Department of Conservation | Te Papa Atawhai
https://www.doc.govt.nz/
https://www.doc.govt.nz/
Located in Molesworth Recreation Reserve and Upper Wairau River area in the Marlborough region
Introduction
The Rainbow Road is remarkable for the landscape’s transition from wide tussock lands and screes along the Clarence River to craggy, beech‑covered mountains in the Wairau catchment.The Rainbow Road is a ‘wilderness driving’ experience across private land. The 112‑kilometre road from Hanmer to St Arnaud (via Tophouse Rd and Wairau Hanmer Springs Hydro Rd) is accessible by 4WD vehicles only (2WD to Lake Tennyson).
Combined with the Acheron Road, this makes a good round trip.
Allow at least three hours to drive from Hanmer to State Highway 63, on a road which crosses Rainbow Station courtesy of the runholder.
From Hanmer, the route follows the Clarence River along Molesworth’s boundary with St James Conservation Area to its origin at Lake Tennyson. After crossing the Alpine Island Saddle (1347 m), it follows the Wairau River through Molesworth and Rainbow Station to State Highway 63 near St Arnaud (85 km from Nelson/131 km from Picton via Blenheim).
Note: Distances in brackets are provided firstly from Hanmer and secondly from St Arnaud.
Jacks Pass/Rainbow junction (8 km/104 km)
Jacks Pass opens the main route between Hanmer and St Arnaud, with Jollies Pass accessible only to 4WD vehicles.
Lake Tennyson (32 km/80 km)
This is a popular area for camping, with a shelter, toilets, and information panels about the history of rabbits and their management on Molesworth.
Lake Tennyson Campsite
Category: Basic
Facilities: 10 non-powered / tent sites, non-powered/tent sites, toilets - non-flush, water from stream, wheelchair accessible with assistance
Bookings not required - first come, first servedIsland Saddle (44 km/68 km)
At 1347 metres, this alpine pass is the highest point on the Hanmer to St Arnaud route and is claimed to be the highest publicly accessible road in New Zealand. The pass straddles the boundary between Marlborough and Canterbury and is the watershed between the Wairau and Clarence Rivers.
Short and tall tussocklands occur on mountain slopes, with a mosaic of carpetgrass turflands and alpine plants on mountain crests.
Island Gully Hut
Category: Standard
Facilities: 4 bunk beds, heating, mattresses, toilets - non-flush, water from stream
Bookings not required - first come, first servedSedgemere Lakes (55 km/57 km)
Turk Ridge, Mt Balaclava, and the Crimea Range are among the names that date exploration of this area to the Crimean War in the 1850s.
The Sedgemere Lakes can be viewed from a short track off the road (walking/bicycle access only). Here you may enjoy an incredible summer display of the native gentian Gentianella corymbifera in flower.
Information about sheep and beef farming on Molesworth, Māori trails and explorers is displayed on panels in the shelter at the hut.
Sedgemere Sleepout
Category: Standard
Facilities: 6 bunk beds, heating, mattresses, toilets - non-flush, water from stream
Bookings not required - first come, first servedColdwater Creek camping area (66 km/46 km)
After crossing the bridge over Coldwater Creek, the road enters Hell’s Gate, a narrow gorge.
Coldwater Stream Campsite
Category: Basic
Facilities: 8 non-powered / tent sites, non-powered/tent sites, toilets - non-flush, water from stream
Bookings not required - first come, first servedRainbow Ski Area turn-off (86 km/26 km)
Outside the ski season, the 8 km skifield road is closed for vehicle access but open for walking. Alpine flowers, tarns and views are the summer attractions.
St Arnaud (112 km/0 km)
This is the front door of Nelson Lakes National Park. Food, petrol and a range of accommodation are available.
Mountain biking
Touring cyclists with gear should allow two days to ride from St Arnaud to Hanmer Springs.
Fees
This is a toll road. For pricing and the latest road information, see the Rainbow Station website.
St Arnaud is the main gateway to the Upper Wairau Valley, 85 km from Nelson or 131 km from Picton via Blenheim. Access is also possible from Hanmer Springs, 134 km north of Christchurch.
A high-clearance 4WD is required to negotiate the road.
The formed roads and tracks have not been engineered, nor are they maintained to meet the standards for public access. Parts of it are hazardous. The hazards are not individually signposted or marked. Sudden weather changes can cause additional adverse conditions and/or additional hazards.
The Leaseholder consents to access by the public only on the basis that each person travels at his/her own risk, accepts full responsibility for his/her own safety, and accepts that the Leaseholder has no liability or responsibility of any sort for any injury, damage or accident to any person or property that enters Rainbow Station farmland and its surrounds, or when traversing the private formed tracks and/or roads.
The road is only suitable for high-clearance 4WD vehicles. There is no cell phone coverage and breakdown services may not operate in the private area. Drivers also need to be self-sufficient and prepared for sudden changes in weather. You drive at your own risk.
Unseasonal snows, slips or elevated fire risk may close the road without notice.
Private land
The floors of the Wairau, Rainbow and Paske Valleys are farmed. Leave gates as you find them and respect stock and property.
Domestic animals
Leave dogs and domestic pets at home. Hunting dogs and horses may be taken on to private land with permission from Rainbow Station.
Fire
Fire is a major threat to vegetation in this area. We recommend portable cookers are used.
River care code
- River birds nest on the ground. Their eggs and chicks are almost impossible to spot from a vehicle. Please refrain from driving in riverbeds from August to December.
- Birds swooping, circling or calling loudly probably have nests nearby. Move away so they can return to them, or their eggs and chicks could die.
Rainbow Station hunting
Hunters must have a DOC permit and must obtain permission from the Rainbow Station Farm Manager prior to accessing this leasehold land. This is a safety issue first and foremost. For information, see the Rainbow Station website.
The route is remarkable for the landscape’s transition from wide tussocklands and screes along the Clarence River to craggy, beech‑covered mountains in the Wairau catchment.
On the boundary between Molesworth and St James Conservation Area, Lake Tennyson’s combination of water, forest, high mountains, tussock and scree creates a scenic highlight. The 239‑hectare lake is dammed behind glacial moraines.
The vegetation is a mosaic of moraine communities including open red tussockland and low shrubland with patches of tall tussockland. A large area of mountain beech forest grows on surrounding slopes.
In the Sedgemere Protected Area, a range of landforms over a relatively small area has resulted in diverse vegetation types, with the wetlands including over 100 indigenous species of flowering plants. Bog pine and mountain toatoa stands are remnants of once larger shrub communities.
The lakes are regularly frequented by waders and waterfowl: pied stilt, pied oystercatcher, black‑fronted tern, banded dotterel and grey duck. This is an important moulting area for paradise shelduck.
Passes in the Upper Wairau Valley were part of overland routes used by Maori. Later, high country graziers moving mobs of sheep between Canterbury and Nelson/Marlborough built a chain of cob houses.
The road was built in the 1950s when the electricity pylons were built through this area to supply electricity to the Nelson and Buller regions.