The Saint Arnaud Range is a mountain range in the central north of New Zealand's

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

. It lies between Lake Rotoiti and the upper reaches of the

Wairau River The Wairau River is one of the longest rivers in New Zealand's South Island. It flows for from the Spenser Mountains (a northern range of the Southern Alps), firstly in a northwards direction and then northeast down a long, straight valley i ...

, and marks the eastern boundary of

Nelson Lakes National Park Nelson Lakes National Park is in the South Island of New Zealand, at the northern end of the Southern Alps. It was created in 1956 (one of four created in the 1950s). The park contains beech forests, multiple lakes, snow-covered mountains and v ...

. The lower elevations are covered primarily in

beech Beech (genus ''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to subtropical (accessory forest element) and temperate (as dominant element of Mesophyte, mesophytic forests) Eurasia and North America. There are 14 accepted ...

forests, while higher elevations (above about 5,000 feet) are alpine. The name of the range commemorates the French Marshal

Jacques Leroy de Saint-Arnaud Armand-Jacques Leroy de Saint-Arnaud (20 August 1798 – 29 September 1854) was a French soldier and Marshal of France. He served as French Minister of War (France), Minister of War until the Crimean War when he became Commander-in-chief of t ...

(1798–1854).

Recreation

The St Arnaud track ascends the western side of the range from the village of Saint Arnaud (about 3 hours climb).
Department of Conservation. The Rainbow Ski Area is on the eastern side of the range.

References

Mountain ranges of the Tasman District Nelson Lakes National Park Landforms of the Marlborough District {{Tasman-geo-stub