Location: State Highway 6, Pelorus Bridge — 24 km west of Havelock, 75 km from Blenheim Accessibility: Easy to moderate; flat riverside walks and a suspension bridge, suitable for families Duration: 1–3 hours for walks; longer with swimming or picnicking Cost: Free — no entry fee (camping fees apply for overnight stays).

Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve is one of the most rewarding free stops on the entire South Island — a place where ancient podocarp forest meets crystal-clear emerald water in a setting so cinematic that Peter Jackson chose it as the ‘Forest River’ for the dwarves’ barrel escape scene in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. The Pelorus River at this point is a deep, impossibly vivid green, flowing through a gorge of mossy boulders beneath a canopy of rimu, kahikatea, tōtara, and beech that has survived intact while almost all the surrounding lowland forest was milled flat in the nineteenth century.

Located on State Highway 6 roughly halfway between Blenheim and Nelson, the reserve is genuinely easy to miss — a modest DOC signpost on a fast stretch of highway — which is part of why it rewards the visitors who do stop. The reserve contains several well-maintained walking tracks ranging from a 15-minute waterside stroll to a 3-hour ridge hike.

The Tawa Walk is a flat 1.5-kilometre loop through river-flat forest — one of the last intact stands of its kind in Marlborough, where trees that would have greeted the first Māori settlers still stand. The Rai River Swing Bridge walk leads to a dramatic suspension footbridge above the confluence of the Rai and Pelorus Rivers, swaying gently with each step and offering bird’s-eye views of both rivers. The longer Trig K track climbs to a 417-metre summit with panoramic views across the ranges.

Swimming in the Pelorus River is the reserve’s standout summer attraction and the reason most people linger far longer than planned. The water is extraordinarily clear — you can read the pattern of the riverbed gravel through three metres of it — noticeably cold even at the height of January, and deep enough in places for confident jumping from the rocky banks. The combination of the brilliant emerald colour, the cathedral podocarp canopy overhead, and the knowledge that you are quite literally swimming in The Hobbit’s Forest River gives the experience a particular resonance.

Stephen Hunter, who played the dwarf Bombur, reportedly called the barrel filming day at Pelorus his favourite day on set — and anyone who swims here on a warm Marlborough afternoon will understand why.

Native birds are abundant throughout the reserve. Kererū — New Zealand’s native wood pigeon, improbably large and extraordinarily beautiful — crash through the canopy overhead. Tūī call from the flowering trees, bellbirds chime in the shadier groves, and fantails dart alongside the walking tracks. Long-tailed bats, one of New Zealand’s two surviving native land mammal species, roost in the old-growth trees and emerge at dusk — a remarkable wildlife encounter just metres from a state highway.

Local Tip:

The best swimming hole is accessible via a short path from the main DOC car park — walk past the cafe and follow the river upstream for five minutes to find the deepest and clearest pool. Arrive before 10 am on summer weekends to secure a shaded spot on the rocks before the crowds arrive. Dogs and fires are not permitted anywhere in the reserve.

The on-site DOC campsite accepts bookings and there is a small cafe at the reserve entrance serving good coffee and straightforward food. Entry to all walking tracks and swimming areas is completely free.