The Saint Arnaud Range is a mountain range in the central north of

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

's South Island. 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 in ...

, 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 formed after the passing of the National Parks Act in 1952. It was created in 1956 (one of four created in the 1950s). The park c ...

. The lower elevations are covered primarily in beech 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 until the Crimean War when he became Commander-in-chief of the army of the East. Biog ...

(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 {{Tasman-geo-stub