A look at the facilities available at the Pelorus Bridge camp-ground
One of the iconic spots you will visit on the Te Araroa Trail is Pelorus Bridge, roughly 20 kms north of Havelock. There is (obviously) a bridge at Pelorus but there is also a camp-ground you will need to stay in as Pelorus Bridge is the gateway to the Richmond Ranges, one of the more difficult sections of the TA.
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| Pelorus 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.
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 10 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: Pelorus 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 area 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 café |
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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| Pelorous Bridge Café: outdoor seating area |
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| Pelorus Bridge Café: the bush comes right up to the door |
It is my understanding that the DOC office will accept bounce box packages BUT there is no outgoing mail from here and you would need to burn/pack out any and all packaging if you deposit a resupply box here.
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 grounds office while you are in Havelock.
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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 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 the TA hikers 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 Pelorus 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 |
If you are walking this TA section or the next time you are travelling between Blenheim and Nelson why not stop by for coffee and a bite to eat and have a walk along one of the many tracks in the reserve.
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