ALPINE LODGE, Saint Arnaud

Alpine Lodge provides apartments, rooms, and backpacker accommodations. All rooms, except Alpine Backpackers, include a TV with in-house video, refrigerator, tea/coffee making facilities, and a phone. The two-bedroom apartments feature a kitchen, bathroom, lounge area, and a small patio. Downstairs double rooms have a seating area, bathroom, fridge, and tea/coffee facilities. Open-plan, two-story rooms include a lounge with bathroom, fridge, and tea/coffee facilities on the lower level, and a double bedroom on the upper level. Split-level rooms on upper floors feature a vertical ladder to the mezzanine floor, a bathroom, fridge, and tea/coffee facilities. Downstairs twin rooms offer a patio, bathroom, fridge, and tea/coffee facilities. Additional amenities include heating, a sitting area, a dining table, garden furniture, free toiletries, a dryer, an electric kettle, electric blankets, an AM/FM alarm clock, and carpeted floors.

The kitchen, led by Chef Etienne Wessels, prepares fresh, hearty cuisine. The restaurant serves breakfast from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM, lunch from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM, and dinner from 5:30 PM to 9:00 PM. A cooked breakfast includes Mediterranean and Alpine options. Other breakfast choices are two eggs any style, eggs and bacon on toast, a breakfast bowl with hemp seeds and local honey, Alpine Lodge porridge, and children's pancakes. Small plates feature garlic, herb & parmesan flatbread, pumpkin soup, roast vegetable bruschetta, prosciutto bruschetta, seasonal roast vegetable salad, and house-smoked salmon & glass noodle salad. The Alpine Lodge Platter includes Kalamata olives, Little River Swiss cheese, house pâté, charcuterie, hummus, pickles, chutney, and toasted sourdough. Light snacks are available from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM (May/July/August/September/October) or 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM (other months). Pizza is available for lunch Monday - Wednesday and A la Carte Thursday - Sunday.

St Arnaud provides opportunities for mountain biking with trails at Pirika Track and Teetotal. During colder months, ice skating is available at a designated frozen pond less than five minutes away (skates can be hired at the Pond car park). Lake Rotoiti supports water sports, including swimming, paddle boating, and kayaking (rentals available at Kerr Bay). Fishing for Rainbow and Brown trout is possible in surrounding streams, rivers, and inlets with local guides. Nelson Lakes National Park provides Chamois hunting. Approximately 58 bird species can be observed within the National Park, and guided alpine walking tracks are nearby.

Alpine Lodge is in St Arnaud, the Gateway to the Nelson Lakes' National Park, 5 minutes walk from Lake Rotoiti. Landmarks nearby are Kerr Bay (1 km), Brunner Peninsula Nature Walk (0.5 km), Lake Rotoiti Circuit (0.5 km), Mount Robert (4 km), St Arnaud Range Track (0.3 km), Travers-Sabine Circuit (0.5 km), Speargrass Track (4 km), Korimako Studio (1 km), and Lake Rotoiti (0.5 km). It is 85 km from Nelson. St Arnaud is an equal distance from Nelson and Blenheim, making it a base for exploring the Abel Tasman National Park or visiting arts and crafts places. The lifted area covers an elevated range of 1540 to 1768 metres.

Alpine Lodge offers Te Araroa Walkers package pick-up. The staff stores food boxes, numbered, documented, and stored securely. The lodge provides meeting facilities for small-to-medium-sized groups. Guests can leave their bags at Reception for storage and can be notified when their room is ready. Families are welcomed. The staff answers questions about the weather, terrain, and essentials to pack. EFTPOS and cash payments do not incur a surcharge.