The Complete Guide to The Tableland Circuit (2024)

Less popular than some of its nearby relatives in Kahurangi National Park, the Tableland Circuit is a great multi-day tramp in the far north of New Zealand’s South Island. With jagged rocky outcrops, a high alpine plateau, a couple of ridgelines and an optional Mt Arthur summit as well, this short and sharp circuit features a little bit of everything you could ask for in the Tasman region. 

Want to know more about conquering the Tableland Circuit? Read on for our complete guide to the Tableland Circuit. 

Tableland Circuit: Overview

• Location: Kahurangi National Park, Nelson/Tasman Region, South Island
• Length: 28 km
• Time: 2 – 3 days
• Season: November – April 
• Gateway city: Nelson
• Type: Circuit
• Booking Required: No
• Sleeping: Huts and camping
• Start: Flora car park
• Finish: Flora car park
• Difficulty: Moderate
• What to expect: Beech forest, ridgelines, karst outcrops, a high alpine plateau and stunning views of the Tablelands and the Tasman Bay

The Tableland Circuit: Location 

The Tableland Circuit is located in the Mt Arthur region of Kahurangi National Park. This is in the northwest corner of the South Island of New Zealand.

The closest town is the lovely seaside city of Nelson, which is also conveniently a great base to get yourself organised for a hike into Kahurangi National Park. Nelson is 75 km, and about 1.5 hours drive, from Flora car park (the start of the Tableland Circuit). 

Want more hiking near Nelson? Check out the Travers Sabine Circuit

The Tableland Circuit: The Trail

The Tableland Circuit is a 28 km circuit in the Mt Arthur region of Kahurangi National Park. The circuit passes some of the region’s more famous landmarks, such as Mt Arthur Hut, Gordon’s Pyramid and Salisbury Lodge. The circuit can be tramped in either direction and an additional summit of Mt Arthur is an easy add-on. 

For a relatively short tramp, the Tableland Circuit is quite varied, with beautiful ridgelines offering great views, a high plateau of rocky karst formations, tussocks and a bit of beech forest thrown in there for good mix. 

Read: How to Visit Blue Lake Nelson

Additional Hiking in the Tablelands

If you want to go a bit further into the Tablelands, there are a number of hikes you can do in the Mt Arthur region, many of which can be mixed and matched to create different itineraries – far too many for this blog to detail! 

Adding on a summit of Mt Arthur to the Tableland Circuit is highly recommended and will only add a couple of extra hours to your total time. 

Read more about the hike to Mt Arthur

If you have more time on your hands, hiking past Balloon Hut into the Cobb Valley is also an excellent way to spend a few days in the beautiful Mt Arthur region.  

Best time to do the Tableland Circuit

The best time to hike the Tableland Circuit is from December to February. This is during New Zealand’s summer and you can expect warm days with pleasant evenings.

Unlike many other New Zealand hikes, hiking in the Tablelands is open year-round and you are able to walk the trails during the winter months (June to August). 

During the winter, the weather will be cooler and wetter, so make sure you’re prepared for these conditions. 

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

Do You Need to Book The Tableland Circuit?

No, you do not need to book the Tableland Circuit in advance – nor can you for that matter! It’s simply a first-come, first-serve matter. 

Although you cannot book any of the huts on the trail in advance, you must pay for the huts in advance. 

To stay in any of the huts in the Mt Arthur region (including popular Mt Arthur Hut and Salisbury Lodge), you must use either backcountry hut tickets or a backcountry hut pass. If you would like to camp within 50m of any hut, you also pay via a backcountry ticket. These are placed in the honesty box inside the hut. 

Backcountry tickets can be purchased 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. 

Read: Angelus Hut – How to Visit NZ’s Most Beautiful Hut

How much does it cost to hike the Tableland Circuit?

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. All huts on the Tableland Circuit cost $25 NZD pp per night. Camping outside any of the huts costs $10 NZD. 

Outside of these fees, you’ll also have to pay for your food, supplies and transportation to/from Nelson. 

How difficult is the Tableland Circuit? 

As always, this depends on your experience. Overall, the Tableland Circuit is moderately difficult and can be done by anyone with a reasonable degree of fitness.

From Flora car park to Mt Arthur Hut, the trail is steep but well-graded and well-defined. From Mt Arthur Hut to Salisbury Lodge, the trail is exposed and on a ridgeline, but again, there is a very clear trail to follow. 

Only set off if the weather is good, take your time and most importantly, enjoy the trail! 

What to Expect on the Tableland Circuit 

Huts

There are two popular huts on the Tableland Circuit: Mt Arthur Hut and Salisbury Lodge, both of which are serviced huts. You can expect mattresses, a water supply and long drop toilets. 

Mt Arthur Hut is a very tiny little hut, set in a little clearing just below the bush line. There is a wood stove for heating (but not cooking), intermittent mobile reception, but more importantly, no sandflies! 

Salisbury Lodge is a very lovely and beautiful hut, with a spacious open cooking area complete with big windows looking out at the mountains. There are some nice benches outside in the sun that make a great place to relax after a day of tramping. There are some sandflies at Salisbury Lodge, but they’re not terrible. 

Neither hut has cooking facilities, so ensure you bring your own supplies. Fuel canisters can be purchased around Nelson at a number of places, but we found MD Outdoors to have the best prices. 

Important: although Salisbury Lodge is often advertised as having a gas cooker, it does not. 

Flora Hut is also located within the Tableland Circuit, but it is very close to Flora car park and is thus less than ideal as an overnight option for this tramp. 

Camping 

Camping is permitted at both Mt Arthur Hut and Salisbury Lodge. 

At Mt Arthur Hut, there is very little space (essentially space for one tent near a picnic table). 

There is slightly more room at Salisbury Lodge, perhaps enough space for up to 5 tents. 

Weather

The weather in New Zealand is infamously changeable and this changeability is even more pronounced in Kahurangi National Park. Be prepared for 4 seasons in one day when you hike the in the Tablelands! 

Up on the ridgeline, the weather can be atrocious – we’re talking strong winds and poor visibility. If you start to head out and it’s looking nasty, consider turning around. 

I hiked the Tableland Circuit in February (high summer) and I had it all – wind, rain, cold and sun. 

For this reason, we always recommend packing for all weather. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. See our packing list below. 

Water

There is very little water available along the Tableland Circuit (some small creeks between Salisbury Lodge and Flora car park), so be sure to always set off for the day with at least 2-3L per person. 

There is water available at Flora car park, Mt Arthur Hut and Salisbury Lodge. All of these should be treated, 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 Tableland Circuit, 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 specialty 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. 

Navigation

It is easy to navigate on the Tableland Circuit. 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.

Safety

Tramping in the Tablelands is relatively safe, with the standard mountain hazards. 

Your biggest risks are inclement weather (as the climb to Gordon’s Pyramid goes along a ridgeline that is relatively exposed) and injury. 

Always pack a well-stocked first aid kit in case anything goes wrong and it’s never a bad idea to hike with a personal locator beacon (PLB) or similar device in case of any emergencies. If you would like to rent one, you can do so at the Macpac in Nelson.

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

Mobile Reception and Electronics

There is very limited mobile reception in the Mt Arthur, Region so do not depend on it. There is intermittent reception available at Mt Arthur hut, but it is just that – intermittent. There is also some reception at Gordon’s Pyramid. 

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

Tableland Circuit Section Breakdown

The path from Flora Car Park to Mt Arthur Hut is steep but on a well-graded and well-maintained path. It’s very pleasant walking and only takes an hour or two (depending on how much you’re carrying). 

Section 2: Mt Arthur Hut to Salisbury Lodge

• Distance: 10 km
• Time: 4 – 5 hours
• Difficulty: Moderate to hard 

Leaving Mt Arthur Hut, the ascent is steady but not terrible. About 1 hour after leaving Mt Arthur Hut, you will reach the junction where the trail splits to either summit Mt Arthur or continue on to Gordon’s Pyramid.  

From the junction, it’s around 2 hours tramping to Gordon’s Pyramid (3 hours total). The walk through Horseshoe Basin is particularly incredible, with really interesting rock formations and a high plateau feeling reminiscent of our times in Tajikistan. 

Overall, the trail undulates a bit, so expect a couple of ascents – only to go down again. Fortunately, there are great views of Mt Arthur and the surrounding ranges as you walk along this section. 

Important: the trail is on an exposed ridge for most of the section, so you will only want to set off if the weather is cooperating. There is also no water in this section, so be sure to have at least 3L per person before you set off. 

In case you want to send a selfie to your friends and family, you’re in luck: there is mobile reception at Gordon’s Pyramid. 

From Gordons Pyramid, it’s another 1.5 hours to Salisbury Lodge. The first half hour is lovely as you descend, and then the last hour through the bush is tedious. Expect lots of roots, mud, wet, rocks, and one scrambly section. 

Then you arrive at the lovely Salisbury Lodge, a great place to call home for the night. 

The track to the Mt Arthur Summit is steep, but not terribly so. While it’s on an exposed ridgeline, there’s a very clear trail to follow, making it immeasurably easier to walk along. 

There are great views from the trail and the summit, but as with Gordon’s Pyramid, you’ll want to monitor the weather and only set off if it’s clear. 

Leaving Salisbury Lodge, the first bit of the track is a gentle descent down a well-graded path. 

Once you reach Gridiron Hut, the trail turns into a 4WD track for the rest of the walk to Flora Car Park, which is admittedly, a bit boring. 

Suggested 3 Day Tableland Circuit Itinerary

Tips and tricks

• Use hiking poles. These bad boys are useful in so many situations – ascending, descending or testing out mud depth! 
• Bring earplugs for the huts. Trust us on this. 
• Bring sandals, crocs or any comfortable footwear for the huts. Your feet will thank us. 

Packing List

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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