Campground · Nelson Lakes National Park
A quiet tent base beside Teetotal’s trails and winter skating pond.
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
Teetotal Campsite and Duck Pond“Teetotal Campsite and Duck Pond are ahead, just outside the national park. In cold winters, the pond can become a natural skating rink, but check locally that skating is possible before planning a visit around it.”
Plays as you drive up to Teetotal Campsite 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
Teetotal Campsite is a 12-site DOC campground about 1 km west of St Arnaud, just outside Nelson Lakes National Park. It makes a practical base for the nearby Teetotal recreation area and park, especially if you’re camping in a tent. The sites are non-powered, the approach is gravel, and DOC requires bookings, so don’t count on a walk-in space.
This is a straightforward overnight campsite, not a full-service holiday park. Pit toilets are reported, but potable water isn’t confirmed: the mapped supply is marked untreated, and visitors disagree about whether taps are reliably available. Bring drinking water and don’t depend on filling up here. DOC bans fires year-round. Dogs are allowed at the campground under control, but not in the national park.
The nearby Teetotal network has rides from easy to demanding. The 4.7 km Skating Pond Loop crosses open flats and scrub; harder routes enter beech forest. Duck Pond is a separate feature beside the campground and can freeze for winter skating, though that depends on conditions. You’re near St Arnaud and its tracks, not camped on Lake Rotoiti’s shore.
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
ModerateBlack Hill Walk2.2 km · 1.5 hr · 1 km awayA steep forest loop climbs a glacial hill above St Arnaud.
EasyMoraine Walk4.9 km · 1.8 hr · 1.1 km awayA gentle walk past kettle ponds and glacial gravel.
EasyAnglers Walk4.8 km · 2 hr · 1.4 km awayWalk the Buller from Lake Rotoiti’s outlet to the SH63 bridge
EasyBrunner Peninsula Nature Walk3.7 km · 1 hr · 1.7 km awayA lakeside loop crosses the Alpine Fault twice.
EasyBlack Valley Walk0.8 km · 30 min · 1.8 km awayFollow a beech-forest stream between the lake and St Arnaud.
EasyGibbs Walk0.3 km · 12 min · 1.8 km awayA brief beech climb over old glacial moraine.
ChallengingTravers-Sabine Circuit80 km · 1.3 days · 1.9 km awayAn 80 km alpine loop through remote valleys and a high pass.
ChallengingLake Rotoiti Circuit23.4 km · 8.5 hr · 1.9 km awayTwo huts, one lake, and a ford that sets the route.
Sight · At the trailheadDuck PondA rare chance to skate on natural pond ice.
Campground · 0.8 km awayWest Bay CampsiteA quiet, tree-screened base beside Lake Rotoiti.Sight · 1.1 km awayWest Bay, Lake RotoitiShort walks lead from lake views to glacier-shaped ponds.
Sight · 1.4 km awayClassic Boat MuseumClassic boats and engines, packed into a small St Arnaud museum.
Store · 1.5 km awaySt Arnaud General StoreA handy fuel, grocery and café stop before the lakes.
Lodging · 1.5 km awayAlpine LodgeLodging, dinner and fast charging share this alpine village stop.
Visitor center · 1.6 km awayNelson Lakes National Park Visitor CentreA good first stop for track advice, maps, and backcountry supplies.
Sight · 1.8 km awayLake Rotoiti – Kerr Bay and JettyA mountain-framed jetty with eels beneath the water.Parkwolf’s Nelson Lakes ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
