Store · Nelson Lakes National Park
A handy fuel, grocery and café stop before the lakes.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Nelson Lakes Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Nelson Lakes National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this place
St Arnaud: Food and Village Stops“You're coming up on St Arnaud's village shops, a useful stop for food, fuel and basic supplies.”
Plays as you drive up to St Arnaud General Store in the Parkwolf Nelson Lakes Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
St Arnaud General Store is a small village shop, café and fuel station on State Highway 63 in St Arnaud, the gateway settlement for Nelson Lakes National Park. I'd use it for a quick bite, a tank top-up or basic supplies while passing through to Lake Rotoiti and the park. Expect a modest general-store range, not a full supermarket.
Fuel includes vehicle LPG, 91, 95 and diesel. Visitors also report basic groceries and some hiker and camper supplies, but don't count on a particular item being in stock. Bring specialist or trip-critical supplies from a larger town.
The store offers a café menu and takeaway food, which makes it a useful place to pick up lunch or pause for coffee. Opinions on the food and service are mixed, so treat convenience as the main draw and make other meal plans if the meal itself matters.
Wildlife
20 sightingsNew Zealand FalconMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
39 sightingsWekaMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
11 sightingsKererūMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
55 sightingsBlack SwanMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
23 sightingsParadise ShelduckMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
17 sightingsTūīMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Nelson Lakes. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
EasyGibbs Walk0.3 km · 12 min · 0.4 km awayA brief beech climb over old glacial moraine.
EasyBlack Valley Walk0.8 km · 30 min · 0.5 km awayFollow a beech-forest stream between the lake and St Arnaud.
EasyMoraine Walk4.9 km · 1.8 hr · 0.5 km awayA gentle walk past kettle ponds and glacial gravel.
ChallengingTravers-Sabine Circuit80 km · 1.3 days · 0.6 km awayAn 80 km alpine loop through remote valleys and a high pass.
ChallengingLake Rotoiti Circuit23.4 km · 8.5 hr · 0.6 km awayTwo huts, one lake, and a ford that sets the route.
ModerateLakehead Track10.4 km · 3 hr · 0.6 km awayA beech forest walk to a hut at Lake Rotoiti’s head.
ModerateLoop Track4.5 km · 1.5 hr · 0.6 km awayA 4.5 km beech forest loop climbs terraces above Lake Rotoiti.
EasyBrunner Peninsula Nature Walk3.7 km · 1 hr · 0.6 km awayA lakeside loop crosses the Alpine Fault twice.
Sight · At the trailheadClassic Boat MuseumClassic boats and engines, packed into a small St Arnaud museum.
Lodging · 0.1 km awayAlpine LodgeLodging, dinner and fast charging share this alpine village stop.
Visitor center · 0.4 km awayNelson Lakes National Park Visitor CentreA good first stop for track advice, maps, and backcountry supplies.
Campground · 0.5 km awayKerr Bay CampsitePowered, tent and campervan sites beside Lake Rotoiti.
Sight · 0.6 km awayLake Rotoiti – Kerr Bay and JettyA mountain-framed jetty with eels beneath the water.
Campground · 1.5 km awayTeetotal CampsiteA quiet tent base beside Teetotal’s trails and winter skating pond.
Sight · 1.5 km awayDuck PondA rare chance to skate on natural pond ice.
Sight · 1.5 km awayWest Bay, Lake RotoitiShort walks lead from lake views to glacier-shaped ponds.Parkwolf’s Nelson Lakes ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
