Mount
Richmond Estate is located two kilometres from Rai Valley township
towards Nelson
on State Highway 6. It is the perfect centre for accessing the
Marlborough Sounds (Duncan Bay, Elaine Bay, Okiwi Bay, Tennyson
Inlet, D’Urville Island) as well as Blenheim and Nelson.
On a spacious ten acre sunny plateau high above Rai Valley, Mount
Richmond Estate is surrounded by native and exotic forest. The
peace and tranquility will completely recharge you.
Mount Richmond Forest Park stretches 100 km along the rugged backbone
of the Mt Richmond Range from St Arnaud all the way to the coast.
It forms the backdrop to Nelson city and dominates the skyline
from Blenheim and the Wairau Valley. Over 80% of the vast area
is covered in dense forest with manuka, kanuka, bracken and gorse
common around the margins of the park. The high peaks like Mt
Richmond (1,700 metres) and the 'Alpine Route' further south have
small alpine grasslands.
Geological interest in the park is high as the main South Island
alpine fault runs along the southern boundary. This is the largest
active fault line in New Zealand and extends down to South Westland.
The Red Hills and Dun Mountain have high levels of magnesium and
iron, which gives them a distinctive rust colour. Over millions
of years they have been moved 600 km north from the identical
rocks in the Red Hills of South Westland.
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