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Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve

Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve is a quaint little spot of paradise situated roughly halfway between Blenheim and Nelson. This beautiful scenic reserve has some of the most accessible examples of mature native forest in the Marlborough region.

Pelorus Bridge is a beautiful little spot where one can listen to the flow of the water listen to and watch the native species of birds. Pelorus Bridge is set amidst the forested hills of Marlborough.

Flora and Fauna

The Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve is the last existing floodplain forest of the Marlborough Sounds. Orginally the whole valley was forested in mixed podocarp swamp forest. Now the native forest is composed of matai, kahikatea, rimu, totara and miro, as well as several varieties of beech, lying on both banks of the river Pelorus. The forest undergrowth is rich with ferns, epiphytes, mosses and lichen.

There is an abundance of native birds including the large native pigeon (kereru) that never seems to be too bothered by the presence of people, bellbirds that strike a melody in the morning, the iconic tui and the cute fantails that follow after you hoping you will stir up some bugs so that they can have a feed.

Activities

Pelorus Bridge is a breath taking scenic reserve, its main activities involve enjoying the scenic beauty of the spot. Due to its beauty and well-marked hiking trails through mature native forest, the Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve is a very popular tourist destination. Activities include:

  • Swimming
  • Kayaking
  • Canoeing
  • Picnicking
  • Bush Walks
  • Camping
  • Fishing

Or one can just sit under the trees and listen to the melody of the birds and the stream.

The place is suitable for camping with multiple basic parks to choose from. The camping areas are surrounded by forest with towering trees bordering the beautiful Pelorus River.

Bush Walks

There are a series of walks to enjoy - some even accessible by wheelchair. These leisurely walks follow through forest glades. Some walks will even lead you to a waterfall or up along a ridge to a 417-metre peak.

History

Like so many places in New Zealand, Pelorus Bridge has its own unique piece of history to share, both pre and post European settlement.

The original Māori name for the Pelorus River was Hoeire after the first canoe to travel to the South Island. The valley was the site of a massacre of the Ngati Kuia and Ngati Apa tribes by the Māori chief Te Rauparaha, who came from the North Island coast, west of Wellington. The first Europeans to arrive in 1843 found a few remaining Māori people producing flax for Te Rauparaha. European exploration and exploitation was begun by Lieutenant Chetwode of the HMS Pelorus in 1838, who named both the river and the sound after his vessel.

Originally the route to Nelson found its way through the reserve site via the Maungatapu Saddle. Later, the path that the road follows today was discovered, and a bridge was built across the Pelorus River around 1860.

Between 1865-1866 areas of land were set aside close to the site of the current bridge, and designated as areas for accommodation and the site for future towns. However, no towns were ever built. In the 1880s gold was discovered in the Wakamarina a tributary of the Pelorus River. This led to a large population of gold miners in the Pelorous valley but still no permanent settlement was established.

Besides gold mining, sawmilling was the principal activity until the 1910s with the last of the mills ceasing operations in the 1930s. Both the gold mining and the milling led to extensive silting of the Pelorus River, and Pelorus Sound. Later, dairying has become the main activity.

With the passage of the Scenery Protection Act 1903 the government recognized the need to protect the environment. The remaining forest at Pelorus Bridge was finally established as a scenic reserve in 1912 to preserve the area's natural beauty.

» Marlborough Regional Information

» Marlborough Travel Directory

» Nelson Regional Information

» Nelson Travel Directory

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