Description

The trail starts at the Arataki Vistors Centre. The start is to the right of the main building as you look at it. There is a large Hillary Trail sign beside the beginning of the track (Slip Track).

Follow Slip Track downhill, cross a small rail line, continue down the gravel road part of Slip Track until you hit Pipeline Track at about 1.6km in. Turn hard right onto Pipeline Track and follow it until you hit the gravel Nihotupu Dam Road. Turn left.

Follow Nihotupu Dam Road for 2.5km and turn right just after you pass through an open gate. You should see some old storage buildings just up here on the left. You have gone too far if you start going downhill past the ranger houses. Go along the right hand side of this open area to the top right of the clear area where you will find a 4WD track heading uphill. After about 500m uphill slog you will join Parau track. Turn right on this 4WD track and follow it for a few hundred metres where a Parau Track sign will point to the right onto a technical, and very steep, part of Parau track.

This steep hill goes for about 600 hard metres where it hits Panto Track. Turn right and follow Parau Track past the closed Nihotupu Ridge Track and down, up, down, up and past the other end of Nihotupu Ridge Track. Keep following the Parau Track signs downhill and you will come to an intersection that, to the right, goes to the top of a large dam, and to the left continues downhill (both directions are Parau Track). Go left and enjoy some sweet fast downhill. Before long you will cross a swing bridge and hit the sealed Huia Damn Access Road.

Turn right and follow the road to the top of the dam. Keep straight ahead at the top and soon the road changes to gravel. Follow the gravel road and bear right onto Smith's Road (gravel) after about 1.7km. Keep following the road uphill where there is an intersection with Crusher Pipe Track. Turn left into Crusher for a very short distance to the beginning of Hamilton Track on your right. You cannot follow Crusher Pipe Track as it is closed.

Follow Hamilton Track up, through the Summit Track intersection, and down and you will eventually pop out on another gravel road. Follow this downhill for about 1.3km until you hit Pipeline Track where you were earlier in the day. Retrace your steps back up Slip Track to the Arataki Visitor Centre and the end of the trail.

Features of interest

You cross an old dam supply railway near the beginning of the trail on Slip Track.
The trail passes beside two reservoirs that supply some of Auckland's drinking water.
Parau Track was part of the Hillary Trail while a large slip on the road beside the Lower Huia reservoir was repaired.
The Mud Monster was known to have inhabited Hamilton Track before boardwalks were added :-)

Make Up of Run

Untracked / Route only: 0%

Technical Single Track: 30%

Moderate Single Track: 23%

Easy Single Track: 9%

Gravel Road: 34%

Sealed Road: 4%

Route Data