How to Visit Blue Lake Nelson (2024)

Lake Rotomairewhenua (also referred to as Blue Lake) is fast becoming one of New Zealand’s star attractions. I mean, not every lake can claim to be the clearest freshwater in the world, right?

Blue Lake is truly awesome and to boot, the Blue Lake walk is an awesome tramp and full of beauty of its own. Whether you’re a visitor to New Zealand or a tried and true local, Blue Lake Nelson is definitely worth a visit and a top thing to do on New Zealand’s South Island. 

Want to know how to get to Blue Lake Nelson? Well, lucky you, you’re in for a great time. Read on for our complete guide, outlining all you need to know to visit Rotomairewhenua, aka Blue Lake Nelson. 

Blue Lake Nelson: Overview

Rotomairewhenua is the clearest tested freshwater in the world. We say ‘tested’, because, well, we’ve seen a lot of clear water out there, in places where they don’t have the resources to test it.

Moving on. Blue Lake’s visibility ranges from 70 to 80 meters, which is close to pure water – the visibility of distilled water is about 80 meters. That’s damn clear.

Related: Angelus Hut – How to Visit New Zealand’s Most Spectacular Hut

Hidden deep in the backcountry, Blue Lake Nelson is truly a sight to behold. Anyone with even the slightest appreciation of nature can’t help but be awed by the beauty of this tiny lake.

Blue Lake Nelson is considered sacred to the local Māori population. Rotomairewhenua translates to “the lake of peaceful lands”. Historically, the lake was used by the Ngati Apa ki te Ra To iwi to cleanse the bones of deceased men, aiding their spirits on their journey to the afterlife.

For this reason (and to protect the clarity of the lake), visitors are not allowed to enter the water. Please don’t be a dickhead and jump in the water.

Rotomairewhenua / Blue Lake Location 

Rotomairewhenua is located deep inside Nelson Lakes National Park, on the south island of New Zealand. Nelson Lakes National Park is located just outside of the teeny tiny village of St Arnaud, which is 81 km south of Nelson. 

Note: Rotomairewhenua is the Blue Lake near Nelson. There is another Blue Lake in New Zealand, in Rotorua. Confusing, I know! We are not referring to that one. 

There’s not a lot going on in St Arnaud, and not much in the way of supplies, so Nelson is the best place to base yourself to get organised for hiking to Blue Lake hut.

How to Get to Blue Lake Nelson

There are a couple of different ways to reach Blue Lake Nelson, but no matter which you choose, it requires at least a couple of days of backcountry hiking. But that’s the fun part, right? 

You can get to Blue Lake Nelson via the Lake Rotoroa water taxi, hiking from the Mount Robert car park, or as a side trip on the Travers Sabine Circuit. 

Want another great hike near Nelson? Check out the Tableland Circuit

Getting to Blue Lake Nelson via Lake Rotoroa Water Taxi

The most straightforward, and easiest way to get to Blue Lake Nelson, is via the Lake Rotoroa water taxi. 

From Lake Rotoroa, you can take a water taxi to Sabine Hut. This leaves from the Lake Rotoroa jetty and costs $65 per person with a minimum charge of $200. Convenience isn’t cheap! 

Once you’ve reached Sabine Hut, walk to West Sabine Hut (approximately 5 hours). From West Sabine Hut you can access the Blue Lake Track that leads to Blue Lake Hut (around 3.5 hours). 

Once you’ve spent the time you want at Rotomairewhenua and Blue Lake Hut, simply return the way you came. 

Getting to Blue Lake Nelson via Mount Robert Car Park

To hike the entire way to Blue Lake Nelson, you can walk from Mount Robert car park. From Mount Robert car park, hike to Sabine Hut (17.5 km and around 7 hours). If you would like to break up the journey, you can spend the night at the adorable Speargrass Hut. 

From Sabine Hut, continue to West Sabine Hut and then to Blue Lake Hut as noted above. 

Getting to Blue Lake Nelson via Travers Sabine Circuit

Another option, and a really fun one, is to incorporate a trip to Blue Lake Nelson as part of the Travers Sabine Circuit. 

Read our complete guide to the Travers Sabine Circuit

Best time to do the Blue Lake Hike

The best time to do the Blue Lake walk is from December to February. This is during New Zealand’s summer and you can expect warm days with pleasant evenings. 

Do note that as this is an alpine region, and New Zealand has temperamental weather, heavy rain can occur at any time and nights can get very cool, even in summer. 

The official season for hiking the Blue Lake walk is from November to April. During the shoulder months of November, March and April, days will be cooler, nights much colder and rain more frequent.

Read: How to Conquer the Heaphy Track – The Essential 2024 Hiking Guide

Transportation to the Blue Lake Track

Read: The Complete Guide to Hiking Mt Arthur

How much does it cost to hike to Blue Lake Hut?

There are no fees to enter New Zealand National Parks or to use the trails. 

You must pay to use the huts and/or for camping within 50m of a hut. Blue Lake Hut and all the other huts on the way to Blue Lake Hut cost $25 NZD pp per night. Camping outside any of the huts costs $10 NZD.

Outside of these fees, you will also have to pay for your food, supplies and transportation to/from St Arnaud.

How difficult Is the Hike to Blue Lake?

No matter which way you get there, the Blue Lake walk is challenging. The route from Mount Robert car park, while moderate, is long and contains just enough ascents and descents and difficult terrain to keep you on your toes.

The Blue Lake Track, which runs from West Sabine Hut to Blue Lake Hut, is challenging. While short (at around 8 km), it’s steep, with almost 600m of elevation gain. The track is technical at times and requires climbing over steep rocks and boulders.

What to expect on the hike to Blue Lake Nelson

Huts

All huts along the way to Blue Lake Nelson (including Blue Lake Hut), are serviced huts. This means they have mattresses, water supply, toilets, hand-washing facilities (but usually not soap) and a fireplace for heating. 

The huts do not have cooking facilities (i.e., gas) so ensure you bring your own supplies. Fuel canisters can be purchased around Nelson at several places, but we found MD Outdoors to have the best prices. 

None of the huts have electricity (i.e., lighting), so people usually go to bed and wake up with the sun’s natural cycle. A headlamp is useful!

It’s also worth noting that none of the toilets have toilet paper, so do make sure you bring your own. 

In peak hiking season, the huts can become quite busy. Fortunately, people are generally respectful and staying in a hut is a great opportunity to meet some interesting people from all around the world.

How to pay for huts and camping along the Blue Lake Track 

Although you cannot book any of the huts on the hike to Blue Lake Nelson in advance, you must pay for your huts in advance. 

To stay in the huts along Blue Lake Track, including Blue Lake hut, you must purchase Backcountry Hut Tickets from any Department of Conservation (DOC) office. The DOC office in Nelson is centrally located and has very helpful staff who can answer any questions you may have. 

Each hut along the Blue Lake hike requires 1 x blue ticket and 1 x green ticket each. When you’re at the hut, simply fill in the dates on the tickets and put the stubs in the honesty box inside the hut. Hut wardens may come to inspect your tickets to ensure you’ve paid.

Camping

You can also camp on the way to Blue Lake Nelson. 

Each hut has a designated camping area. It costs $10 to camp within 50m of a hut. To pay for this, purchase a blue ticket in advance (see above) and put it in the honesty box at the hut. 

Weather

The weather on the Blue Lake Track will depend on which season you hike in. 

If you do the hike to Blue Lake Nelson during the summer, from December to February, then you can expect warm days and mild evenings. 

That said, the weather in New Zealand’s mountains is fickle and can change at any time: heavy rain and freezing conditions can occur, even in summer. Be sure to pack appropriately! Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered – see our packing list below.

Water

Generally speaking, water is abundant on the Blue Lake Track and you never have to carry much at any given time.

Any running water found along the hike to Blue Lake Nelson is generally safe to drink and doesn’t need to be treated – it’s also usually delicious! 

You should treat all water at the huts, however, as this is sitting rainwater and can be contaminated by bird and possum droppings.

Pro tip: for treating water on all our hikes, we use a Steripen – it’s a game-changer.

Food 

There are no facilities to purchase food on the hike to Blue Lake Hut, so you must bring all the food you need for the duration of your trek.  

Backcountry meals are very popular, because they are light and easy to prepare, if not a bit expensive. They can be purchased at many places in Nelson, including the supermarket and speciality outdoor stores. We prefer the Radix Meals, which can be found at MD Outdoors. 

If you would like to prepare your own food, instant noodles, pouches of beans, chickpeas and tuna, couscous and instant pasta packages are all great options.

Rubbish

Pack it out, folks! Make sure to bring a bag to collect your garbage and take it out with you. Please, please do not throw your rubbish out on the trail or leave it in the huts.

Pro tip: to minimise rubbish on the trail, decant as much of your food beforehand as possible. 

Safety

Even though the Blue Lake walk has good facilities and a well-marked trail, it is still a relatively isolated trek. We highly recommend walking with a personal locator beacon (PLB) or similar device in case of any emergencies.

If you don’t want to shell out the few hundred dollars to buy one of these, you can rent a PLB at MacPac in Nelson. 

Travel insurance, as always, is essential. If something goes wrong, you want to be covered. Our preference is SafetyWing. Trust us, we’ve used a lot of travel insurance and they really are the best.

Navigation

It is pretty easy to navigate the Blue Lake Track. There are numerous, clear trail markers along the trail which are easy to follow. 

You don’t need a physical map, but it is a very good idea to download the maps.me trail in advance. If you would like to purchase a physical map of the Travers Sabine Circuit, you can do some from the DOC office in Nelson.

Mobile Reception and Electronics

There is very limited mobile reception along the Blue Lake Track, so do not depend on it. You can normally only access it from a few high points. 

There are no places for charging your electronics on the trail, so we recommend bringing a power bank to keep your devices fully juiced.

Blue Lake Walk Sections

Section 1: Mount Robert Car Park To Speargrass Hut

• Distance: 6.5 km
• Time: 3 hours 
• Elevation: + 180m / – 80m
• Difficulty: Moderate

Leaving Mount Robert car park, the track to Speargrass Hut undulates a lot. The track is mostly roots and boulders under the bush canopy.

After rain, it can be very muddy and boggy. 

At the end, you’ll find Speargrass Hut (12 bunks). Speargrass Hut is super cute with nice views of the mountains and tussock. The sandflies at the hut are also not terrible, allowing you to enjoy the veranda. 

Section 2: Speargrass Hut to Sabine Hut

• Distance: 11 km
• Time: 4 hours 
• Elevation: + 115 m / – 605 m
• Difficulty: Moderate

The section starts with a moderate climb to a benched rest area (with 4G reception!). Then, there is a very long boardwalk. From this point, the trail undulates a little, with occasional views of the lake.

Sabine Hut (32 bunks) is wonderful, with incredible views of Lake Rotorua. Despite the abundance of sandflies, it’s an inviting place to spend the night. The large picture windows allow you to enjoy the view bite-free. You can also enjoy sunsets over the lake from the hut’s jetty.

The Blue Lake Track is a manageable section with 2 steep and challenging parts. 

After about 2 hours of hiking, the valley opens up with views of Moss Pass and Mt Cupola (2260m). This has some of the best scenery on the entire Travers Sabine Circuit. 

The Blue Lake Track then goes back into the bush and becomes much steeper. At one point, you climb a series of large and slippery rocks parallel to the raging river. 

Blue Lake Hut (16 bunks) is set above the lake near the bush line and is a beautiful spot to spend the night. 

Remember: You are not allowed to contaminate the lake in any way – this means no swimming, drinking from or even camping near the lake (you can camp near the hut). 

You can bathe yourself from the point at which the water exits Blue Lake – there will be signs pointing in the right direction. The water here tastes delicious. 

We highly recommend hiking to the viewpoint of Lake Constance. It is around 1 km with 220m of elevation gain and takes 45 minutes (with no packs).

This has some of the most incredible mountain scenery in the entire Nelson Lakes National Park, plus aerial views of Blue Lake and Lake Constance.

Be sure not to ascend the scree towards the Waiu Pass! 

Tips and tricks

• Bring hiking poles. They’re not only useful for the ascents and descents but testing rock stability, and mud depth and for helping cross rivers and streams. 
• Make sure your boots have Gore-Tex. This will greatly help with the water crossings.
• Get to Blue Lake Hut early in the day. The Blue Lake walk is quickly gaining popularity, so you’ll want to secure a bunk early – plus have time to explore this beautiful area. 
• From Blue Lake Hut, walk up to the view of Lake Constance. This is one of the best views in the entire national park. 
• Bring earplugs for the huts. Trust us on this. 
• Bring sandals, crocs or any comfortable footwear for the huts. Your feet will thank us. 

Where to stay in Nelson Before and After the Hike

Budget

Tasman Bay Backpackers

Mid-range

Grampians Bay B&B

High-end

Delorenzo Studio Apartments 

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