Te Waihou Walkway and Blue Springs is located in South Waikato near Putaruru. It’s almost two hours drive from Whakatāne, so we decided to stay the night in Putaruru as I thought it would be too long for Mum and Dad as a day trip. You know, I don’t even remember having ever passed through Putaruru, but I did discover that they had a cheese factory called Over The Moon Dairy & Cafe. Cheese and hikes...man life’s good!
Read MoreMt. Hikurangi stands at 1,752m.a.s.l. (5,748 ft) and is the first place to greet the sun in mainland Aotearoa / New Zealand. The trail starts at Pakihiroa Station in Ruatoria, 80 km north of Gisborne or 50km southwest of Te Araroa. The track to the summit wasn’t always as accessible as it is today, having listened to stories of bush bashing and backcountry orienteering. Nowadays the track is well marked until the final boulder/scree uphill to the summit, where a fair bit of scrambling is needed. We booked a night at the hut (1,250m.a.s.l.), then planned to summit and walk out the next day. My body was definitely not mountain-fit enough for the hike we had planned (we ended up walking for about 11 hours on the Sunday), and my legs especially found the steep downhill exhausting.
Read MoreI have been planning on walking the Pakihi Track since I came across a photo of the suspension bridge earlier this year. Unfortunately at this time, there is a massive slip that has taken out a part of the track about 300m upstream of the Pakihi Hut, so I couldn’t start my hike from Motu Rd. Instead I walked from Pakihi Rd to the hut and back on the same day. It was still an 18km hike, and was glad to finally make use of the hiking poles I bought as fatigue began to set in on my legs on the way back.
Read MoreAccess Te Auheke track (also known as the Cascade Falls) starts by the Lake Okataina Outdoor Education Centre on Okataina Rd, which turns off from SH 30 in Ruato. The track starts behind the Outdoor Education Centre hut - walk along the left fence line until you see the wooden marker post. You can also access the shorter Rongomai track just a few metres away. I started the walk wearing my gloves, so it’s good to bring warm gear (just in case) even if the sun is shining.
The track itself is relatively flat, and wide throughout. The only time it narrowed was closer to the falls itself where I had to walk over some larger rocks. I thought about trying out my new hiking boots here, and there were some sections with overgrown roots and muddy patches, but as it was mostly flat terrain, my regular walking shoes did the job just fine.
Read MoreThe Ngatapuwae o Toi is a loop track from Whakatane to Ohope. This morning I walked the Fairbrother Loop Walk at Ohope Beach. They say the walk should take about an hour and half, and that’s taking it easy. There were some steeper uphill sections, but if you powered through it I say you can do it in an hour. I was alone for most of the time - the track was also a bit muddy as we’ve had quite a bit of rain over the last few days. I can see this track being busier in the summer.
Read More
