Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
From Whakahoro, the
Kaiwhakauka Track
begins along a farm road through private
Retaruke Station following the true right of the
Kaiwhakauka Stream
to a large stock and
pedestrian swing bridge. Care should be taken to leave gates as found and not to disturb
stock.
The bridge is built over the original Depot Bridge, the last remaining truss bridge of its
type in the district. Off to the right is the original depot where deliveries from riverboat ser-
vices were stored for the valley settlers. The track leads up the valley through a mixture of
regenerating bush and farmland, and two hours from the start of the track you will reach the
national park boundary.
From the park boundary it is a steady 1½-hour climb to the site of the Mosley Homestead
near the
Waione Stream
, where an open clearing lends itself well to camping.
Continue towards Cootes Homestead; on the way the track crosses many small bridged
side streams, and passes just a few small, open flats. The old Tobin Homestead, marked by
an old chimney stack, can be seen on the right of the track. From here the steep climb to the
junction passes through relatively undisturbed mixed tawa/podocarp forest, reaching the
junction of the old Kaiwhakauka and Mangapurua Rds around 2½ hours from Mosley.
Continue heading west towards the Whanganui River. After around 30 minutes you will
reach Mangapurua Trig Campsite, an excellent camping spot with spring water and toilets.
A side track leads up to the
Mangapurua Trig
(663m), from which there are sweeping views
of Tongariro National Park to the east and Mt Taranaki to the west on fine days.
Day 2: Mangapurua Trig to Hellawell's
5-6 HOURS, 14.8KM
From Mangapurua Trig the track heads steadily downhill, passing the only uncut section of
forest in the Mangapurua Valley. As you move down the valley, the track crosses the grassy
clearings that were created by the early settlers, and many of the papa bluffs are named after
settlers who farmed the surrounding land. The names of these settlers also live on in the
wooden signs installed along the track marking the location of the original house sites. You
may also notice rows of exotic trees that mark the road and the house sites.
The first swing bridge in the valley crosses
Slippery Creek
and after a further 1.5km you
reach
Johnson's
, named after the farmer Edward Johnson who collected the mail twice a
week from the Mangapurua Landing and distributed it through the valley. Two hours into
your journey from the trig, the large camping flat makes for a pleasant stop.
