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

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

. It lies between Lake Rotoiti and the upper reaches of the Wairau River, and marks the eastern boundary of Nelson Lakes National Park. The lower elevations are covered primarily in

beech Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engle ...

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 (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