Around New Zealand: Marlborough – Rainbow Road to Lake Tennyson and Hanmer Springs, through to Molesworth Station!

Marlborough – Rainbow Road to Lake Tennyson and Hanmer Springs, through to Molesworth Station!

Tuesday 12^th to Friday 15^th February 2013

Day of Trip = 45 to 48

St Arnaurd to Hanmer = 112 km 4wd only
Hanmer to Blenheim = 207 km

Time for some off roading! After our chillaxing in Whites Bay we are keen to explore inland, and there is a pretty cool 4wd-only gravel road that cuts through two massive stations – Rainbow and Molesworth.

After a quick scenic lunch by Lake Rotoiti in Saint Arnaud (beautiful clear lake nestled between massive mountain ranges) we head south on Rainbow road. It’s slow going – we average only 30km/hr, but it gives us plenty of time to take in the stunning views. It’s like nowhere else we have been so far and feels completely different to the North Island. We’ve been transported into a film set of Lord of the Rings! We freedom camp on the banks of Lake Tennyson, another very picturesque lake, sheltered by some hardy beech trees. Fairly rough track to get there, including a river crossing, but Haden is stoked to give the truck a test. We camp for two nights and have the entire lake to ourselves the whole time…awesome to get so isolated, it’s incredibly peaceful. We attempt a swim…fooled by the warm edges of the lake we jump in, and get the shock of our lives, its bloody freezing!

The abundant sandflies shoo us on to Hanmer springs…we couldn’t miss the natural hot pools (and hydroslides!) so decide to spend the night (in a boutique hotel…we deserve it haha!).

The return loop is back up through Molesworth Station, again a spectacularly scenic drive through mountain ranges back to Blenheim. Hard to believe this land is right on our doorstep, we are glad to have experienced it!

Facts about Molesworth Station:

Extreme weather – during our warmest summer in ages, they have already had 3 snowfalls this year! Snow covers the station for 8 weeks in winter with plenty of frost the rest of the time. Average rainfall is 670mm in the east and over 3000mm in the west.
Heaps of endangered flora and fauna are found here
They farm 10,000 angus cows for beef
Original cob cottage still stands, built in 1866
180,787 hectares – NZ’s biggest farm