahikatea Flat camp ground |
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| Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve: Kahikatea Flat camp ground sign |
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| Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve: Kahikatea Flat camp ground |
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| Some of the tracks accessible from Kahikatea Flat, Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve |
It
is a very nice looking area, I camped here once in the early 1990's
while on the way to Nelson for a summer holiday and the camp-ground is
very busy at that time of the year.
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| Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve: Kahikatea Flat camp ground |
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| Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve: Kahikatea Flat camp ground |
There is a new and nicely appointed cooking shelter/toilet block located at the camp-ground.
It
looked like it would hold about 30 odd people at one time. I would
imagine campers spend a bit of time hanging out in the shelter
while they are here.
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| Camp shelter at Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve: Kahikatea Flat camp ground |
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| Kahikatea Flat camp shelter: Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve: warm water showers |
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| The shelter at Kahikatea Flat camp ground: Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve |
The
shelter has fresh drinking water inside the shelter and coin feed warm
water showers around the back of the building. The shelter also has a
couple of gas cook tops with a small selection of pots and
pans you can use.
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| Inside the Kahikatea Flat camp shelter at Pelorus Bridge |
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| Inside the Kahikatea Flat camp shelter at Pelorus Bridge |
Because
this is the beginning/end of the Richmond Ranges there is a standard
DOC intentions book in the shelter, I had a look and about 80% of the
entries are from TA hikers passing through. I recognised a few names
from the 2017/18 season...
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| The DOC intentions book in the Kahikatea camp-ground |
In
the depth of summer the Pelorus River is a very nice place to swim,
the river emerges from native forest so it is not contaminated. There
are a number of deep pools both above and below the main bridge.
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| The Pelorous River, next to the Kahikatea Flat camp-ground |
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| The Pelorus River, next to the Kahikatea Flat camp-ground |
The water is often warm as it travels most of the way through the Richmond
Ranges warming up as it descends to the bridge area. I have been in the
water here and it was lovely on a hot summers day.
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| Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve: downstream of the bridge |
Next time you are travelling between Blenheim and Nelson why not stop by for coffee and an bite to eat and have a walk along one of the many tracks.
