Pelorus River

The Pelorus runs over granite and greywacke through a narrow gorge at Pelorus Bridge, and the combination of pale bedrock, depth and clarity gives the water an intense green that photographs as though it has been adjusted. The reserve here is about a square kilometre of mature podocarp-hardwood forest - rimu, matai and beech - and it survives only because a proposal to mill it in the 1900s met enough public objection to stop, leaving an island of old forest in a valley that was otherwise cut over. Short walks run from the car park: the Totara Walk of ten minutes, the Circle Walk of about an hour, and longer tracks up the Pelorus and Rai valleys. Swimming holes under and above the bridge are the summer draw, and jumping from the bridge and rocks is popular and has caused serious injuries - depths shift with each flood. A cafe and DOC campground sit at the road.

History

Māori knew the river as Te Hoiere, after the first canoe to travel to the South Island, and Lieutenant Chetwode of HMS Pelorus named the river and the sound after his ship in 1838. From about 1881 to 1915 the Brownlee Tramway carried timber down the valley to Havelock, and in August 2014 the official name became Te Hoiere / Pelorus River (Wikipedia, Pelorus River).

Highlights

• The green water - depth and pale bedrock, in the gorge under the bridge.
• The old forest - rimu and matai that escaped the mill.
• The swimming holes - above and below the bridge.
• The short loops - ten minutes to an hour from the car park.

When to go

December to March for swimming. The forest walks work year round. Weekend afternoons in summer are busy at the bridge.

What to expect

Jumping from the bridge and rocks has caused serious injuries - river depth changes after every flood and cannot be assumed. The water is cold. Parking on SH6 is limited and the road is fast.

Nearby

Havelock and the Marlborough Sounds are east; Nelson is west.

Key facts