Mount Fishtail Route
Renwick · Marlborough
This walk was suggested by the community and checked against the authority quoted above before it was published. The route line comes from official track data. DOC’s own wording: “Dogs with a DOC permit only. Contact closest DOC office to get a permit. Other pets on conservation land rules. (DOC, Mt Fishtail Route page; DOC's track data codes the permit as the hunting-dog kind on both the Pine Valley and Mount Fishtail legs.)”. Evidence: the rule-setter’s own published wording. How we check dog rules.
Good to know
A DOC dog permit is required before any dog walks here. DOC codes this land for the hunting-dog permit, so it is not a casual dog walk. Ask the DOC office before planning to bring a dog.
Opens your email app, addressed to [email protected]. You can also call DOC on 0800 275 362.
About Mount Fishtail Route
This long walk follows 7.8 km, near Renwick in Marlborough.
The climb to Fishtail Hut on the north bank of the Wairau, sent in by Dre, whose 5 hours 40 minutes is DOC's figure to the minute. From the end of Pine Valley Road, 25 km up Northbank Road from the Wairau bridge near Renwick, the Pine Valley Track runs 40 easy minutes past Mill Flat Campsite to the old Pine Valley Hut site, then turns up the ridge and grinds out the other five hours to Fishtail Hut, a standard four bunk at about 1,100 m with Blenheim spread out below. DOC grades the whole thing an expert route: the streams are unbridged and crossable only in normal flows, the tops get snow, wind and fog that need real skill, and wasps are thick from December to April. Our drawn line ends at the hut; the route itself carries on another hour to the 1,643 m summit of Mount Fishtail. Dogs come under DOC's rule for Mount Richmond Forest Park: a DOC permit only, the hunting-dog kind, arranged with the Whakatū / Nelson Visitor Centre before you go. Getting there is half the trip: Pine Valley Road wants a 4WD, Northbank Road is running stop/go lights with delays up to half an hour after the Marlborough storms, and the lower valley is working forestry, so check DOC's Mount Richmond park access page for road status before you commit to the drive.
Expect expert going, with around 1,194 m of climb, and takes about 3 hr 32 min to walk.
A DOC dog permit is required before any dog walks here. Arrange it with the managing DOC office ahead of your trip. This walk is on the map because Dre & Hazel suggested it, and we checked it against the source above.