Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
hours, one daily) via Te Kuiti ($14 to $30, one hour), and to Palmerston North ($29 to
$61, 4¾ hours, one daily) via National Park ($21, 30 minutes).
PUREORA FOREST PARK & THE TIMBER TRAIL
Fringing the western edge of Lake Taupo, the 78,000-hectare Pureora Forest is
home to NZ's tallest totara tree. Logging was stopped in the 1980s after a long
campaign by conservationists, and the subsequent regeneration is impressive. Hik-
ing routes through the park include tracks to the summits of
Mt Pureora
(1165m)
and the rock pinnacle of
Mt Titiraupenga
(1042m). A 12m-high tower, a short walk
from the Bismarck Rd car park, provides a canopy-level view of the forest for bird-
watchers.
To stay overnight in one of three standard
DOC huts
(adult/child $5/2.50)
you'll
need to buy hut tickets in advance, unless you have a Backcountry Hut Pass. The
three
campsites
(adult/child $6/3)
have self-registration boxes. Hut tickets, maps and
information are available from DOC.
hour walking tours with local Maori guides through virgin bush to the summit of
Titiraupenga, their sacred mountain. Farmstay accommodation is also available.
Another option is to ride the spectacular
Timber Trail
from Pureora village in the
north of the forest southwest for 85km to Ongarue. Accommodation and shuttle
Rd; d $150)
, an interesting Maori-operated initiative near Pureora village, and
Black
Fern Lodge
( 07-894 7677;
www.blackfernlodge.co.nz
;
Ongarue Stream Rd, Waimiha; per person
from $58)
at Waimiha gets rave reviews for its home cooking.
See
www.thetimbertrail.com
for maps, shuttle and bike-hire information and
route planning.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Owhango
POP 210
A pint-sized village where all the street names start with 'O', Owhango makes a cosy
base for walkers, mountain bikers (the
42 Traverse
ends here) and skiers who can't af-
ford to stay closer to the slopes in Tongariro National Park. Take Omaki Rd for a two-
hour loop walk through virgin forest in
Ohinetonga Scenic Reserve
.
