Central North Island 65

Tongariro NorthernTongariro Circuit ( p72 ) from Panekiri Hut on the Hut on the ) from Panekiri p72 (

Urchin-Umukarikari Circuit Lake Waikaremoana ( p81 ) on the Whirinaki Track p81 ( www.lakeauponz.com

glow-worm cave ( p85 ) Watching the early morning mist rise off Exploring the large vivid lakes and hot springs on the craters, into steaming Peering the Tongariro volcanoes from the Viewing Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk Lake Waikaremoana Great TELEPHONE CODE: 07 & 06

In heart of the North Island is Tongariro National Park, and the remote, little-explored and the remote, National Park, Tongariro In heart North of the Island is Tramp enough is the trademark of this region. of landscape than anything, diversity More HIGHLIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS

In the centre of the North Island, south of Auckland and the Coromandel Peninsula but north the North of the Coromandel Peninsula and In the centre Island, south of Auckland long appealed to trampers. have that that areas and Ruahines, several are of the Tararuas Whakatane and the River Whirinaki Forest, is the region, Urewera To the east, in the Te in the forests one of the most impressive WhirinakiLake Waikaremoana. features beautiful steeped Whakatane a tramp along a river offers North tall and native. – lush, green, Island trout. Skirting with large of Lake Waikaremoana and peppered shoreline the in Maori lore Walks. most popular Great one of New Zealand’s is a scenic track that is Tongariro Northern Kaimanawa stunning alpine scenery, the a tramp through As Range. illustrious cousins in – rivals some of its more Tongariro Crossing Circuit – particularly the Urchin-Umukarikari Circuit wilderness-like and setting, the remote the South Island. For a does the same. Park Kaimanawa Forest in lakes in of one of the largest rippling waters tracks and the scenery will change from the beech the North red and volcanoes; from stands of giant Island, to bubbling hot springs fields; from glaciers to the only desert And all and rimu to alpine gravel in New Zealand. wearing boots and hauling a backpack. easily experienced are Central North Island CentralNorth Island ᎊ CENTRAL NORTH ISLAND o DOC Taupo Field Centre INFORMATION secured inTaupo. ment andalittlelate-night R&R can allbe Auckland andWellington.Supplies, equip- the NorthIsland,lyinghalfway between Park. Taupo isthegeographical centre of to thevolcanicpeaksof TongariroNational this relaxed resort hasviewsacrossthelake On thenortheastern cornerof Taupo,Lake % Taupo GATEWAY Island Central North 66 Tongariro/Taupo Conservancy Office ( Tongariro/Taupo Office Conservancy p85 ). are theDOC betteroff goingtothevisitorcentre orringing ofthecitycentre, butnotregularly staffed. You Dr) North National Park National Park Pirongia Horopito Central NorthIsland SH4 Island Map(p97) See SouthernNorth Te Kuiti SH4 Raurimu CENTRAL NORTH ISLAND••Taupo CENTRALNORTH Hangatiki Tihiroa Tongariro Mangamahu Otorohanga Taupiri Okahukura Mapiu 07 /pop21,040 Raetihi Kaitieke HAMILTON Kakatahi SH4 Ohaupo Te Awamutu Owhango ᎊ Forest Park Ohakune Forest Park Pureora Tatuanui Pureora Ohingaiti (2797m) Mt Ruapehu Mangaweka 4 Waipapa Village Whakapapa SH1 Pureora (1165m) Morrinsville Taihape Matamata Moawhengo Mt Ngauruhoe(2291m) Mt Tongariro(1967m) Waiouru Utiku Tirau SH1 Tokoroa Piarere Tihoi Te Aroha Kaimai Mamaku Arataki Arataki Arataki Mangakino ( Ruahine Forest Park Turangi Putaruru % Taupo Lake SH1 Erewhon Wairakei Mamaku Mokai 378 3885;155Centennial Forest Park Kaimanawa 5 Katikati Kinleith Forest Forest Park SH5 SH1 Ruahine Rotorua Taupo Mt Iringa Tauranga (1241m) Rotorua Lake Ohakuri Lake SH5 Te Puke Tikokino Ngakuru Forest Park Mt Maunganui Kaweka SH38 Golden Springs Otamauri Iwitahi Papamoa Beach Waiotapu SH50 Te Pohue SH5 Rotoehu Forest SH2 Hastings Haroto Te Opapa Edgecumbe 3 Te Whakaumu camp.co.nz; St;sites for2$26,cabins$44) 15Redoubt Tamamutu Sts) brochures, mapsandhutpasses. andsells informationand bus transport,hasDOC centre canbookaccommodation,arrange Loo (large showerandtoiletcomplex),this .laketauponz.com; 30 Tongariro St) 30Tongariro .laketauponz.com; Taupo Motor Camp SLEEPING &EATING Centre and freeze-dried foodisthe The bestplacefortrampinggear, stove fuel SUPPLIES &EQUIPMENT Taupo visitorinformationcentre Nearby is Kawerau Peak (399m) 5 Urchin-UmukarikariCircuit 4 TongariroNorthernCircuit 3 WhirinakiTrack 2 Whakatane-WaikareRiverLoop 1 LakeWaikaremoanaGreatWalk Murupara Minginui Central NorthIsland–Maps Forest Park Whirinaki Te Mata Te Teko Te Whaiti Matata Taradale (765m) Scenic Reserve Tangoio Falls SH2 Napier Waikaremoana Tangoio

( % Waimarama Ruatahuna Putorino Lake

WHAKATANE Taneatua 2 River Whakatane 378 6628;29HeuSt; Kidnappers Cape Pak’nSave Pak’nSave . 1 North Ruatoki SH2 (1366m) Maungapohatu Tuai National Park Te Urewera SH38

Hawke Bay Wairoa ( 30miles 50km 0 0 Opotiki % Te WaitiHill ( (1101m) % Frasertown 377 3080;www.taupomotor www.lonelyplanet.com Opape 376-0999; cnrRuapehu& p93 p88 p80 p76 p71 SH2 NexttotheSuper Toatoa State Forest Matawai Wharerata Motu Nuhaka Hawai (961m) Whakapunake

( % Whangaparaoa Bay SH35 h Great OutdoorsGreat Waihau Bay SH2 376 0027;www Cape Runaway 8.30am-5pm) Raukumara Forest Park Whatatutu Peninsula Mahia Mahia Muriwai Ormond Gisborne is . newzealand.co.nz) cies, including ticketing travel ishandledthrough agen- ($120) andWellington($135).In Taupo, Heu St; Tce;d/ste$165/285; 213 Lake St;s&d$99-145; 14Northcroft .suncourt.co.nz; .go-global.co.nz; Sat &Sun) wharetoa St; Horomatangi St) Wed & Thu, 4-11pm Fri &Sat) Wed &Thu,4-11pmFri wharetoa St; salads andpasta. salads court MotorInn court along thelake. Ablockfromthelake is gear forhire. freesauna, luggage storage andtramping city centre withcleanspaciousrooms,a popular backpacker lodge awayfromthe 3pm) 0606; 45HeuSt;breakfast &lunch$5-12; 104 Tuwharetoa St;dm$24,s/d$35/70; River. located area inapleasant alongtheWaikato Taupo’s mostcentralcampinggroundandis www.lonelyplanet.com Air New Zealand Link Air NewZealand THERE&AWAYGETTING lodge.co.nz; 99Titiraupenga St;dm/d$21/58) of anIrishpub. arrive atand departfrom City, Newmans andAlpine ScenicTours, such asthe with 52large, roomsandaspa. comfortable of thelake fromthebalcony. andreading lounges andaview kitchen, TV friendly, Maori-themed hostel withahuge the newestbackpacker lodge inTaupo, a $22/55) or acoffee are range of steak andseafood. pasta, main diningareas. breakfast. of Taupo’s include finestrestaurants. Rates view rooms,balconiesanddininginone Plateau Bar&Restaurant Plateau Taupo ispacked withmotels, especially Tiki Lodge Tiki Rainbow Lodge Rainbow Long-distance buses, includingInter- buses, Long-distance Lakeside motelsLakeside tend tobemore upscale, Go Global Great places forbreakfast, meal alight Tuwharetoa andHeu Heu Stsare the and h isapartybackpacker lodge ontop isanexcellentrestaurant witha 8.30am-4pm) Take-A-Break Café Take-A-Break h h

Cove .

( 11.30am-10pm Mon-Fri, 10.30am-10pm 11.30am-10pm Mon-Fri, % 5-9pm Mon,5-10pmTue, 4-10pmSun, hasdirect toAuckland flights cnr Tongariro &Tuwharetoacnr Tongariro Sts;dm/d (

% House ofTravel ( Replete FoodCompany Replete

% 0800-4645 6225,3770044;www

( % 377 4545;www.tikilodge.co.nz; ( % . 0800-786 268,3788265;www

378 7599;www.thecove.co.nz; ( Hell 07-378 5754;www.rainbow % hasgreat pizza,big is

0800-737 000;www.air

( ( ( % % %

377 8181;30Tu- ( 377 0041;38Heu 377 2425;64Tu- ) % , withlake- Taupo Travel

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InterCity tours.co.nz) TranzAlpine ticketsalso sells fortrains(includingthe lives, andtheyresisted invasion European into fierce warriors, hardened bydifficult peopleevolved at aroundAD1350. Tuhoe placesthearrivalofevidence the Tuhoe tribe (theChildren of Mist).Genealogical producing the fierce mountain), Tuhoe (the MistMaiden) married Te Maunga (a Urewera beganwhen Hine-Pokohu-Rangi Maori inTe legend humansettlement says HISTORY there are more than40of them. national parkare ($5)orfree; Standard Waikaremoana Great Walk,allhutsinthe of Plenty. Waimana Rivers, which flowintotheBay by thelongvalleysof and theWhakatane SH38, ismore remote. Itischaracterised Panekiri Bluff. is bordered tothesouthbytowering ern shore of Waikaremoana, Lake which around theeast- interior, and thengoes thepark’smountainousits waythrough andwinds roadcurves nantly unsealed Wairoa ontheeastcoast.Thepredomi- wera isSH38,which connectsRotoruato Great Walk. Waikaremoanapopular tramp–theLake centrepiece forTe Urewera’s mostscenicand oflar section thenationalpark,andis of RipplingWaters) isbyfarthemostpopu- derness apartandcapture theimagination. streams, butitistheforests thiswil- thatset rain, beautifullakes trout andcrystal-clear Te Urewera National Park hasrugged ter- NATIONAL PARK TE UREWERA Centre Alpine ScenicTours one hour)andHastings ($43,twohours). Auckland ($52,4½hours), Rotorua($28, toTurangi($21,onehour), has dailybuses $35, onehour). TE UREWERANATIONAL PARK ••History Apart fromthehutsalongLake The northernpartof thepark,above TeThe mainaccessroadthrough Ure- The 55-sq-kmLake Waikaremoana ( Sea

( %

hasaTaupo–Turangi run(return ( % 378 9032; 16 Gascoigne St) 378 9032;16Gascoigne 09-623 1503;www.inntercitycoach.co.nz) ) andthe

( % 378 7412;www.alpinescenic Interislander . Thecentre ferry. 67

ISLAND CENTRAL NORTH CENTRAL CENTRAL NORTH ISLAND Pakehas isolation, clingingtoanaturalsuspicionof a rocknearthelake outlet. to stone. TheNgatiRuapaniidentifiedheras toall –fatal sunlight Time ranoutwhendawnarrived andthe escape fromthelake’s mouthnearOnepoto. Whanganuioparua Inlet,before attempting to stoppedher.Range Thensheformedthe the WhanganuiInlet,before theHuiarau escape. (water monster) thatdesperately triedto died; herspiritwasturnedintoa spring untilshe drowned,butonlyherbody The fathergrabbedthe refusal tofetch water fromasacred well. Mahu, becameenraged byhisdaughter’s was formedwhenoneof theirancestors, tribe, the lakeNgati Ruapani,whobelieved moana. Thatwashometoanothercoastal Te Urewera, Waikare- butnotaroundLake andtamed. settled and influencelongafter otherareas were 68 eroded their morale. Thetribefinally ended had overtaken and theTuhoe starvation and By1871disease that warnedhim off. times, helpedonce byapremature gunshot troops. Te Kootinarrowlyescaped several sources, were nomatch forthegovernment withtheirlimited re- theTuhoe, However, cessful raidsontowns,including Rotorua. oeuvres toscore victoriesandtostage suc- woods. food suppliesandflushthetribe from the toeliminate Tuhoepolicy inaneffort The soldiers appliedascorched-earth running battlewithgovernment troops. tribe formedapactthatledtothree-year in Te Urewera. Te KootiandtheTuhoe refugeChatham Islandprisonandsought charismatic Maori leader, escapedfroma a strange turn.Inthatyear Te Kooti,a destinytookfeat when,in1868,Tuhoe troops. in the1860stowaragainstgovernment resist anyintrusion,joiningothertribes Waikaremoana. continuedto TheTuhoe in November 1840andcameacrossLake erend William Williamstravelled through first Pakehas toexplore thearea, when Rev- The Tuhoe closely guardedTe closely The Tuhoe Urewera’s The therugged interior of settled The Tuhoe Te man- unique military Kootiused The tribeshadjustsuffered asevere de- TEUREWERANATIONAL PARK ••Environment taniwha

(Europeans). Missionarieswere the first thrustnorthandformed taniwhas girl andheldherina – turned her –turnedher taniwha

in thepark. that 650 typesof native plantare present isusually found.Itisestimatedonly beech replaced andrimu. Above bybeech 900m is the bushof andtawa rimu, northernrata composition occurs around800m, where ranges. Themajorhigher change inforest leys, tostunted, moss-covered onthe beech forestspodocarp andtawa inthe river val- park’s forests, andlush rangingfromtall development. by ahydroelectric depth of 248m,butwaslowered 5min1946 up behind thelandslidetoamaximum River about2200years ago. Thelake filled landslide thatdammedthe Waikaretaheke peaks orridges. sotheremountains, are hardlyanyopen Te Urewera formathickblanket over the toWellington.Theforests Cape ofthe East of spine stretching themountainous from to1400mandformspartland thatrises forest inthe NorthIsland.Itisarugged andthelargest untouchedZealand, native is oneof thelargest nationalparksinNew The 2126-sq-kmTe Urewera NationalPark ENVIRONMENT later thatyear. gazettedand thenewparkwasofficially approved thenameUrewera NationalPark, national parkgrew. Inearly1954theTuhoe WWII, supportforturningthearea intoa watershed wasfirst promoted in1925.After until 1930. workers andtheroadwasnotcompleted Troops were toprotect government needed bring themtradeandagriculturalbenefits. wereTuhoe convincedsuch aroadwould sive continuedonlyafter the undertaking Tebuild aroadthrough Urewera. Thismas- construction workers whowere tryingto hostility thegovernment and surveyors Maungapohatu. Thetribemetwithopen offounded theisolated farmingsettlement prophet, self-proclaimed Rua Kenana, who trust of Pakeha, turnedtoanother theTuhoe Waitomo. caped oncemore toKingCountry,around refusedhowever, andtherebel leaderes- swear allegiancetotheCrown.Te Kooti, its involvement inthewarbyagreeing to There of isadiverse selection trees inthe Lake Waikaremoana wasformedbya theforest asaThe ideaof preserving In theearly1900s,withacontinuingdis- www.lonelyplanet.com ning gear isallowedinmostareas. Great Walk.Fishingwithbothflyandspin- from theshore onthe WaikaremoanaLake ing. There isgood fly fishing forbrown trout finestrainbow troutfish- of NewZealand’s and hassomeinteresting displays. WaikaremoanaLake Great Walkbookings huttickets, sells theoffice makesmuseum, both parkvisitorinformationcentre anda shore of Waikaremoana. Lake Operatingas www.lonelyplanet.com ( St,Gisborne) narvon Office The mainonefortrampers is offices. quence itismanaged bytwoDOC for administrative andasaconse- purposes, Te Urewera NationalPark isdividedinhalf Information Sources ( Aniwaniwa VisitorCentre below ). Area ( Office Rangitaiki DOC’s below ) and mapsareThe bestplacestopurchase WaikaremoanaLake atascaleof 1:41,000. map 273-08 the1:130,00Park-For planningpurposes, Maps PLANNING in February, thewarmestmonth. with temperatures risingto21°Corhigher expect regular spellsof fine,dryweather, noon. Insummer,trampers cangenerally of thelowervalleys,butusuallyburnoffby morning mistare commoncharacteristics altitudes.Fogandearlysnow athigher erly winds,andinwinter thiscanturnto onbynorthwesterlyis brought andsouth- respectively. Theyearlyrainfallof 2500mm Gisborne regions – tothewestandeast more rainthanineithertheRotoruaor area, trampers canexpectconsiderably of nature themountainous ofBecause the CLIMATE the park. a handfulof displaysandexhibitsallabout Waikaremoanathe Lake Track.Italsohas maps andbooks,makes bookings for hutand Greatwhich sells Walks passes, the park. Murupara, alsobothhave information on iwa Visitor Centre Centre iwa Visitor % Te Urewera’s rivers andlakes offer some DOC Gisborne Area Office DOC GisborneArea Within the park itself isthe Within theparkitself 07-366 1080;SH38)

( % 07-315 1001;cnrElliot&StJohnSts,Opotiki) (Urewera) and

( % , found1.8kmsouth of DOC Rangitaiki Area Office Office Area DOC Rangitaiki 06-837 3803;SH38)

isideal;itshows ( % 06-869 0460;63Car- DOC Aniwan- Opotiki Area Area Opotiki , onthe ,

fishing. kitchen andlounge andeasyaccesstotrout and smallcabins,alongwithacommunal 5835; cnrOregon &Pine Drs) of town. lodges Aniwhenua,20kmnorth onLake atoneofother optionistostay thefishing tavern. Ifyouhave yourownvehicle, an- but tends tobesmokyduetheadjoining Gemmells For campingequipment andfuelthere’s SUPPLIES &EQUIPMENT Wairoa visitorinformationcentre INFORMATION Tuai orinthenationalpark. food andequipmenthere thanateither wera. It’smuch better topick upsupplies, astheeastern gateway toTeroa serves Ure- At theintersection of SH2andSH36,Wai- % Wairoa Pine Drs; ( Hotel tramping equipment. no visitorcentre andnoplacetopurchase butchoices are few. Thereother services, is park. Muruparaoffers food,lodgingand beforeone you’llpassthrough entering the and thewest,thissmalltownislast If arrivinginTe Urewera fromRotorua % Murupara TOWNS ACCESS Shopping Centre. cabins perperson$25,s&d$90) .troutguides.co.nz; Rd;campsitesfor2$30, 3836Galatea station forInterCity andtheparkshuttle.station as thebus Thecentrepasses. alsoserves Greatmodation, andsells Walkand hut formation ontheparkandlocal accom- future. thiscouldchangeWairoa, though inthe Rotoruaand between regular busservice meals. sandwiches andlight Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm Sat) Mon-Fri, www.wairoanz.com; cnrSH2&QueenSt; TE UREWERANATIONAL PARK ••Climate % There isa Lake AniwhenuaLodge Lake Accommodation islimited. The bestplacetoeatis At thetimeof research there wasno 06 /pop5228 07 /pop1900 366 5842; Murupara ShoppingCentre, cnrOregon366 5842;Murupara &

( % h

366 5871;Pine Dr;s/d$25/50) 4.30am-2pm Mon-Fri) ( % Four Square supermarket supermarket Four Square 838 7577; Marine Pde; 838 7577; Marine . Write Price Food Barn Price Write attheMurupara

hasmotel rooms ( , which haspies, % 366 4777;www

Cocomo Café i hasrooms, ( % h Murupara Murupara ) hasin- 838 7440; 8am-5pm ( ( % % 366 838 69

ISLAND CENTRAL NORTH CENTRAL CENTRAL NORTH ISLAND $35/45) h tion centre, InterCity THERE&AWAYGETTING pub andarestaurant. Clyde Hotel SLEEPING &EATING 8588; Paul St), 70 licensed licensed Thebesteatery takeaways. isChinese restaurants are located, includingseveral with theusualmotel-style comforts. s quicksilver.net.nz; cnrClydeRd&CampbellSt;d$70-95; the Routeburn and Abel Tasman Track, incorporated abooking system, much like Waikaremoanathe Lake Great Walk crowded tramp in thepast,but2001 fishing. and swimmingholes,excellent trout from Panekiri numerousbeaches Bluff, agreatdeed views walk,withspectacular Lake Waikaremoana Great Walkisin- schools, theboys from14secondary Built in1962asavolunteer project by 1½ hours) andNapier($27,2½hours). centre Gisborne($24, ontheir waybetween stopattheWairoavisitorinformation buses great placeforbreakfast. many of NZ’stopbakery awardsandisa Bakery Fri, 6am-3pmSat&Sun) Fri, L K WIAEON GET WALK GREAT WAIKAREMOANA LAKE lake inTelake Urewera NationalPark. shoreline of thelargest Waikaremoana, Lake Island,thistrackfollowsmostofthe the North Summary Transport Nearest Town Finish Start Difficulty Track Standard Distance Duration Three OaksMotel Three Marine Pdeiswhere mostof thetown’s All thismadefor apopularandoften- TEUREWERANATIONAL PARK Great Walk Waikaremoana ••Lake 9.30am-4pm Mon-Sat) ) isoneof anumberof placesinWairoa isintheheartof Wairoaandhasa

( %

4 days Baz’s Bistro ( easy–moderate Oneofthemostpopulartrampsin 838 8299; Marine Pde; 838 8299;Marine

% shuttle service, boat shuttleservice, across fromthevisitorinforma- ( %

has foodforonthetrack. 834 2720;www.intercitycoach.co.nz) ui (p71) Tuai 838 7139; Marine Pde;dm$25,s/d 838 7139;Marine , which has been awarded , which hasbeen Hopuruahine Bridge Hopuruahine Onepoto Great Walk 42km

( % . Closer toSH2is . Closer

( % 838 8204;threeoaksmotel@ 838 4080; Marine Pde; 838 4080;Marine h 4.30am-5pm Mon- Osler’s

three-night maximum. sites. Duringtherest of theyearthere isa athutsandcamp maximumstay two-night and Waiharuru Maraunui,Tapuaenui. Allcampsites mustbebooked. Korokoro, mitted at the designated sites of Waiopaoa, do so online through do soonline through annual hut passes cannotbeused. annual hutpasses North Island,which huttickets means and tracks designated asGreat Walksinthe WaikaremoanaLake isoneof onlytwo Sites Huts &Camp moana andWhirinaki Recreation Area route, andthe1:50,000Terramap (Waikaremoana), of thetrack,Topomap1:50,000260-W18 273-08 Map optionsincludethe1:130,000Parkmap Maps mid-December untiltheendof January. during thesummerschool holidaysfrom and isextremely and popularatEaster theyear, throughout The trackiswellused When toTramp PLANNING trail atOnepoto. time fromPanekiri Huttotheendof the to Panekiri Hut,butthenitwilltake less anextrahourfromWaiopaoaHutneed Walking intheopposite direction you’ll ing behind you in thefirst few hours. climb- (as described)youputallthesteep fromOnepoto bystarting ection, although easy tofollow,canbewalked ineitherdir- to8000trampers thistrack. close tackle to eliminate overcrowded huts.Annually, iwa Visitor Centre iwa Visitor can callorfaxyour requests tothe moana Great Walk.With acredit cardyou or campsites Waikare- alongtheLake atanyof thetracktostay thehuts starting You nowmusthave abooking priorto Permits &Regulations trampers, Whanganui. ekiri, Waiopaoa,Marauiti, Waiharuruand veniently spacedoutalongtheroute: Pan- From October through AprilthereFrom Octoberthrough isa There are five The track,which iswellbenched and Because of theincreasing numberofBecause (Urewera) camping ( % , which hasa1:41,000map

which alsocovers the huts (adult/child $10/5) 06-837 3900, fax8373722)

(adult/child $20/10) www.lonelyplanet.com DOC

(www.doc.govt.nz) isonlyper- Waikare- Aniwan- con- . or .

sites for2$20,dmcabins$42-84) kitchen, showers The and petrol forsale. looking thelake. Italsohasacommunal sites, cabins, chalets andabunkroomover- NEAREST TOWN&FACILITIESNEAREST Queen St,Wairoa) the You canalsomake bookingsinperson at Great Waikaremoana Lake Walk www.lonelyplanet.com Motorcamp Waikaremoana,On Lake the Te NationalPark Urewera unreliable store. accommodation optionsandavery small, is Tuai,asmallhamletwithcoupleof The nearest of towntothestart thetrack % Tuai through the park (see thepark(see through p72 ). Holiday Park alsorunstheshuttlebuses holiday parkhasacaféandbar. BigBush Only 4kmfromtheOnepotocarpark, waikaremoana.co.nz; SH38;sitesfor2$10,dm$25) waikaremoana.co.nz; day Park 800 Korokoro 900 800 Lake Waikaremoana GreatWalk

The best place to stay is The bestplacetostay 1000 Maraunui 06 Huiarau

Wairoa visitorinformationcentre

Falls Korokoro Range Te Wharau Te Waitehete Waiopaoa Stream

700 800 Stream 800 Stream

Private

Huts 900

(

Maraunui Bay Maraunui %

Wairau 900 he ( Arm % Marauiti DAY 4 . 0800-525 392, Hut Ngatimana

800 Hut Waiopaoa

1000 SH38;06-837 3826;www.lake.co.nz;

900 Waihoroihi DAY 3 700 taunoa Point Te Kotoreo- 900 Stream 900 Waiharuru Marauiti 800

1000

Bay

Te Kopua ka Whakenepu Waiharuru 1000 Te Totara Bay 600 P a n e k i r i 800

Bay

700 Stream Stream 800

Te Rata Whanganui ru 700 837 3777;www.lake Bay

600 TE UREWERANATIONAL PARK Great Walk Waikaremoana ••Lake Stream Patekaha Island Tapuaenui Waikaremoana Waikaremoana Big BushHoli- Hut Panekiri

800 hascamp

900 1000

Hut

Bay

700

600 800

Bridge 700 DAY 2 (cnr SH2&

700

Te Horoinga Trig(1180m) Puketapu 800

700 R a n g e Tapuaenui Point Puketukutuku

Range

700 Bald Knob 900 Inlet Whanganui . (1161m) 700 FINISH Landing Hopuruahine 700

800 Trig(1181m) 700 Falls Waihirere the parkheadquarters at Aniwaniwa. Hopuruahine 15kmnorthwestofLanding, headquarters. Thenorthernendisnear end isat Onepoto, 10kmsouthof thepark ofwalking distance SH38.Thesouthern for hitching. onthisroute, makingitaslow-gotraffic time-consuming drive. There isvery little extremely scenic.Inotherwords,avery windingand theparkisunsealed, through Most of the120kmstretch of SH38 TO/FROMTHETRAMP GETTING Landing of is theAniwaniwaVisitorCentre, of Waikaremoana, Lake 10kmnorthwest which are accessiblebyroad.Ontheshore facility campsites thepark, throughout storage forguests. it. Thecampwillstore gear andprovide car and stove fuel,butyouwillpaydearlyfor camp store hasfood,freeze-dried dinners DOC campsite. DOC (the northernendof thetrack)isafree

800 Pukenui

800 100m ContourInterval Both endsof thetrackare within easy anumberof alsomaintains minimal- DOC N ATIO L PARK Matuahu

600 To Murupara Papaotewhakau 800 Panekiri 1 :160,000

T EURWA Bluff (65km) 900

Point 1000 Waikaremoana Point Landing Mokau

900

(adult/child $5/2.50)

600 Lake 700 800

600 Te Rahui Kiriopukae

(964m) 600 500 Falls Mokau Whanau a Lake Ruapani 800

700 Tarns 4km 2miles 0 0 1000

Onepoto Onepoto 800 Mautaketake START

Bay 800 Whano O Ruapani Ruapani

M 900 Lake 900

Point o k . NearHopuruahine 500 a Whanganuioparua u

SH38 900 S SH38 t Kaitawa 700 re Swamp

Waipai a

Park Headquarters Inlet 1000 m

Visitor Centre& 700 Tuai

800 Aniwaniwa

500 700 Waikareiti 900

To Wairoa 400

Track Whakamarino 900

Lake Motor Camp Waikaremoana (54km) 300 600 800

600 900 Waikareiti Lake Mokau Mokau Lake

Home

Bay 300

900 71

ISLAND CENTRAL NORTH CENTRAL CENTRAL NORTH ISLAND the both trailheads($30).Pickupthebusat Waikare-moana, pickinguptrampers at between offer ashuttleservice Wairoa and Bush HolidayPark itdoes however, does, and Waikaremoana Big MotorCamp. cle storage at at thelatter. There isalsofree, secured vehi- Onepoto and thereHome Bay; isasmallfee 392, 06-8373777;SH38) cliffs of cliffs begins asteepclimbupthesandstone end of itimmediately thetrackbecause along thisfirst leg. therebottle, because isnowater available out,makesetting sure youfillyourwater (where there istrack information).Before 500m fromSH38,nexttothedayshelter The beginningof thetrackissignposted 5 hours,8.8km,532mascent Hut Day 1:OnepototoPanekiri THE TRAMP 72 7440; cnrSH2&QueenSt) (each end$15). take youfromonetrailheadtotheother Waikaremoanaoff andwill MotorCamp, thatoperate out all provide ferry services Motor Camp Big BushHolidayPark andthe tank isthesolewater sourceat thehut.Gas tank the east-coast townof Wairoa. Arainwater of and, attimes, thelake, HuiarauRange park’s bestpanoramas, which includemost edge this 36-bunk of hutoffers thebluff, the trig.At1180mandonly 10mfromthe tapu where cleared. thebushhasbeen andwire reveals upthebluff, astaircase inspection tobartheway.Closer seems that denly break rockbluff outatasheer forestbeech foralmost4km,untilyousud- 600m below. viewsofspectacular Waikaremoana, Lake of knobsandknolls,fromwhich you get ing thetrackalonganundulatingridge halfofthe second theday’stramp,follow- trip at1181m.Oncethetrigyoubegin nui trig hours toascend532mover 4kmto Waikaremoana GuidedTours Waikaremoana Buses nolonger RotoruaBuses runbetween Unsecured carparkingisavailable at There is little timetowarmupatthis Panekiri Hut Panekiri Continue alongtheridge mixed through TEUREWERANATIONAL PARK Great Walk Waikaremoana ••Lake Wairoa visitorinformationcentre , oneof points of thehighest the Panekiri Bluff Panekiri

( % Big BushHolidayPark is100mfurtheron,atPuke- 06-837 3826; www.lake.co.nz; SH38) 06-837 3826;www.lake.co.nz; . . . Planon2½tothree

( % Waikaremoana Waikaremoana

( 06-837 3729) %

( % 0800-525 Puke- 06-838 ,

It’s 30to 40minutes alongthesouthern Point and thendropsinto Maraunui Bay. bays, accessibleonly bybushwhacking. sidling alonganumber of smallsheltered the lake, climbing50mabove theshore and a tent. Themaintrackcontinuesaround and makes foravery up scenicplacetoset camp site is200mpasttheswingbridge cading water inthepark.TheKorokoro one of themostimpressive displaysof cas- which drop20mover rockfacein asheer scenic diversion. It’s15minutes tothefalls, walk formosttrampers, andmakes for a is 3.5kmfromWaiopaoaHut,a1½-hour 4–5 hours,12.1km Hut Day 3:WaiopaoaHuttoMarauiti you approach the ferns. Thegradebecomesmore gentle as and podocarp,withathickunderstorey of offrom thebeech countrytotawa thehigh change inthevegetation astheforest moves a staircase. in about1km.Trampers are aidedhere by the lake, itdrops250m andatonesection ing off theridge towardstheWairauArmof descent becomessteep,withthetrackhead- the lake andforest. Atthispointthegradual weather isgoodthere willbepanoramasof swingtothenorthwest.If a sharpright androckgulliesuntilthetracktakes bluffs ridge for3km,graduallydescendingaround Continue southwestandfollowthemain 3–4 hours,7.6km,580mdescent HuttoWaiopaoa Day 2:Panekiri is notallowednexttothehut. stoves are nolonger provided andcamping number of streams thatare bridged. scrub. Inthefirst houryou’llencounter a across grassyflatsandterraces of kanuka tehe Stream, thenfollowsthelakeshore inland fromWaiopaoaHuttocross Waitehe- whittle awaytheafternoon. Thetrackturns the manyplaceswhere youcanlinger and thedayearlytotake advantage ofStart swimming. baywithgoodplacesforfishing and sandy water, andisashortand tank strollfroma The huthasawoodstove (forheatonly) bunks) andcampsite, neartheshoreline. tually, youarrive atthe The trackrounds Te Kotoreotaunoa On thewaydownthere isaninteresting The signposted junctionto Wairau Arm www.lonelyplanet.com Waiopaoa Hut and,even- Korokoro Falls (30

private huts, to shore of thebay,pastaMaori and reserve www.lonelyplanet.com Stream toapoint opposite the accessroad. the northwestern sideof the Hopuruahine thegrassyflatson continues upthrough Stream. Onceacrossthebridge, thetrack ofshort section bushto the Waihoroihika walk aroundthelakeshore a andthrough streams, toanicebeach. close Hut uaenui Stream) untilitreaches shoreline (withashortdiversion up Tap- located here. Forthenexthourfollow Waiharuru Hut.Tapuaenui campsite is Whanganui Inlet,2kmor1½hours from descends to intheTelow saddle Kopuaheadlandand anglers. beaches and protected waters favoured by ful baysonthelake, featuring white, sandy This isoneof themostisolated andbeauti- Te KopuaBay the baybefore swingingnortheasttoskirt ThetrackfollowsthenorthernsideofBay. cross thestream attheheadof Marauiti Return tothemaintrailandimmediately 6 hours,13.5km Bridge HuttoHopuruahine Day 4:Marauiti Marauiti Hut Marauiti Marauiti andthe200msidetrackto Bay Whakaneke Spurand,in1.7km,dipsto the trackclimbsover inthe alowsaddle junction, isMaraunui campsite. Fromhere or 2½-hourwalkfromtheKorokoroFalls fishing spot.Located atthestream, a6.8km ing tothelakeshore at shoreline andclimbsover return- asaddle, Waiharuru Stream, thenreturns tothe the Waiharurucampsite. deck withviewsof thelake. Nexttoitis fromalargeseparated diningarea bya pulleddown.Itsbunkroomsarehas been was builttoreplace Te PunaHut,which ruru Hutisthenewesthutontrackand Marauiti Hut.Constructed in1999,Waihu- bunks), ora6.3km,two-hourwalkfrom 1.5km fromtheislandto by anumberof beaches. It’s smallsandy and hugstheshoreline, which isdotted Patekaha Island,nolonger atrueisland, The lastlegof thetripbeginswithascenic The trackleaves thebay,climbstoa The trackswingsinlandtocross (18 bunks), in a grassy flat between two (18bunks),inagrassyflatbetween (22bunks)onthelakeshore. , 30minutes fromMarauiti Hut. Te TotaraBay Te WharauStream Tapuaenui Bay Waiharuru Hut . Itthenpasses TE UREWERANATIONAL PARK Loop River ••Whakatane–Waikare , apopular Whanganui inthe (40 of time, butthewalking trackisnotthat you canfollow theriver route andsave abit and youdon’tmind getting yourbootswet, weather track.Ifthe water are levels normal moderate ratingapplies onlytothisall- bridges crossingthemajor streams. The Junction Hutiswellcutandformed, with fromtheroad’sendtoWaikareThe section Riverbest tofollowtheWhakatane first. tion, butthelocationof thehutsmakes it toavoidsary sharpbendsin theriver. any dangerous fords.Climbingisonlyneces- andallowstrampersWhakatane toavoid built anall-weathertrackthatsidlesthe often –theriver. through have TheDOC a historiconefortheMaori, isalong–and the River.Whakatane and followthe Waikare River toreturn to east oncetheyreach Waikare JunctionHut, loop (asdescribed),trampers headsouth- Ruatoki North.Toturnthetrampintoa Mataatua near Rdtoanotheraccessroad a four- tofive-day tripfromtheendof or aloop.The RiverWhakatane trampis This route canbedoneasathrough-tramp campsite andthebridge.Landing bus picksupfromboththeHopuruahine gravel accessroadtoSH38,buttheshuttle are popularfishingspots.It’s1kmupthe the HopuruahineStream anditsmouth caravans amongthegrassy sites because road, andthere are usuallyafew tents and SH38. extra 30-minute walktoaroadbridge on longer have tofordtheriver orendure an Thanks toaswingbridge, trampers no WAAAEWIAE IE LOOP RIVER WHAKATANE–WAIKARE Both rivers offer excellenttroutfishing. going along River, andadaytrack alongtheWhakatane Summary Transport Nearest Town Start/Finish Difficulty Track Standard Distance Duration The loopcanbehiked ineitherdirec- RiverThe traditionalWhakatane route, isallowedalongtheaccessCamping 5 days moderate–demanding This route includesanall-weather private Mataatua Rd – andfording uthn (p74) Ruatahuna tramping track 65.5km – the Waikare River. theWaikare

ISLAND CENTRAL NORTH CENTRAL CENTRAL NORTH ISLAND Takurua Hut obtaining abedisusuallynotproblem. obtaining the trampisnotnearlyaspopular,so Waikaremoanaon theLake Great Walk, the hutsare considerablysmallerthanthose equipped withcookingfacilities.Although intentions atthe gone, soyoumustbuyhuttickets andleave fieldcentre oncelocated hereThe DOC is of start thetrackbutoffers very few services. moana. isonly11km from the Ruatahuna visitor informationcentre Waikare- atLake from Rotoruaand49km the park This smallvillage straddlesSH38,113km % Ruatahuna TOWN&FACILITIESNEAREST Tawhiwhi Hut Huts The 1:50,000Topomap260-W17 Maps the Whakatane along Trout fishingisoneof thehighlights Waikare River holdsyouupforawhile. Pack aswollen someextrafoodincase What toBring to March. This trampisbestdonefromNovember When toTramp PLANNING demanding. formed track,anditisrated moderate the river andstreams, where there isno river are worththeextraclimbing. much longer andtheviewsfromabove the 74 Ruatahuna General Store General Ruatahuna 1080; SH38) licence inRuatahuna. there ora tackle isnoplacetopurchase cially ontheWaikare River, butplanahead; which hasfourvery basicrooms forrent. mahihi Hut mahihi North you will also need 260-W16 North youwillalsoneed the traditionalroute toRuatoki through covers ifyouare theloop,although hiking at that scale the detail islacking. at thatscalethedetail 1:130,000 Parkmap 273-08 mana) The stretch alongtheWaikare isalong The onlyreal business intown isthe TEUREWERANATIONAL PARK Loop River ••Whakatane–Waikare 07 /pop100 . Sometrampers are content withthe , 1.8kmsouthof Murupara.

($5) ($5)

($5) , are huts.Noneare Standard – Waikare Junction Hut Junction Waikare , Waikare River Loop,espe- Rangitaiki Area Office Area Rangitaiki Ngahiramai Hut Ngahiramai

( % 366 3393;SH38; r$65) (Urewera)

(Urewera) ($5)

($5)

, ( (Wai- % Hana- , but and 366 – ,

5179; www.rotoruanz.com) access totroutfishing. Ruatahuna General Store General Ruatahuna there because isveryis tough littletraffic. the trackbegins.Hitching alongtheroad walk) totheendof theaccessroad, where it’s11km(atwo-hourFrom Ruatahuna TO/FROMTHETRAMP GETTING a pleasant River.east, alongtheupperWhakatane It’s is12kmtothe toRuatahuna The closest There are campsites alongSH38. several Sites DOC Camp Call longer anypublictransporttoRuatahuna. Rotorua andWairoa,meaningthere’s no between continued itsshuttle busservice it’s besttobringinallyouneed. café. Trampingsuppliesare very limited, so The smallstore and alsohasapetrolstation only waystoreach Ruatahuna. private transportorslowhitching are the Otherwise, hasresumedelse theservice. without vehicles (each way$20). will alsodropoff andpickuptrampers look after yourcar(perday$10).Thestore trampersdrop off intheirownvehicle and In 2006,BigBush HolidayPark dis- hold ofyou, itdoesn’tletgo easily. Americanlawyer,onceit gets good North anyarms, quicklydrawing blood.And,like painfully scrapeacross yourbare thighsor when youencounter it,asthethornswill trampers whostrayfromthetrack. forest’s opencanopy…andtosnare unwary on thestems helpthevinetoclimba is itsthorns;thebackward-pointingprickles and jelly.The plant’smost noticeablefeature was usedbyearlyEuropeans jam tomake asmallblackberryandberry isshapedlike white flowersandayellowish-red fruit.The leaves withthree tofive toothed ‘fingers’, of 1000m,theplanthashand-shaped is bestknownas bush lawyer. tainly do. InNewZealand thisthornyvine Rubus cissoides stand orappreciate thecommonnameof Some overseas trampersmightnotunder- OF THEBUSH BLOOD-SUCKING LAWYERS You’ll immediately knowbushlawyer Found acrossthecountry,uptoaheight Destination Rotorua camp site , but North Americanscer- , butNorth to see ifitoranybody tosee

(adult/child $5/2.50)

www.lonelyplanet.com

( ( % % 07-366 3393) 0800-768 678,348 with will Whakatane River.Whakatane the track climbstoaswing bridge acrossthe is the second twomajorflat thetrackcrosses streams; the descends intoOhaerena Flat.Beyond yond NgahiramaiHut,justbefore thetrack Tarakena Rapids there are often goodviewsof itbelow.The bank oflow thetrueright theriver, and choice of tracks. whenconfrontedtriangular tags witha the river route. Keep aneyeoutfororange totheriver,ping close where itisjoinedby (east)side,occasionallydrop- true right follow thevalleyfor4kmabove theriver’s Stream Mahakirua quickly, crossingTe Mania Flatthen route alongtheWhakatane. leads downtoParipari Flatandtheriver the all-weatherroute, whiletheothertrack A ‘WalkingTrack’signpointsthewayto River quickly emerges above high the it. Fromhere, thetrackswingswestand a farmgate withasmall‘Track’signon Tracksystem, andendsatWhakatane Mataatua Rdhasalarge displayof the 3–4 hours,9km RoadtoTawhiwhiDay 1:Mataatua Hut THE TRAMP www.lonelyplanet.com Hut small clearingandtheone-room 45 minutes toonehour,breaks outontoa restrictions. Thetrackremains and,in level vate Maori land, withcampingandhunting Up tothispointyouhave crossingpri- been therealthough isnosignposted boundary. Te Urewera NationalPark forthefirst time, forest and,in10to15minutes, youenter Stream,gatawhero thetrackre-enters the Once acrossbothTaumapou FlatandMan- 4–5 hours,14.5km Hut Hanamahihi Day 2:Tawhiwhi Hutto the first night. Taumapou Flat.It’sagoodplacetospend is just30minutes away,inthemiddleof From thestream, thestream onawalkwire.track crosses six-bunk WaiawaHut(4½hours); themain tion withatrackheadingsoutheasttothe From thehuttrackcontinues tofol- At After 20minutes the trackdescends (eight bunks). (eight . Itsidlesthevalleyfor3km,thensplits. Manangaatiuhi Stream Manangaatiuhi Moawhara Stream are 30minutes be- passed . Fromhere itcontinuesto Tawhiwhi Hut youpassajunc- TE UREWERANATIONAL PARK Loop River ••Whakatane–Waikare , fromwhere (18bunks) Ngahiramai Ngahiramai Whakatane Whakatane

height. height. and summerthegrasscanbeabove waist trailacrosstheflats,wherehorse inspring re-entering Maori land.Thetrackfollowsa a terrace andemerges at to crossRerehape Stream. Itthenclimbs cross Mangaehu time Stream andasecond and immediately dropstotheriver, onceto true leftsideof (westbank), theWhakatane scenic bend in the Whakatane River.scenic bendintheWhakatane stove. Italsohasaveranda thatoverlooks a bunksandawood-burninghut haseight emerge atasmall,grassyflat.Theone-room up-and-down trampinbush,before you misleading –infact,itmay bethemost the all-weather track.The timeisalittle shifted andisnow25minutes away on that theWaikare Junction Huthasbeen in twohours fromHanamahihi Hut. low theriver youcanreach the confluence the banktoswingbridge. Ifyoucan fol- Rivers, where asignpointsthewayback up the junctionof andWaikare theWhakatane andstillarriveyou willavoid at thebluffs and fordingtheriver atappropriate places, you have By following thesaddle. crossed onceroute istodroptheWhakatane are normal,aneasierandmore pleasant orange tags. metal theroutethough iswellmarked with thetrack,al- tosee bedifficult it might grassyterraces, whereplaces itcutsthrough is quite abitof climbingtodo. Insome inmanyplaces,sothereThe valleyissteep it reaches thebridge over the sidefor4.5km,until follows thetrueright called Maru Maru. hut youshould return totheriver ataspot on theotherside. Anhourorsofromthe briefly ontopandthendescendsrapidly River.the Whakatane off Thetracklevels allowing youtobypassalarge bendin onaforestedclimb towardsasaddle ridge, then followthetrackasitbeginsasteep cross theswingbridge infrontof thehut, To continuealongtheall-weathertrack, 3 hours,9.5km Hut Junction HuttoWaikare Day 3:Hanamahihi The last2kmto For thefirst timethetrackfollows Near thebridge isasignexplaining If theweatherisgoodandwater levels RiverOnce ontheWhakatane thetrack Hanamahihi Hut Hanamahihi Hanamahihi Flats Hanamahihi Waikare River Waikare isan 75

, .

ISLAND CENTRAL NORTH CENTRAL CENTRAL NORTH ISLAND

WaaaeWiae River Whakatane-Waikare 76

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500 600 Manaohou T EURWA (726m) Te Tara 700 400 400

700 Mangateitei 600

(685m) Waiari

400 500 600 500 500

Mangahohere 700

400 Stream 700 800 500 600 800 Hanamahihi Hut Stream

Hanamahihi

M 700

700 700 Stream 600

a Rerehape 400

t 500

500 Flats

Okarika Stream Stream a

400

a t

300

500 700 Mangaehu 600

Opurakau 700

a DAY 3 700

Stream (435m)

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Umukaka 300 600 200 300 500 Bridge

Swing START/

FINISH (769m)

500 300

500 Takapuakore Te

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Stream Stream 300 500

300 Tarakena Manatihono Stream 400 Te Tapuae Rapids Te Iwiroa (748m)

(655m)

400 Te Tawera Maru Maru

& SH38(11km) River Whakatane 300 400

To Ruatahuna Moawhara

500 500

Paripari 300

Tawhiwhl Stream

(541m) Ohaerena Flat

400 Whakaea Stream Okakara Manaotane Flat 500

Matengarau Stream 200

Kotukutuku Stream Rahakupenga

400 400 Hut Ngahiramai Hut Terangaaruanuku

Otaim 300

Flat 600

300 (642m) 500 oho Te Mania 500

Paepaeroa Whakatane River

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600 600 Stream 1 :125,000

ua Stream ua Bridge Swing

500 Materau 400 Manangaatiu 400 (522m) Takurua

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DAY 5 500 hi Stream hi 500

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500600

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(666m) Te Wharau 400 Bridge Swing

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500 400 Hut Junction Waikare 700 400

Kiekie DAY 4 Stream a Waterfall 300

700 Stream 400 4km 2miles 0 0

600 300

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800 300

Otengawata 500 Otemura 400 200

(487m)

800 900 (845m)

800 200 Whenua HutSite Old Waikare

600 300 300

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800 500 Otahuao 500 www.lonelyplanet.com (857m)

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900 600 600 700 800 700 bush andreaches of astand to theriver), through passes aterrace (donotdropbackdowncrosses valley. viewofimmense theupper Whakatane two-rest climb.Theonlyconsolationisan at theconfluence. Thisisaknee-bending, climb asthetrackascendsaroundbluff over theswingbridge youbeginavery steep Once misleading tracksigninNewZealand. www.lonelyplanet.com of atrack (left)tothe six-bunk Ohane (east) sidemarks thestart the true right often. and youwillprobably have tofordtheriver part of theWaikare agorge, runsthrough river This bed,crossingwhennecessary. hours) there isnotrack,sojustfollowthe upstream. For4.5km(about thefirst 1½ to the don’t crossthebridge –instead, descend the swingbridge attheconfluence, but be passable. willnotduring heavy rainsthissegment no all-weathertrackalongtheWaikare, and and crossingitnumeroustimes.There is day isspentfollowingtheWaikare River To complete theriver loop,mostof this 4½–5½ hours,16km Hut Takarua Hutto Junction Day 4:Waikare bunks) Hut it’sathree-hour walkto and bridged, andfromWaikare Junction the all-weathertrack.Thetrackiswellcut its confluencewithWaikare River, along Rivercontinue downtheWhakatane from just northof thenationalpark)should walk to Ruatoki North (thesmalltown Trampers wantingtomake thisathrough- 6 hours,18km ALTERNATIVE FINISH:RUATOKI NORTH road’s end,southof Ruatoki North. tacular by a sunset onaclearnight. byasunset tacular portion of theriver, more madeeven spec- can enjoyasuperbpanoramaof theupper above theriver bed.Fromitsveranda you confluence. utes toone hourtoreach thehutfrom 40min- bunks).Mostpeopleneed (eight The trackdropsquicklyfromthetop, An hourupthe river, asignposton From Waikare JunctionHut,return to The hutsitsonagrassyterrace, 50m

and thenanotherfourhours tothe Waikare River Waikare andbeginwalking Waikare Junction Hut Junction Waikare TE UREWERANATIONAL PARK Loop River ••Whakatane–Waikare Ohora Hut (22

terrace tothehut. track leaves thestream andclimbsagrassy it swingstotheotherside. Eventually the occasionally (east)bank,although right marked inafew places),mostlyonthetrue bunks) there isawell-worntrack(even for about 1km, untilitreaches thehigh Wharau ridge. Thetrackfollows theridge bringsyoutothe cresteventually of theTe for thenext2kmand The climbissteep the hutandimmediately climbs theridge. A cutandwell-marked trackbeginsbehind 4½–5 hours,16.5km Road Mataatua Hutto Day 5:Takarua dering stream thetrackveers off toavoid athun- Furtherup- the trackforashortdistance. gorge onlybydepartingfrom canbeseen a very narrowgorge alongthestream. The track appears andclimbssteeply toavoid upstream ontheopposite bank. Kumete Stream first, afew hundred metres easy tomiss.Trampers usuallynoticeTe (east)side,butis flows intothetrueright day. After 3kmpass Kiekie Stream, which onawarm dry –butit’snotunpleasant to thinkabouttryingkeep yourboots tramp involves fordingthestream toooften 3km, onlyshort paths here andthere. The tinuous trackupthestream forthefirst marking thestream’s mouth,butnocon- duringfloods).There(useful isasmallsign side, 50mdownstream fromaswingbridge the Waikare River onitstrueleft(west) the River. the excellenttroutfishing intheWaikare hut wasafavourite of anglers of because down inthemid-1990s.Theone-room old Waikare WhenuaHut,which burnt (east) sideof theWaikare, tothesite of the junction, youpassatrackonthetrueright begin fordingtheriver again. –before tags toby metal itisnecessary marked –andiseven distance occasionally Waikare. Thistrackcontinues forquite a find atrackalongthetrueleftsideof the river valleyopensupandit’spossibleto Hut (1½hours). After another1kmthe For thefinal2kmto Another 1kmupstream, anobvious The route toTakarua Hutswingsup About 1½hours (5km)pasttheOhane Motumuka Stream Motumuka waterfall . , which emptiesinto Takarua Hut Takarua (six

ISLAND CENTRAL NORTH CENTRAL CENTRAL NORTH ISLAND The forest parkwas formed in1984, anda theremaining nativefort topreserve bush. ing themwithfast-growing exotic species. practice of removing native trees andreplac- wasthe What mostirked conservationists government policy onmanagingtheforests. 1979, when groupschallenged conservation land becameaheated battlefieldin1978and 30,000 cumetres of native trees annually.The upto forest industryatWhirinaki,harvesting more than130peoplewere employedinthe began inthe1930s,andbymid-1970s their occupationremains. est of Whirinaki,andplenty of of evidence tribe,lived inharmonywiththefor-Tuhoe tory, theNgatiWhare, a From thebeginningof their recorded his- HISTORY forest’.the ‘dinosaur this reason Whirinakiisoften referred toas riod, more than150millionyears ago. For that blanketed GondwanaintheJurassicpe- totara matai, and miro, kahikatea) thatare similartotheforests (rimu, podocarps of ples majesty anddensityof itstrees. It hasexam- apart fromotherforest parksisthesheer forest-park Whirinaki system. What sets is thelatest additiontoNewZealand’s The 609-sq-kmWhirinaki Forest Park PARK WHIRINAKI FOREST at a very descent. steep point of 78 Ruatahuna –don’texpecttohitch Ruatahuna aride. 1½ totwohours ifyouhave towalkback three tofourhours totheroad,andanother reach theendof theaccessroad.Planon weather trackyoustarted outonuntilyou allow 2½tothree hours. considerably more soyoushould difficult, heading intheotherdirection thehike is Takarua HuttoTawhiwhi, but if you’re Tawhiwhi Hut.Itis1½totwohours from from thebushabove Taumapou Flat River,towards theWhakatane emerging The result of the bitter conflict wasanef- of logging Intense thearea’s native bush out The longtrackdown(2.5km)levels From Mangatawhero Stream Mangatawhero WHIRINAKIFORESTPARK ••History Tawhiwhi Hut Te Wharau (666m),where itbegins , backtrackalongtheall- andthenheadswest hapu hapu (clan) of the

and .rainforest-treks.co.nz) Whaeo Rivers. and fishing intheWhirinaki,Rangitaiki that thrives here is trout; there isgood and blueduck dangered falcon NewZealand pigeon New Zealand kaka, red- andyellow-crownedkakariki, bird population,includingNorthIsland interpretive displaysonpodocarpforests. the beginningof thetrack,alongwithafew there are sometree-identification signsat ing. Ifyoudon’tknowarimufrommiro, half of theWhirinakiTrackis trulyamaz- of age. Thesizeof thetrees alongthefirst have dated atmore been than1000years the parkare 500to700years old,andsome slow-growing species;manyof thetrees in rimu,miroandtawa.Podocarpsarematai, the forest are toweringkahikatea, totara, is itsuniquepodocarpforest. Dominating pointinthepark. the highest which at 1373m topsoff Maungataniwha, ruggedern halfissteep, greywacke country, rising from360mtoonly730m.Thesouth- tively low,itstree-covered hillsandgullies The northernhalfof theforest parkisrela- ENVIRONMENT Today, about88%of thetrees are native. year later of alllogging native trees ended. See Murupara ( See p69 ). TOWN ACCESS Guided Whirinaki Walks Guided Tramps Office Area DOC Rangitaiki Information Sources PLANNING Park’s climate (see p69 ). Whirinaki shares Te Urewera National CLIMATE intentions here. est park’stracks.Youcanalsoleave your maps, booksandbrochures aboutthefor- 1.8km southof huttickets, Murupara,sells Taupo, tents. andaccommodationinsafari ence includestransport fromRotoruaor Forest (adult/child $745/550).Theexperi- the remote Okahuvalleyof theWhirinaki The dense podocarpssupportadiverseThe dense The moststrikingfeature of Whirinaki (whio) offers athree-day trampin (kereru)

. Theotheranimal www.lonelyplanet.com

( ( % % 07-377 2363;www 07-366 1080;SH38) andtheen- (karearea) ,

www.lonelyplanet.com Central Whirinaki Hut Whirinaki Central Huts Walk). Waikaremoanatrack (andtheLake Great Whirinaki Recreation Area Terramap’s 1:50,000 Maps year-round. fords,anditcanbewalkedno difficult The trackisawide,well-cutpathwith When toTramp PLANNING (p81). Finishes Alternative Ways todothishave describedinthe been longeror six-dayloop,aneven tramp. trip canalsobeeasilyextended intoafour- ofget aglimpse thepodocarpforest. The trip of three hours, isan excellentwayto tramp thenthe Waterfall Loop, around- encounter trees of such sizeanddensity. where youwill few placesinNewZealand lenging above. of all,thisisoneof Best the naki, uptothewaterfall, butismore chal- very goodinthelowerreaches of theWhiri- southern endof thetrack. Trout fishing is Whirinaki Falls andthecaves nearthe Te thundering Whaiti-nui-a-toiCanyon, interesting such as tramp,withhighlights itisstillan tosee, come toNewZealand alpine andvolcanicfeatures manytrampers ing. WhileWhirinakilacksthedramatic themselves intobackcountrytramp- ease pers andoverseas travellers whowantto which isidealforfamilies,novice tram- This trackisasurprisinglyeasywalk, All other hutsintheWhirinaki Forest Park W IIAI TRACK WHIRINAKI it’s solevel itusesatunnelthroughhill. River;easy trampalongthescenicWhirinaki Summary Transport Nearest Town Finish Start/Finish Difficulty Track Standard Distance Duration If youdon’thave timeforanovernight 2 days easy Anall-weathertrackoffering an shuttle service River Rdcar park igni (right) Minginui Plateau Rdcarpark easy trampingtrack 25km

($10) Waikaremoana & is a Serviced hut. isaServiced covers this WHIRINAKI FORESTPARK Track ••Whirinaki your tramp, motel roomsandmeals. SH38 andoffers abackpacker lodge, basic dm/d $20/85) woods? after doyouneed alongwalkintheelse ice and‘pre-dinner refreshments’. What three gourmetmeals,aspa,laundryserv- nearby Te Whaitiispricey,butincludes SH38;s/d$280/410) 3952; www.hukitawa.co.nz; Mnaae Waterfall. Mangamate the WhirinakiRiver, overlooking beautiful You canpitch yourtent onthebanksof barbecues –butitslocationisexcellent. toiletsandacoupleofis basic–tables, the carpark. popular Waterfall Loopday walk beginsat theMinginui. Hitching ispossible because two-hour walk along River Rdfrom is picked upwestof thevillage. It’sa1½-to Minginui, neartheendof River Rd,which The northernendof thetrackis7kmfrom TO/FROM THETRAMP GETTING vehicle orhitching theonlyoptions. ofthe start MinginuiRd,makingaprivate Rotorua andWairoathatcandrop youat to Minginui,which is8kmaway. town.Turnsouthalongtheroadsawmill SH38 toTe Whaitijunction,site of aformer From Murupara,headeastfor18kmon THERE&AWAYGETTING Holidays Forest Whirinaki SLEEPING &EATING on anythingessential. there isnoplaceinMinginuitostockup bring yourownsuppliesalongwithyou,as to alongMinginuiRd.Youwillneed stay thereMinginui itself, are someplacesto there isnoaccommodationtobefoundin the beginningof thetrack.Although of MinginuiRd,onlyaround7kmfrom townisneartheendThis formersawmill % Minginui TOWN NEAREST cooking facilities. are ($5);theyare Standard basic,withno $6) For apampered before night orafter Mangamate Waterfall campsite Waterfall Mangamate There is no longer a bus service between There isno longer abusservice is south of town. This DOC facility issouthof town.This DOC 07 is 1kmalongMinginuiRdfrom Hukitawa CountryRetreat Hukitawa

( % 366 3235;Farm Rd;

(Minginui Rd; (Minginui

( %

366 79

ISLAND CENTRAL NORTH CENTRAL CENTRAL NORTH ISLAND Wiiai Track Whirinaki 80 it is$110 fortwopeople. southern end.Withoutyour ownvehicle Minginui andthen picked upatthetrack’s park fromtheForest Holidays office near vehicle tobedropped off atRiver Rdcar If youhave it’s$50per yourownwheels, offers trampers transport andcarstorage. Saddle Hut To Matakuhia Road To Pukeroa

Plateau Rd 800 Car Park

Whirinaki Track

Whirinaki Forest Holidays Forest Whirinaki 100 Te Kohu Stream WHIRINAKIFORESTPARK Track ••Whirinaki

Swing Bridge 800

900 FINISH 900 0 Tehi Te

0 700

600

700

700 900 900 900 Otaika Stream Otaika

Caves 700

Waiatiu 900

Pukanuhui 800

90 Stream 0 900

Footbridge

Hut 800 700 800 600 700

Whirinaki Pukehinau

600

Stream

(678m) Tunnel 900 River 700

Whirinaki Hut Central 600

DAY 2 Footbridge

Whirinaki Footbridge

600 800 River 700

Rata Rd Arahaki Lagoon

600 u

800 Stream Kakanui

h Camp Vern's

700 700 n

Taumutu Stream Taumutu

i Hut Whirinaki Upper 600 R

e To Minginui

900 T r

a Footbridge c k 900 Whirinaki

(7km)

800 Mangamate 800 600

Okarea 1100 800 700 (451m) Falls Hukitawa Country Hukitawa Te Whaiti-nui-a-

700

1000 Kakaiti St 11

( 900 00 toi Canyon Alternative %

600 Hut

Finish W 11 00 a Loo Car Park 600 Mangamate terfall Road River

07-366 3235) p T

rea Upper 600 Stream rail

1000 100 m 700

900 (1049m) 0 1100 F ORESTPAK

START FINISH (Alt) W HIRNAK

(1240m) 500 Footbridge Upper Te

Hoe Hut 1000 1000 1000

Te Hoe River Hoe Te 1000

900 700

1000 900 1100

Otamaariki

1000

900 Stream

800 800 Hut Moerangi

900 (1051m) Moerangi

700 900 onto Low Level Rdand followitfor27km,onto Low Level south of FromSH5,turn north Iwitahi. from SH5(Napier–Taupo Rd), 2.5km either byforest roadsfrom Minginuior end of Plateau Rd, which is accessible Retreat also provide trampertransport

900 900 Tarapounamu

800 100m ContourInterval

1000

Alternative Finish

800 The southernendof thetrackisat 00 (936m)

Alternative 1000

900 Moerangi 1000 1 :155,000

Finish 900 Minginui

900

900 Whakaturangarakau

900 Tuwatawata

0 900 800 ( 1000 900 (1134m)

% 1000

700

100

(1050m) Stream

800 900 800 07-366 3952; www.hukitawa.co.nz) 07-366 3952;www.hukitawa.co.nz)

900 0 900 700 800 700 800 1000 800 1000 1000 700

900 4km 2miles 6000 0 Te HoeHut Central 900 800

700 700 Stream 900 800

800

700 800 700 700 800

Hut Mangakahika 800 1000 1200 800

600 700 900 1100

www.lonelyplanet.com 800

900 1200 800 700

1100 700 Pourewa

1200 N ATIOLPRK

(955m) 900 1300 900 800

700 T EURWA 1000 700 700 1100 800 Maungataniwha

900 Hut (Te Wairoa) Rogers 900 Okahu Hut (1025m)

To Mid Mangakahika Stream Koheke 1000

. (1373m)

800 900 1300 900 1000

(Skips) Hut Whangatawhia

1100 1100 800 600

700

800

600

900

800

1000 800 will

900 1000

800

900 900 900 1000 600 800 900 900 800 700 1000 ever, thatthelargestever, trout will befound intrigue any angler(keep inmind, how- poolsthatwill deep Along thewayit passes just above theriver twohours. for nearly ‘Whirinaki Track’. intersection andfollowthesignsfor atthesignposted7km, thenturnright Continueforanotheryou toturnright. for WhirinakiForest Park Southdirects until itintersects withArterial Rd.Asign www.lonelyplanet.com track to Mangamate Hut(2½hours, 4.5km). asignposted junctionto and thenpasses UpperMangamatethe trackcrosses Stream (five hours, 13km).Inanother30minutes Hut a junctionwiththetracktoMoerangi the rest of theday. bankofthe trueright the Canyon Whaiti-nui-a-toi descends toabridge over theimpressive turn trackof theWaterfall Loopandthen river. alongthe ofsteepness thebanksandbluffs consideringthe the hutissurprisinglylevel, shows walkingtimes.Theentire route to car parkandamapof theforest parkhere ofThe start thetrackissignposted atthe 5 hours,16km Hut Whirinaki ParktoCentral RoadCar Day 1:River THE TRAMP arrives atthesignposted camp site ontheedge of theriver and descents of anoticeable theday,passes other 1.5kmthetrackmakes oneof thefew and makes anexcellentcampsite. Inan- grassy spotisabout 8kmfromthecarpark you reach the junctionwithWhirinakiFalls track above bluffs the steep it.About 3kmfrom remains in view of theriver, often sidling the main track. off sidetrail few anunofficial minutes yousee head downtheWaterfall Loop.Withina of thefallsyouhave tocrossthebridge and infront angles.To positionyourself several impressive thatcanbeviewedfrom sight drops 8mintoalarge poolintheriver, an is wellworthwhile. Thecascadingwater Once over thestream thetrack stays From here toaside it’sa shortdistance Thirty minutes fromthecarparkyoupass there-In lessthan1kmthetrackpasses Return totheWhirinakiTrack,which Whirinaki Falls Whirinaki Vern’s Camp . Fromhere youfollow . Thefive-minute walk . Thissignposted, Kakanui Stream Kakanui Whirinaki River River Whirinaki . for Te Te WHIRINAKI FORESTPARK Track ••Whirinaki main track or1½hours fromthecaves. naki Hut (ninebunks),20 minutes fromthe side ofright theriver, leadstoUpperWhiri- dozen times.Atrack, signposted onthetrue River for anotherhour,fordingitperhaps a continue southeastalongtheWhirinaki From theswingbridge (northof thecaves) 3 days MANGAMATE STREAM ALTERNATIVE FINISH:MINGINUIVIAUPPER car parkattheendof Plateau Rd. the river andthenheadssouthwesttothe take atorch. WhirinakiHutifyou cursion fromCentral ex- is wideandit’saneasynight-time it ispossibletosee glow-worms. Thetrack The huge cavern isinteresting andatnight river –itwillquicklyleadtothemaincave. scured trackthatcontinuesalongthe begins toascend,lookforapartiallyob- track forabout 70m.Whenthemaintrack you’ve thebridge andfollowthe crossed the river. should continuealongtheeastern bankof theAlternative Finishes, Hut(see Hoe p82 ) ing forUpperWhirinakiHutorTe thecaves;teau Rd,ortosee trampers head- the swingbridge toreach theendof Pla- from theeastern sideof thebridge. Cross bridge acrossWhirinakiRiver. An hourfromthehutyoureach aswing before thetrackdescendsbacktoriver. the stream there isalongbutgradualascent Upper WhirinakiHut(1½hours). From mutu Stream the river, andin30minutes arrives at The trampresumes above alongthebluffs points thewaytotrackheadingsouth. A dated directional signnexttothehut 2½–3 hours,9km Park RoadCar Plateau Hutto Whirinaki Day 2:Central herewarden isstationed insummer. small, grassyclearingneartheriver. Ahut tunnel ashortandunusual through track passes minutes WhirinakiHutthe before Central very littleclimbingatthispoint.About 20 back before WhirinakiFalls). There is The maintrackclimbstheridge above To reach the A major trackjunction iswellsignposted Hut Whirinaki Central . andajunctionwithtrackto caves caves (25bunks)isina , turnsouthonce

Tau-

ISLAND CENTRAL NORTH CENTRAL CENTRAL NORTH ISLAND Whirinaki Track. backtracking alongthenorthernendof the out totheRiver Rdcarpark,thefinalhour Hut three hours over to alowsaddle the confluenceof thetwostreams, andthen Whirinaki Hut,itis3.3km(onehour)to butnotcutandbridged.tags, FromUpper track,markedis asecondary with metal the waytowardsMangamate Hut.This with Kakaiti Stream. Here asignpoints low the Taumutu Stream toitsconfluence departs fromitsnorthwestern cornertofol- of theroof’ for theNorthIsland. and Ngauruhoe Tongariro –formthe‘top Three ofvolcanoes. them– Mts Ruapehu, and culturalgrounds. Heritage it’scited onbothnatural status; earned Tongariroanunusualdual World canic walkingregion totrampers. Thishas homeland totheMaori, andabeautifulvol- Tongariro. The parkisasacred, ancestral national-parksystem, is of NewZealand’s The heartof theNorth Island, andthe heart NATIONAL PARK TONGARIRO along theridge trackto tral WhirinakiHut. Ridge Track,andtakes sixhours fromCen- a challenging trampalongthe Pukahunui ing to junction toUpperWhirinakiHutandhik- longerAn even trampinvolves passingthe 5–6 days PUKAHUNUI RIDGE ALTERNATIVE FINISH:MINGINUIVIA 82 Track. more demandingthantheWhirinaki Whirinaki Track.Thisoptionismuch the final20minutes of which isonthe 5½-hour return totheRiver Rdcarpark, walk to rustic butcharming hutbuiltinthe1950s. tramp to (15 bunks),followedbyanotherfive-hour The nextdayitisathree-hour tramp The hutisonagrassyflat,andtrack The park’strademark features are itsactive The nextdayinvolves afive-hour tramp The tripendswithaneasythree-hour TONGARIRONATIONAL PARK ••History (ninebunks). Upper Te HoeHut Moerangi Hut Moerangi Rogers (Te Wairoa)Hut Rogers (Te (ninebunks),thena (ninebunks).Thisis Central TeCentral HoeHut (sixbunks),a Mangamate Mangamate

standing naturalfeatures.standing to payforthechance toexperienceitsout- most trampers considerthisasmallprice the parkcanbeoverwhelming attimes, of visitors of andthecommercialisation Whakapapa Village. thenumber Although spend theirholidaysdayhikingaround climb tothecrater of Ruapehu,ortojust people arrive each summertotramp, Many cometoski,butmore than250,000 more thanonemillionvisitors each year. withlar nationalparkinNewZealand, activities makes Tongarirothemostpopu- the NorthIsland. Tongariro thebestalpinetrampingarea in of vegetation byeruptions–which makes tussockorareas lead through leftdevoid of tracksanddaywalks.Mostof thetracks variousskifieldsandanetwork golf course, known simplyastheGrandChateau), a Chateau Tongariro(also famous Bayview for recreational the Theparkcontains use. park’s 795sqkmhave welldeveloped been and northernmostof thethree peaks. Tongariro (1967m)isthelowestinheight the mostactive volcanoonthemainland. symmetrical coneof (2291m), Ngauruhoe lington. Northeastof Ruapehu isthealmost are the only legitimate skiarea northof Wel- intheNorthIslandanditssnowfields tain that attractmostof theattention. themselves, however, is thethree volcanoes boiling mudpools,fumarolesandcraters. It is responsible for Tongariro’s hotsprings, Island. Thevolcanicnature of theregion Rotorua, tofinallyreach Whakaari(White) the heartof theNorthIsland,pastTaupo and canic chain thatextends northwestthrough snowstorm. It was something the high priest snowstorm. Itwassomething thehigh inthemiddle offound himself a raging land but,uponreaching thetop,suddenly people. He toview the climbed Ngauruhoe south toclaimthe volcanicplateau forhis arrived of intheBay Plentyandtravelled the Ngati Tuwharetoa tribeof Taupo, Lake believed priestofNgatoro-i-rangi, high vent anybodyfromclimbing them.They were To theMaori of the volcanoes Tongariro HISTORY The varietyof sceneryandrecreational in1887,theSince itsestablishment moun- Ruapehu, at2797m,isthehighest Tongariro isthesouthernendof avol- tapu (sacred) topre- andtheysought www.lonelyplanet.com would ensure pres- the land’severlasting grassland forgrazing. Pakeha, whowere eyeingthearea’s tussock but Horonukuwas equallyworriedabout Maori fromdividing upthesacred land, Tongariro!’ mountain mine. Lookyonder. myfire, my Behold notexist.NowIshall showit does you fire, your ing forthelandandasked: ‘Where isyour he turnedtotherivalchiefs whowere long- court toleave thearea Atonepoint, intact. the ownership of landaroundTaupo. the CourtmettodetermineNative Land uted. inTaupo, In1886, ataschoolhouse to theCrownwanted thearea redistrib- aided therebel Te tribesloyal Kooti,those chief Horonuku Te Heuheu TukinoIV Wars), duringwhich NgatiTuwharetoa land. After the Wars (Land New Zealand keep otherMaori tribesfromclaimingthe Crater Lake. to scaleRuapehu and see and JP Maxwell becamethefirst Europeans their discontent. In1879 George Beetham and thenhidfromhisMaori guidestoavoid Grey ascendedoneof thevolcano’speaks fell toaclimber’spassionwhenSirGeorge sacred in1851,Ruapehu grounds.However, successful inkeeping intruders fromits scale Ngauruhoe. and explorer, becamethefirst Pakeha to the area. In1839John Bidwill,abotanist peans were alsodiscouraged fromvisiting but were forbiddentogoanyfurther. Euro- travelled to Ketetahi Hot Springs tobathe, sacred toMaoribeen since. ever Theyoften his people. Then heclaimedthesurroundinglandfor body intogive hisprayermore strength. theto thenewlyformedcrater andtossed female slave thenclimbed namedAuruhoe, priestslewaNgatoro-i-rangi. Thehigh andTongariro,thussavingNgauruhoe the NorthIsland,creating thecraters of from theearth.Itburst fromthroughout warmth. priestess sisters him inthenorthtosend experiencedandhecriedoutto had never www.lonelyplanet.com The chief saw only onesolution thatThe chief saw The forcefulnessof dissuaded hisspeech Horonuku pleadedpassionately withthe The NgatiTuwharetoa clancouldnot For thenext12years thelocaltribewas especiallyTongariro,haveThe volcanoes, The sisters responded fire bysending ahi ka ? Youcannotshowmefor TONGARIRO NATIONAL PARK ••Environment including arailwaybridge. Moments later a inits path, everything taking mountainside, water flow,calleda lahar, sweptdownthe Anenormous volcanicmudandlapsed. ofthat heldbackasection Crater col- Lake on ChristmasEve 1953,whenanicewall 1969 and1973,butitsworst was disaster as Wellington.Ruapehurumbled againin huge darkcloudsofsending ashasfaraway year, spreading lava over Crater and Lake March 1945andcontinued foralmosta disgorged sixmillioncubicmetres of lava. a 1954eruptionthatlasted 11months and erupted nineyears, atleastevery including 2500 years ago. had Until1975Ngauruhoe eruptions are tohave thought occurred below theirpresent snouts. to below1300m,leaving polishedrockfar one time,glaciers extended downRuapehu cial action,especiallyinthelastIceAge. At shaped byamixture of eruptionsandgla- years old,andare stillactive. Theywere apehu andTongariroare lessthan300,000 arevolcanoes relatively young.BothRu- speaking,theTongariroGeologically ENVIRONMENT one millionvisitors ayear. reached 400,000;todaythenumbertops 1970s annualvisitornumbers toTongariro tracks cutandmore hutsbuilt.Bytheearly in the1950sand1960sasroadswere sealed, Ngauruhoe. were built at Mangatepopo forskiers on of thepark,andby1918atrackhut number of touriststothewestern side alarge brought Hot Springs.Therailroad a trackleadingtothemandKetetahi were hutsatWaihohonu, intheeast,with reached theregion in1909.Bythenthere opment wasslow.Themaintrunkrailroad National Park in1887,butthepark’sdevel- paddock. another sheep in itspricelessbeautyandheritage, notas chief realised thatTongariro’svaluelay credible visionforamanof histime,the and onlythefourthinworld.Within- a nationalpark,thefirst inNewZealand the area of totheCrownforpurpose 1887,Horonukupresented23 September Court,on theNative Before Land ervation. One eruptiononRuapehu beganin younger. iseven Ngauruhoe Itsfirst ofDevelopment theparkmushroomed An actof parliamentcreated Tongariro

ISLAND CENTRAL NORTH CENTRAL CENTRAL NORTH ISLAND less than 2mbelowtheold lake outlet. refilling has been Lake and, asof 2006,was duce theimpactof theexpected lahar. Crater place contingency plansandstructures tore- ally monitoringthe lake andhave level putin andotheragencies have continu- DOC been alahardowntheWhangaehu River.sending whenthelakecollapse hasfilledupbehind it, across theoldoutlet,which willeventually dam The volcanicdebrisformeda7m-high further eruptionsin1996emptied itagain. popular destinationforclimbers. volcanic activityemptiedCrater a Lake, spared from thedestructive lahars butthe eruption.Theskirunswerespectacular ted massive cloudsof ashandsteam ina worst accidents. 151 people;itwasoneof NewZealand’s crowded trainplunged intotheriver, killing 84 The lake immediately beganrefilling, but In 1995Ruapehu sprayedrock,andemit- TONGARIRONATIONAL PARK ••Climate Rd more thanfive or10minutes before yourbusdoes. be behindthattidalwave ofhumanity mostoftheday.There isnoreason toarrive atKetetahi water supply. isoften inshort Huts.available betweenMangatepopo andKetetahi Even atthehuts,whichrely onrainwater, plentyofwater, Youalsoneedtotake asthere becausehehadnorainjacket. a blanket isnone their stayinNewZealand. Ioncesawatramperdressed injeans,tennis shoesandwrapped in improperly equippedsomepeopleare, becauseformanythisistheonlytrampthey’lldoduring fitness tocomplete it,andmustbeprepared foralltypesofweather. how Still,it’sshocking along theridgeofRedCrater, thehighpointoftrek at1886m. theroute.pole marking Ifthere crawling isastrongwindblowingontop,you’llbepractically be –thenthetrampislittlemore thanasteep climbanddescent.You’llseelittlebutthenext drinks andsandwiches. Rdthatvendors willbesetupin thecarparksellinghottrampers waitingforabusatKetetahi easily bemore than1000peoplestrungoutbetweenthetworoadends. There are somany crowded timesonthetrackare thefirstnicedaysafter ChristmasandEaster, whenthere can annually, compared Circuit.The withonly7000whowalktheentire most TongariroNorthern popo Rddailyduringsummer. DOCestimates more than25,000tramperscomplete thewalk religious toMangate- walkers pilgrimageinIndia. Ahalf-dozen companiestransport shuttle-bus see Day2, p89 ). Rd,whereto theendofKetetahi afleetofbuseswhiskstrampersaway(forfulldescription prehistoricflows thatlooklike rockgardens. Youendtheseven- toeight-hour trampdescending Tongariro, andthenpassessuchvolcanicwondersas Red Crater, Emerald andoldlavaLakes Mangatepopo Rd.The trampbegins witha climb tothesaddlebetweenMtsNgauruhoeand New Zealand’s mostpopulartrampofanylength. The Milford Track maybe‘theworld’sfinestwalk’,buttheTongariroCrossingisfastbecoming THE TONGARIROCROSSING If youdoarrive withhordesofothersatMangatepopo Rd, wait15to20minutes andyou’ll toremember thisisanalpinecrossing.It’s alsoimportant Youneedareasonable level of The inclearweather,butifit’scloudyandmisty–asitoften Crossingisspectacular can In placessuchasTaupo, Turangi andNationalPark, the‘Crossing’hasreached thestatusofa The TongariroCrossingisa17kmwalkinNationalPark, attheendof whichstarts Jim DuFresne pumice and destroyedall vegetation. which coated theland withthickdeposits of the Taupo eruptionabout 2000years ago, years of volcanic eruptions,butespecially This uniquearea istheresult of twomillion andash,withsmallclumps ofsand tussock. gipo isabarren landscapeof dark,reddish nestles intherainshadowof Ruapehu.Ran- wherethe mountains, the Desert Rangipo Average annualprecipitation is2743mm. lage, rainfallsanaverage of 191daysayear. gale forceontheridges. At Whakapapa Vil- The winds,usuallyfromthewest,canreach ofon thepeaksaslate asthestart summer. weather, withheavy snow rainandeven experiencesuddenperiodsofcanoes bad terns. Thewestern slopesof allthree vol- it hasitsownunpredictable weatherpat- mostof Tongariroismountainous, Because CLIMATE It isusuallydrierontheeastern sideof www.lonelyplanet.com leave yourtrampingintentions. providing thelatestweatherforecasts. It’sagoodplaceto mapsandbooks, and OhuangaRd,sellinghuttickets, [email protected]; Turanga ofSH1 Pl)Nearthejunction Fruit Market Fruit Market Circuit Whakapapa Northern Walks,TheTongariro centres, including DOC (Ohakune) T19 series: by fourmapsinthe1:50,000Topomap260 ing at1:50,000.Tongariroisalsocovered Ruapehu summitandtheTongariroCross- map 273-04 gariro NationalPark isthe1:80,000Park- The bestmapforplanningatrampatTon- &Brochures Maps PLANNING www.lonelyplanet.com Turangi Cabins &Holiday ParkTurangi Cabins SLEEPING &EATING the nearest townstothepark. in National Park and Whakapapa Village, you are limited inwhat youcanpurchase ing equipmentandsuppliesinTurangi,as tramp- It’s besttopickupanynecessary SUPPLIES &EQUIPMENT agentforInterCitybuses. and isabooking fishinglicences The centre also sellshuttickets, activities. national parkandlotsofinformationonthearea’s many justoffSH1,thishas adetailedmodelofthe ping Mall, [email protected]) Shop- Turangi visitorinformationcentre DOC Tongariro/Taupo Conservancy INFORMATION Park, particularlytheTongariroCrossing. the northerntracksof TongariroNational fishing, butitisalsoamajor accesspointto of Taupo. Lake Itsmainattractionistrout Taupo’s smallercousinisatthe southern end % Turangi TOWN ACCESS World Supermarket food. Alsoinfoundthemall are tramping gear, clothingandfreeze-dried SH1; vegetables. tion of bulkfood,includingdriedfruitand .turangicabins.co.nz; OhuangaRd;sites for2$20, Several brochuresSeveral are available from Sporting Life Sporting 07 /pop3900 h 7.30am-5.30pm Mon-Sat,9.30am-5pmSun) and andS19 (Tongariro) ( The Tongariro CrossingThe Tongariro % (Tongariro)

( % 386 8561)

386 8996;Turangi ShoppingMall, ( % (Raurimu) 386 8780) , T20 , withagoodselec- , which showsMt

Turangi Walks, ( % (Ruapehu) ( ( and % % . 386 8754; TONGARIRO NATIONAL PARK Circuit Northern ••Tongariro 386 8999; 386 8607; . Morar’s

, S20 has www New cnr Ohuanga Rd & Ngawaka Pl) cnr OhuangaRd&Ngawaka i Pl;dm$20-21,s/d$43/58; backpackers.co.nz; 26Ngawaka and quiche, and struction workers –henceallthecabins. asquarters forapowerstation’s con- served 25 OhuangaRd;campsitefor2$10,dm/d$19/46; Mon-Fri, 9am-2.30pmSat) Mon-Fri, number of goodreasons. Theroute canbe this trackisaGreatruhoe, Walk fora itonlycircumnavigatesAlthough Ngau- has aTaupo–Turangi run($18,onehour). stop at InterCity and AlpineScenicTours buses THERE&AWAYGETTING cabins $36) Alpine Smokehaus near theTurangiShopping Mall, including brewery, andspa. sauna a huge complexwitharestaurant, micro- Scenic Tours hours) andAuckland($59,sixhours). torua ($39,twohours), Wellington($62,five indoor climbingwall. lounge,a pleasant innercourtyardandan for theTongariroCrossing($25). lounge andkitchen, anditsowntransport small andfriendlyplacewithaspacious Pl;campsitefor2$12,dm/d$20/46) 6 Rangipoia 1503; www.inntercitycoach.co.nz) 8.30pm Wed-Sun) T NAIO NRHR CIRCUIT NORTHERN TONGARIRO unique craters andvolcanicformations. walkinthecountry,passing the bestone-day ItincludestheTongariroCrossing, follow track. andeasy-to- Ngauruhoe onawell-marked Circuitwindsitswayaround Northern Mt Summary Transport Whakapapa Nearest Towns Start/Finish Difficulty Track Standard Distance Village Duration (p87) Extreme Backpackers Extreme There are ahandfulof placestoeatinor Bellbird Lodge Club Habitat ) isanexcellentandspaciouslodge, with Turangi Bus & Travel Centre Turangi Bus&Travel , nearthecentre of town,once 4 days moderate

A spectacular alpinetramp, the Aspectacular bus ( % Whakapapa Village (p87) Whakapapa , a good Italian restaurant., agoodItalian

( 378 7412; www.alpinescenictours.co.nz) 378 7412;www.alpinescenictours.co.nz) % NationalPark ( p86 ),

(

Valentino’s % ( Great Walk 50km 386 7492;[email protected]; % for good coffee, salads for goodcoffee, salads 386 8281;www.bellbird.co.nz;

( 386 0235; % . 386 8949;www.extreme has buses toRo- has buses InterCity ( % h 386 8821;

( %

8.30am-5pm ( % 386 8918; 386 8918; i Alpine Alpine 09-623 isa h

) 85

is 6-

ISLAND CENTRAL NORTH CENTRAL CENTRAL NORTH ISLAND (huts adult/child$20/10,campsites $15/7.50) From October toJunea Huts (Tongariro) track. The1:50,000Topomap260-T19 (Tongariro) The excellent1:80,000Parkmap 273-04 Maps ence, aniceaxe andcrampons. alpine adventure, requiring alpineexperi- weather islesssevere. Inwinter itisafull tracks are normallyclearof snowandthe the circuitisDecembertoMarch, whenthe The safest andmostpopulartime totramp When toTramp PLANNING around Ruapehuonly. (p95); this four- tosix-daytrampisalonger Track route Round-the-Mountain arate papa village. and Waihohonu Huts,endingatWhaka- to athree-day atKetetahi tramp,withstays tramp’s mostdramaticday.Thisreduces it Rd toensure theyhave goodweatherforthe manytrampersever, beginat Mangatepopo the park’svisitorinformationcentre. How- the trampis Whakapapa Village, thesite of Area. being designated aUnescoWorldHeritage volcanic areas thathave resulted inthepark andcolourful includes themostspectacular ness andtrampingexperience. within theabilityof peopleof mediumfit- marked puttingit andwellmaintained, some moderate climbing,thetrackiswell thereby publictransport.Although is Rd, which are allconnected toTurangi papa Village, Mangatepopo RdorKetetahi easily walked infourdaysfromWhaka- 86 wardens. Local DOC and visitor wardens. LocalDOC information avoid the premium rates charged byhut inadvanceto thepasses best toobtain a water supplyandtoilet facilities.It’s have mattresses, gasheating, gasstoves, neareachestablished of thehuts. Thehuts sites haveon thecircuit.Camp been popo, Ketetahi, Oturere andWaihohonu) is required forthefourhuts(Mangate- also cover thetrack. Don’t confuse thiscircuitwiththesep- Don’t confuse andfinish The traditionalplacetostart But, mostof all,theNorthernCircuit TONGARIRONATIONAL PARK Circuit Northern ••Tongariro and260-T20 ismore than adequate forthis (Ruapehu) Great Walkspass Great maps

.co.nz; Finlay St;dm$21-26,d$52-56; h Overlander one hour)viaWhakapapa Village. TurangiandNationalParkbetween ($18, .co.nz) 1503; www.intercitycoach.co.nz) is at night, lounge andlarge kitchen. rooms, aspa another excellentplacewithavarietyof cery suppliesatthe Backpackers. limited Youcanpurchase gro- National Park Backpackers SLEEPING &EATING BusinessAssociation Park Village centre here, butthewebsite of the the winter. There isnovisitorinformation trampersoff inthesummerandskiers in Whakapapa Village. NationalPark feeds ofsection SH4andSH47,is15kmfrom isontheinter-This smallsettlement % National Park TOWNS&FACILITIESNEAREST andcampingis$5. per night, backpacker lodges. centres Great asdosome sell Walkspasses, There are daily THERE&AWAYGETTING ( .co.nz; 11-13CarrollSt;dm$20-22,s/d$50/60; your tramp. youhaveing wall–incase energy leftafter lounge, anindoorclimb- andeven spa, TV facility, withgreat viewsof a thevolcanoes, Scenic Tours side SkiHaus, tickets. which sells arrivehours). Thebuses and departout- south toPalmerston North($32,four Hamilton ($38,three hours), andalso north toAuckland($56,five hours) via and restaurant. with asunken fireplace, aswellabar Alpine-styleloungespa andadelightful, .co.nz) Carroll & McKenzie Sts;dm$18-20,d$50) Carroll &McKenzie % Another option istocatch atrain,as some A goodplacetoeat,which alsohops The five otherhutsintheparkcost$10 Ski Haus Ski Howard’s Lodge noon-9.30pm) 07 892 2879;cnrSH4&SH47; hasdailyshuttles makingareturn trip isvery useful.

services between between services Auckland and

Schnapps Bar ( % ( , %

and asauna next doortoNationalPark 892 2854; www.skihaus.co.nz; cnr892 2854;www.skihaus.co.nz;

378 7412;www.alpinescenictours ( InterCity InterCity % 892 2827;www.howardslodge BP NationalPark Station

www.lonelyplanet.com h (

% buses which buses go ( % ( % 7.30am-7pm) , a comfortable , acomfortable 892 2870;www.npbp i

892 2788;Finlay St; (www.nationalpark 378 9032,09-623 ) is apopular alsohasa National i . Alpine ) is

.chateau.co.nz; SH48;d$180-280; www.skotel.com; NgauruhoePl;dm$30,d$70-120; 2827) Mangatepopo Rd ($25). papa Village ($10) before for heading off 7am and7.45am, andheadsuptoWhaka- % Village Whakapapa are soldatSkiHaus. Wellington stopatNationalPark. Tickets www.lonelyplanet.com 3716) Alpine ScenicTours THERE&AWAYGETTING dm/d $22/69,cabins$46) SH48;sitesfor2$28, [email protected]; The SLEEPING &EATING Centre papa Visitor andfinish ofstart thetramp. This smallresort village isthetraditional coffee andsandwiches. coffee and asmallstore withlimited groceries, communal kitchen, laundry,dryingroom the WhakapapaVisitorCentre. Ithasa campingground150mfrommaintained and extended forecast are posted daily. park’s geological history.Aweatherreport as interesting exhibitsand displaysonthe track brochures aswell andbooks forsale, Cafe has fourrestaurants, twobars andacinema. known hotels. Recentlyrefurbished, thehotel best- 1929 andisnowoneof NewZealand’s outdoors. restaurant, andtwospas,indoors sauna and amenities includeluggage storage, abar, behind theGrandChateau. Themany is acosyhotel witharelaxing ambience espresso, meals. andlight sandwiches ing dayhikers. primarilytheTongariroCross- Rd, serving papa Village, Mangatepopo Rd andKetetahi tional Park offer bus transporttoWhaka- Village (fromTurangi/Taupo $30/35). Rd,Mangatepopotahi RdandWhakapapa Turangi at7am,andcontinuesontoKete- that departsTaupo at6.30am,stopsin scenictours.co.nz) Skotel AlpineResort Skotel Along withatavern, there is Grand Chateau Many of thelodges andhostels inNa- 07

departsNational Park Backpackers at ( also runs atrampertransport bus % Whakapapa HolidayPark Whakapapa 378 7412;SH48; operates a daily shuttle service operates a dailyshuttle service Tongariro TrackTransport Tongariro

( %

isapopularandwell- ( % 0800-242 832,8923809;www

h ( ( % % 892 3729) Howard’s Lodge 7am-3.30pm; is 378 7412;www.alpine 0800-756 835,8923719;

) was built in wasbuiltin hasmaps, ( TONGARIRO NATIONAL PARK Circuit Northern ••Tongariro % DOC Whaka- Fergusson’s i 892 3897;

( ( ) % % , with . i 892 892 892 892 )

Mangawhero Campground Mangawhero headingtoWhakapapaVillage.turn-off the SH46route linkingSH1toSH47. road,SH47–thelocalsnolonger saddle use theshorter coming southfromTurangi,use Ifyou’re isusuallylight. traffic easy because $4/2) .tongariroexpeditions.com). heading uptoRuapehu. adult/child $4/2) rained, but nowmanyare bridged. parts of thetrack,making itsloppywhen it streams. Inthepaststreams haderoded tussockandmanysmall northeast through tothe and eventually Tama Lakes. tion withatrackthatleadsto Taranaki Falls, Wairere Stream asignposted junc- itpasses and afew of stands for1.5km.At beech track thatwanders tussock grass through tramp beginshere, alongawell-maintained posted Mangatepopo Trackonyourleft. The Pltothesign- headupNgauruhoe Centre, walk thanitoncewas. and bridges, makingitaconsiderably easier has upgradeditwithadditionalplanking has notchanged butthetrackhas.DOC esting andextremely muddy.Thescenery Track hadareputation forbeinguninter- inthepast, cuit because, Mangatepopo Many trampers skipthisfirst dayof thecir- 3–5 hours,8.5km Hut Mangatepopo to Village Day 1:Whakapapa THE TRAMP Tours including of such busservices, there were more thanadozenoperators or Mangatepopo Rds($20).Atlastcount is transporttotheendof either Ketetahi another optionfromTaupo andTurangi inWhakapapa, If youdon’twanttostart TO/FROMTHETRAMP GETTING toilets. in thepark,bothwithcoldwater andpit There campinggrounds are twobasicDOC NationalPark Tongariro popo Rd between 7amand9am. popo Rdbetween the morningsotheycanarrive atMangate- and Hitching toWhakapapa Village isnever Mangatepopo Track(leftfork)heads From 100mbelowtheWhakapapaVisitor is between NationalPark isbetween andtheSH48 Tongariro Expeditions Tongariro

( % Mangahuia Campground Mangahuia 07-378 7412;www.alpinescenictours.co.nz) is nearOhakune,ontheroad Mostdepartearlyin

(Ohakune MountainRd; (Ohakune ( % 07-377 0435;www

(SH47; adult/child Alpine Scenic 87

ISLAND CENTRAL NORTH CENTRAL CENTRAL NORTH ISLAND

Hut ridge fromwhich youcansee swings eastward,andyouquicklyclimba After afew more stream crossingsthetrack scoria coneof Pukeonake ahead. straight and Pukekaikiore tothenortheast,and views of thevolcanicconesof Ngauruhoe Circuit Tongariro Northern 88 Whakapapa 900 1000m Tongariro NorthernCircuit Park (14km) To National Within 3kmof are thestart impressive TONGARIRONATIONAL PARK Circuit Northern ••Tongariro 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000 SH48 (23bunks),2kminthedistance. Falls Punaruku Village 800

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1300 marking the trackswing north andfollow and Kaimanawa totheeast. Thepoles Range Oturereand atthetopyou cansee valley poled route –resumes climbingtheridge, and theTongarirosummitto left. with theslopesof totheright Ngauruhoe clear. thecrater Thewalkthrough isflat, walled amphitheatre whentheweather is place whenthecloudsare low,andahuge ous shuttle-bus companies. ing dayhikers are droppedoffbythevari- to SH47.Thisiswhere theTongariroCross- at endof Mangatepopo Rd,which connects 30 minutes reaches thecarparkandshelter www.lonelyplanet.com the junctionandcross to thewest. weather isclearyoucanviewMtTaranaki (athree-hour returnNgauruhoe trip).Ifthe ing thesignposted route tothesummitof minutes toonehouryoureach thetop,pass- butwellmarkedsteep, withpoles.After 45 riro . Theascentamongthelava rocksis between the saddle Ngauruhoe and Tonga- and quicklybeginsawell-marked climb to besmeltbeforemight theyare seen. return trip),which, ifthewindisright, spur trackto of oldlava flows.Withinanhouryoupassa Mangatepopo valleyandover asuccession possible. togetting as ious thought asearlyastart morning beginsclear,youshouldgive ser- are atMangatepopo staying Hutandthe 8amand9am.Ifyouthe hutbetween majority of trampers are past stampeding of Mangatepopo Rdat7am andthevast first buspullsintothecarparkatend trampers morning.The droppedoffevery attheamazingvolcanicscenery. marvel on spendingthewholedaytrackto three hours, butiftheweatherisclearplan trampers towalkfromonehutthenextin It’snotunusualinfoulweatherfor Zealand. one of tracksinNew themostspectacular This dayispartof theTongariroCrossing, 5–6 hours,9km,686mascent,426mdescent Hut Ketetahi Hutto Day 2:Mangatepopo Once acrossthecrater thetrack –nowa To thewestof thehutisatrackthatafter Follow thepolesastheycontinue past The maintrackcontinuesupthevalley The daybeginswithaneasytrampup Keep inmindthelarge numberof day Soda Springs South Crater (an easy 15-minute (aneasy TONGARIRO NATIONAL PARK Circuit Northern ••Tongariro , an eerie , aneerie a highlight of thistramp, havea highlight alwaysbeen shoulder toshoulder. raining theywill be jammedinsidealmost Whenit’s down tocatch theirbuses. start hut from1pmuntil4pm,whenthey have to summer, daywalkers take over much of the at Oturere Hutinstead.of Duringtheheight ers walkingthecircuitskipthishut andstay Putuaki andMtTarawera. Still,manytramp- Taupo,Pihanga, andLake MtTauhara, Mt ofRotoaira (tothenortheast)at base of thehutare and includeLake spectacular the EmeraldLakes. ing northern slopesbelowNorthCrater, reach- ofseries switchbacks, alongTongariro’s skirting thelake thetrackdescends,viaa to crater (north)andclimbitsnorthernridge reach Ketetahi Hut,continue acrossthe a signposted junctiontoOturere Hut.To then dropsinto washing downfromRedCrater. Thetrack ture brilliant colouring,thankstominerals Lakes side of the RedCrater andpasses Mt PutuakiandTarawera tothenorth. clude Taranaki tothewestandMtTuahara, there in- are even viewsthatmight fantastic day isclearthenthankyourluckystars, as vourable weatherwhentraversing it.Ifthe tohavetrack (1886m)anditisessential fa- pointreachedcrater isthehighest onthe from thecolourof itssides.Thesideof the steaming riro (atwo-hourreturn is trip);totheright posted junctiontoaroute uptoMtTonga- rocks. the twocraters, sidlingaroundsomehuge the narrowcrest of theridge thatseparates h nab eeai Ht Srns once Springs, Hot Ketetahi nearby The At 1450mtheviewsfromfrontdoor The trackbeginsitsdescentalongthe Eventually thetrackreaches thesign- Blue Lake Blue Lake cautious here, particularly inwetweather.cautious here, particularly marbles. like with loosestonesthatact Be surface bottom, becomesahardpacked track begins asloosescree andthen,atthe trampers.of injuriestounsuspecting The tral Crater hascausedmore thanitsshare The sharpdescentfromRedCrater toCen- WARNING Ketetahi Hut Ketetahi . These three oldexplosionpitsfea-. These Red Crater Red , anotherremarkable After sight. (24bunks)1¼hours from Central Crater Central , withanamethatcomes , where there’s Emerald

ISLAND CENTRAL NORTH CENTRAL CENTRAL NORTH ISLAND 120m descent bottomsout atabridge over across numerous streams, before alengthy straight towards Ruapehu , workingitsway the eastern flanksof Itdescends Ngauruhoe. opencountryasitskirts southwest through hut, makingitagoodplaceforlunch. the gorge. There are outsidethe picnictables a viewof asmallwaterfall fromtheedge of tetahi Hut. tetahi reached 8km(2½tothree hours) fromKe- you beginagentle descenttoOturere Hut, inthevalley,until The walkisfairlylevel and pilesof rocksinamoonscapeterrain. Stream, passingclumpsof tussock grass valley floor,where thetrackfollows Oturere descends steeplyintoOturere valley. fore working itswaytotheoldlava flowthat around thesprings. Rd,tocarefullytahi followthepoledroute of thisarea, andwhendescending to Kete- (left) asitskirtsoneof the tion followthesignposted tracktothesouth ponder theirunusualfeatures. Atthejunc- along thewaymake toagain youpause to Oturere longer Hut,even if thesights top. Planontwohours toreach thejunction wards NorthCrater, ascending200mtothe side of Returnupthetrackto- Ngauruhoe. This dayisspenttrampingalongtheeastern 6–7 hours,16.5km,240mascent,400mdescent HuttoWaihohonu Day 3:Ketetahi a toilet,butnodrinkingwater. Thereand sandwiches. isalsoashelter and that there isusuallyavendor drinks selling So manytrampers departatKetetahi Rd line andtherest isinlush podocarpforest. first halfof thedescentisabove thebush- to thecarparkatKetetahi Rd.Mostof the by joiningthedaywalkers anddescending You candepartthecircuitatKetetahi Hut 2–3 hours,6.5km,700mdescent ALTERNATIVE FINISH:KETETAHI ROAD are asked torespect the peaks withinthenationalpark.Trampers the springsthattheyextend tothemountain springs. Maori reverence holdthesame for notincludesoakinginthehot but thisdoes ers permissiontocrosspartof theirland, represents thelandowners, hasgiven tramp - on private land.TheKetetahi Trust,which 90 The trackleaves thehut andswings Oturere Hut Oturere It’s 30minutes fromthejunctionto TONGARIRONATIONAL PARK Circuit Northern ••Tongariro (24bunks)isat1350m,with tapu Emerald Lakes (sacredness) be- and then merges into Mangatepopo Track a 20mrock faceintoaboulder-ringed pool, Falls lage. thetrackpasses Totheright are tworoutes returning to Whakapapa Vil- it descendstoWairere Stream, where there down andacrossanothersixstreams until ridge totheupperlake.an exposed up thesidetrack,butit’s45minutes along to and inanother1.5kmarrives atajunction to the other. Eventually gently thetrackrises and Ruapehu’s snowcapped summitison perfect coneisononesideNgauruhoe’s times, butbeautifuliftheweatherisclear; of tussockgrass.Thewalkingistiresome at that have thethincovering erodedthrough dropping andclimbingoutof streams several the upperbranch of Waihohonu Stream, Waihohonu Trackwest.Thetrackfollows Rd(1½hours). wards Desert Tongariro NorthernCircuit)headseastto- and the Waihohonu Track(notpartof the ues southalongtheslopesof Ruapehu, Trackcontin- The Round-the-Mountain On theothersideisasignposted junction. bridge over abranch of Waihohonu Stream. The finaldaybeginswiththetrackcrossinga 5½–6 hours,16km Village Whakapapa Day 4:WaihohonuHutto cent to of anopenridge before makingafinaldes- clad valley,toppingoutonthe1269mcrest to twohours fromOturere Hut. the upperbranch of Waihohonu Stream, 1½ into the Ohinepango Stream. flow. Ahuge volumeof water discharges they bubbleupfrombeneathanoldlava Waihohonu Hut.Thespringsare coldand OhinepangoSprings TracksouthtoAround-The-Mountain A anothershortsidetripistofollowthe theboxedyour pack(see text, opposite ). for aninteresting sidetripafter youdrop are campingsites. a branch of the Waihohonu Stream; nearby this area, isinapocket of beech trees near tobebuiltin valley. Thehut,thesecond The maintrackcontinueswest,working atthejunction,following Turn right abeech- On theotherside,climbthrough The first andmakes hutisstillstanding Tama Lakes Tama Saddle , where the Wairere Stream spillsover Waihohonu Hut . Thelowerlake isashort trip , between the two volcanoes, thetwovolcanoes, , between , a20-minute walkfrom (29bunks)inthenext www.lonelyplanet.com Taranaki www.lonelyplanet.com presence inKaimanawa, butEuropeans had There of islittleevidence awidespread Maori HISTORY from huttohut. bushcraft andriver-crossing skillstotravel marked; inKaimanawa, good youneed In Tongariro,tracksare benched andwell toreachand difficult bypublictransport. sible; theotherislittleknown, used andeasily acces- is wellknown,used contrast toTongariroNationalPark: one and theTongariro. theNgaruroro the Mohaka, theRangitikei, the uppercatchments of fourmajor rivers: covers much of thearea. Theparkcontains forest andthebeech manawa Range that parkdominated bythe conservation Kai- is Kaimanawa Forest Park, a773-sq-km Just totheeast of Tongariro National Park PARK FOREST KAIMANAWA route. 30 to45minutes tothevillage alongeither lands andsmallpatches of forest. beech It’s Whakapapa Village, grass- passingthrough the lefttrackmakes asteady descentto Pl.To onNgauruhoe 1.5km fromitsstart For trampers, Kaimanawa isacomplete venture. The thatthismuseumhastobereached fact onfootseemsonlyright. asamonumenttoNewZealand’sthe hutalsoserves passionfor mountainrecreation andad- country, isamuseumwithaninteresting seriesofdisplaysearlyequipmentandphotos. But with stoves, andeven afew volcaniceruptions. thefoulweatherbuffetingit hassurvived theslopesofRuapehu,occasionaltrampers’mishaps with pumicestonestoinsulate thehutandprotect itfromfire. The hutwassowelldesignedthat iron, withallmaterials beingcarriedupbymenorhorses. thenfilled the wallcavities Workers its builders. The hutwasconstructed frompit-sawn totarawoodbeams,andcladwithcorrugated oldest hutwasfinallyretired in1968,andwaseventually declared ahistoricalstructure. asshearers’in 1913.Later before itserved quarters becomingpopularwithtrampers. Tongariro’s park in1908,WaihohonuHutbecamethebaseforfirstrecreational inNewZealand skiing and TongariroNationalParks. After theMainTrunkrailwaywasopenedonothersideof coaches ontheGrandTouristRoute fromWanganuitoTaupo, throughwhatisnowWhanganui beloved trampers. amongKiwi oneofthemostOld WaihohonuHutisNewZealand’s oldestmountainhut,andit’scertainly WAIHOHONU HUT: STILLSTANDING STRONG Today, theclassicred structure, alpinehutinthe theoldestexampleofanearlytwo-room The thatithasendured fact acenturyofextreme weatheristestament ingenuityof totheKiwi asastop-offforstage Department, The hutwasbuiltin1904bytheTouristandHealthResorts tive birds include the New Zealand pigeon tive birdsinclude theNewZealand inlate Marching season) and April.Na- hunters flockhere duringtheroar (mat- subalpine vegetation. forest isreplaced bytussockgrasslandand and 1370m,marksthepointwhere the 1160m quently. Thebush-lineliesbetween are andtotara) matai encountered more fre- Umukarikari Circuit,podocarps (rimu, the west,includingalong Urchin- in thesouthandinterior valleys.Towards beech in thenorthandeast,mountain est, withred andsilver beech dominating forested –makingiteasierfortramping. and eastislessrugged andalmostentirely grasslands. Incontrast, thearea tothenorth valleys, extensive scrublandsandalpine of theparkare withforested mountainous, regions. Thecentralandsouthernportions Kaimanawa canbe dividedintotwogeneral ENVIRONMENT and Kaimanawa was gazetted in 1969. of toprotect sections passed forest asparks, place inthenorthof thepark. of took products withouttheuse asawmill) method of producingfence postsandother 1930s tothe1970s,splittingof red beech (a burning theforest forfarms.Fromthelate arrived bythe1880s,lookingforgoldand Sika (Japanese and deer) red mean deer Most of theparkiscovered inbeech for- In 1965theForest AmendmentActwas KAIMANAWA FORESTPARKKAIMANAWA ••History

ISLAND CENTRAL NORTH CENTRAL CENTRAL NORTH ISLAND is oneof theeasiesttoreach inthe forest As well asitsscenicattractions, thistramp Turangi( See p85 ). TOWN ACCESS Tongariro/Taupo ( Conservancy p85 ). to find.ThebestplacelookistheDOC which covers theentire park,butcanbehard 11 tramp here isthe1:100,000Parkmap 274- The mostpracticalmapforplanninga Maps PLANNING altitude duringearlyorlate summer. quicklyathigh snowdeveloping or even can beunpredictable, withheavy rain,sleet of sections thepark southern, mountainous temperatures fromDecembertoApril.The erally good,withlongdryspellsandmild precipitation ayear,yetsummers are gen- The area receives anaverage of 3500mmof CLIMATE has onlyrainbow. kihi, ontheUrchin-Umukarikari Circuit, have brownandrainbowtrout;theWaipa- Mohaka andNgaruroro) Some (Rangitikei, reel. Mostrivers trout. intheparkcontain North Islandfortrampers witharodand trout, andisoneof thebestspotsin falcon (kereru) 92 ducks heads, fernbirds, kiwis,andsometimesblue U CI-MKRKR CIRCUIT URCHIN-UMUKARIKARI Tongariro volcanoes. on cleardaysthere are goodviewsofthe cludes segmentsabove thebush-line,where Forest Park.the lightlyusedKaimanawa Itin- Summary Transport Nearest Town Finish Start Difficulty & Track Standard Distance Duration route The Kaimanawa area isknownforits KAIMANAWA FORESTPARK KAIMANAWA Circuit ••Urchin-Umukarikari (Guide toKaimanawa State Forest Park) (whio) (karearea) , the rifleman, the New Zealand , therifleman,NewZealand 2 days moderate This isthemostpopulartrampin bus . uag (p85) Turangi , fantails, bellbirds,white-, fantails, Umukarikari carpark Umukarikari Urchin carpark tramping track 32km , Track. of roadtothestart theUrchinunsealed park. See Turangi ( See p85 ). TOWN&FACILITIESNEAREST Hut Waipakihi On thebanksof theWaipakihiRiver isthe Huts (Tongariro) tion Areas Terramap The bestmapforthistrampisthe1:50,000 Maps and lowcloudscanmake travel difficult. November andearlyDecemberheavy rain Summer andautumnare thebesttimes.In When toTramp PLANNING Waipakihi Hut,thantheUrchin Track. the Umukarikari Track,which beginsnear Track. Fromtheriver itiseasiertopickup the Waipakihi River valleyonthe Urchin direction, but isdescribedhere entering ing anglers. bed thatwillattracttheattention of tramp- kihi River, which isaneasilytravelled river park. ItincludestrampinguptheWaipa- walk from onetrailheadto theother. vehicle attheendof thetramp, it’sa6km who havepark. Forthose toreturn totheir SH1andtheUmukarikaricar 6km between gravelsteep climbalong arough road.Itis ofthe start theUrchin Track,endingwitha Umukarikari Track.Itis8kmfrom SH1to it, followsignstoeitherUrchin Trackor River above theWaikatoFalls. Beyond and crossthebridge over theTongariro 15km southof Turangi. road, SH1,andnearamajor town,just Circuit istheexception,located amajor off without avehicle. TheUrchin-Umukarikari est Park are toreach isolated anddifficult Most of thetracksinKaimanawa For- TO/FROMTHETRAMP GETTING child $4/2) There isabasic Ground DOC Camping The circuitcanbetrampedineither From SH1,headeastonKaimanawa Rd , with tables andatoilet,onthe, withtables . The1:50,000Topomap260-T19 Kawaeka &Kaimanawa Recrea- alsocovers theentire route.

($10) , oneof fourhutsinthe DOC campingground www.lonelyplanet.com

(adult/ .alpinescenictours.co.nz) .co.nz) reach thetracks. or more trampers thiswouldbethewayto fare of $100forupto10people. Forfour pick upatthetrailheads,butitisaflat Uci-mkrkr Circuit Urchin-Umukarikari www.lonelyplanet.com climb towards outbrieflyandthen makeslevels itsfinal march up.Within2kmthetracktopsoff, It’s notanoverly steep climb,justasteady oftowards Urchin, almost600m. aneffort car parkitbeginsclimbingimmediately The Urchin Trackisunforgiving. Fromthe 6–8 hours,18km,569mascent,436mdescent Hut Waipakihi Parkto Day 1:UrchinCar THE TRAMP a day). Turangi toWaiouru($24,onehour,four the driver first thefullfare andpurchase for manawa Rd,butyouhave toclearitwith rewarded withviews inalldirections. What of 1392m.It’sa1½-hour climb,but you’re bush-line justbefore reaching point thehigh To SH1 (4km) Urchin-Umukarikari Circuit Waikato InterCity InterCity

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ISLAND CENTRAL NORTH CENTRAL CENTRAL NORTH ISLAND 17,000-hectare Pirongia Forest Park south the most recognisable landmark inthe The ancient Mt Pirongia volcano of MtPirongia is PIRONGIA FOREST PARK MORE TRAMPS the hut,route ascends If onlyallalpinetreks were thiseasy. wide, openridge of theUmukarikari Range. the next4kmisaneasytrampacross the bush-line. Apoledroute takes over and less than1kmyouascend200mandreach as theoneatendof theUrchin Track.In slope issteep, butnotnearlyasknee-bending therivercrosses andbeginsclimbing.The panoramic views. trampforditions, thisisanoutstanding they smileonyouwithclearweathercon- a bagof ifyou have scroggin if to–because Pay homage totheweathergods–sacrifice the openridges of theUmukarikariRange. Most of thisdayisspenttrampingalong 4–6 hours,14km,500mascent,911mdescent Park Car HuttoUmukarikari Day 2:Waipakihi pass manygoodplacestocamp. the river. Travelling upstream you’llalso hut islocated onagrassterrace overlooking side of theriver. Builtin1968,this12-bunk fore the then it’sanother6kmof river walkingbe- majorsecond stream isasmall 94 sive rimualongtheway. there it’salldownhill,passingsomeimpres- climb toreach point.From a768mhigh from thecarparktrackmakes onelast Umukarikari carpark.Around20minutes hut youreach thebush-lineagain. Park’s skyline. Three tofourhours fromthe you enjoymore viewsof TongariroNational this peak,andalongthedescenttowest, Cone then beginclimbingagain,reaching leys of Kaimanawa Forest Park totheeast. particularly of thegrassyplainsand river val- From thisflatpeakthere are viewsallaround, pointofthe high the entire trampat1591m. Eventually, abouttwotothree hours from From thehut,atrackheadswest,quickly The final4kmisasteady descenttowards Descend Umukarikari’swestern flankand MORETRAMPS••Pirongia Forest Park (1480m)within1km.Fromthetopof Waipakihi Hut Waipakihi appears ontheeast Umukarikari trig Umukarikari gorge , and Sharp , 3803) (Waikaremoana) Areas Waikaremoana &Whirinaki Recreation demanding. Use the1:50,000Terramap a three-hour tramprated moderate– trailhead viathe the entire route youcanreturn totheSH38 RuapaniTrack,Lake is rated moderate. Toavoid backtracking through through Gr eatWalkssystem, soyoumustbook (18 bunks).Thehutisnowpartof the and inthree hours reaches Hut SandyBay along thewestern sideof Waikareiti,Lake there’s adayshelter. Thetrackcontinues lake,easy 3.5kmtothesecluded where of theAniwaniwaVisitorCentre. It’san This trackbegins alongSH38, 100mnorth Track Waikareiti Lake TE UREWERANATIONAL PARK of Hamilton. (Waimana) of W16 the1:50,000 Topomap 260series: Te Teko twomaps Rd.For thisroute use and then3½hours outtotheMurupara– hour walkfrom Waihua to Mangamako, Mangamako Hut (sixbunks).It’sathree- then dropdownto Mangamako Stream and Bivouac(threeit –toCasino bunks) and Onepu Stream – often actuallywalkingin of the bush.ThenextdayyoufollowTe or three hours ifyoudrive totheedge Waihua Hut(sixbunks)fromthe bridge, ofstart thetrack.It’sa4½-hourtrampto here takes youtothebushedge andthe past theWaihuaStream bridge. Aroad out foranationalparksignabout 300m east of town–toTe Teko, andwatching heading northalongGalatea Rd–just From Muruparathearea isreached by ofern section Te Urewera NationalPark. routes withsmallhutsinthenorthwest- There isanetworkof ridge andstream Route Stream Waihua–Mangamako St,Te3363; Northway Rapa) contact the contact (Te Awamutu) the1:50,000Topomap260-S15 a map,use to thesummitandhutfromGrey Rd.For to11-hourcircuit be combinedforaneight- The Mahaukura and Tirohanga Trackscan a popularweekend trampforAucklanders. bunks, isnearthe959mpeak–makingit . This is a pleasant overnight. Thisisapleasant tripthat , orthe1:50,000Topomap260-W18 Aniwaniwa Visitor Centre Aniwaniwa Visitor DOC Waikato Area Office Area DOC Waikato and V16 Pahautea Hut Pahautea andformore information . . (Tarawera) www.lonelyplanet.com

($5) , witheight .

( ( % % 06-837 07-838

3803; SH38) the trail. DOC Rangitaiki Area Office Area DOC Rangitaiki Whakataka Trig Trig Whakataka www.lonelyplanet.com Northern Circuit, this71km,four- tosix-day More Track Round-the-Mountain challenging thanthe TONGARIRO NATIONAL PARK Tongariro Ani Centre waniwa Visitor the mation onthistramp,contact & Whirinaki Recreation Areas Use the1:50,000 Terramap puke route shouldbeconsidered waterless. This tripisrated demanding,andthePuke- WaikareitiLake Track( opposite ) toSH38. The thirddayisaneasytrampalongthe six hours before reaching Hut. SandyBay route Waikareiti, to Lake descendingfor trampers cancontinueonthe Pukepuke returnseven-hour walk.Experienced along aridge for6kmtothesummit,a Great WalkatHopuruahine,andclimbs northern endof Waikaremoana theLake views. Thetrackbegins1kmfromthe Manuoha Hut(sixbunks)andexcellent in thepark(1392m),where you’llfind This tramptakes pointyou tothehighest Trig Manuoha the tact Areas Waikaremoana &Whirinaki Recreation the entire route isonthe1:50,000Terramap WaikaremoanaLake Great Walk.Almost atthenorthernendof the hine Landing, rugged route forfourhours to Hopurua- day,alongasteep can continueonasecond bunks)isnearby.Fromthehutyou (eight Waikaremoana.ing Lake Hut Whakataka superb viewsof thenationalpark,includ- ridge tracktothetrig,fromwhich there are 4½-hour trampviaaslatted andundulating Taupeupe Saddle,eastof Ruatahuna.It’sa p ers. Theroute isposted alongSH38at only beconsidered byexperiencedtram- This trackisrated demanding, andshould There isnopublictransporttothetrail. There isno publictransporttothetrail. For informationonthisroute, the contact . Forinformationonthistramp,con- DOC Aniwaniwa Visitor Centre DOC AniwaniwaVisitor . There isnopublictransportto

( ( % % Waikaremoana 06-837 3803;SH38) 07-366 1080;SH38) . Forinfor-

( % 06-837 DOC . . MORE TRAMPS •• Tongariro NationalParkMORE TRAMPS••Tongariro Parkmap 273-04 is the Almost halfwayalongthetrack lava bluffs. herb fieldsandwaterfalls droppingover alpine ated valley,andalongthewaypasses The tracktakes youintoabeautifulglaci- ern endis250mabove thevisitor centre. the WhakapapaVisitorCentre. Thenorth- Track entranceonBruceRd,5kmsouthof southern endisattheRound-The-Mountain This 11kmtrackispracticallyaloop.The Valley Whakapapiti Ohakune andWhakapapa. huts,theremountain isaccommodationin early inthemorning.Inadditionto summer. Thebestbetforhitching istostart in of Rd canbetough OhakuneMountain Rd carpark(see p87 ) butgetting tothetop Public transportisavailable totheKetetahi and Tongariro atKetetahi, and anight Hut. scenic craters andlakes Ngauruhoe between Tongariro NorthernCircuit,includesthe Trackandthethe Round-the-Mountain car park.Thetrip,amixof from segments apehu and tothe Ngauruhoe, Ketetahi Rd Ohakune, acrossthewestern slopesof Ru- tional Park fromitssouthernbordernear This five-day TongariroNa- trampcrosses Traverse Tongariro Recreation& Tongariro Areas June. Use the1:50,000Terramap thereWalks passtostay fromOctober to Northern Circuititrequires adated Great Waihohonu Hut ispartof theTongariro andWaihohonu. Since gaehuehu, Rangipo Whakapapaiti, Mangaturuturu, Blyth,Man- onthesouthernslopes. to beused eruptions, somealternative routes mayhave of and poled,butbecause the1995Ruapehu December toMarch. Theroute iswellposted Whakapapa Village, andisbestwalked from fromOhakuneand track canbeaccessed andglacialriver fields, todeserts valleys.The forest,beech tussock countryandalpine a varietyof terrain, rangingfrommountain tramp, circles Ruapehu through andpasses gariro Recreationgariro Areas the1:50,000Terramapuse There are sixhutsaroundRuapehu: Whakapapaiti Hut Whakapapaiti (Tongariro)

($10) . . Use the1:80,000

For thistraverse, Ruapehu &Ton- . . Ruapehu 95

ISLAND CENTRAL NORTH CENTRAL CENTRAL NORTH ISLAND the above - ‘Do the right thingwithourcontent.’ the above-‘Doright thetermsandconditionsonoursiteforalongerwayofsaying youknow,orresell it.See everyone site,massemailitto only. Inotherwords,pleasedon’tuploadthischaptertoapeer-to-peer Inreturn, wethinkit’sfairtoaskyouuseitforpersonal,non-commercialpurposes restricted. © LonelyPlanetPublications. iteasierforyoutouse,accessthischapter isnotdigitally Tomake 96 © LonelyPlanetPublications