Front country - easily accessible
Loop
Undulating, some big hills
Dog Friendly
Native bush
Easy Single Track
Average Uphill Gradient: +11.1%
Average Downhill Gradient: -12.1%
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1:30
Slow
1:00
Moderate
0:50
Fast
This is an easy to get to and enjoyable track, easy to follow with only a few junctions which are well marked. Run it either direction or double/ triple it up.. Not a terribly exciting track but it's a good training run that's close to Papakura and relatively safe. Also there is a toilet at the bottom of the dam, go down the road when you get out of Wairoa loop before you head up the road to the top of the dam.
Run over the Wairoa Dam, View of Upper Mangatawhiri Reservoir
Plenty of parking
8 km
8 minutes
Yes
No
Easy.
Patchy.
Seam-sealed waterproof jacket, Whistle, First aid kit, Extra food for emergencies, Cellphone, Map.
No drinkable water
Pretty good year round
Current (Dec 2018) washout on Wairoa loop, still open and crossable but take extra care
Trail Legend
Fastest Known Times (FKTs)
You and Wairoa Suspension Loop
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Elevation, bush, well sign-posted, beautiful views. What more could I ask for. Except for poor phone reception and ended up running it in reverse. Lovely run out back in NZ after 2 months in UK
April 10, 2022
Love me some single track, especially if it is under canopy! This trail is awesome, coupled with some fantastic views of the reservoir and dam. The track is very well maintained.
April 2, 2022
Gorgeous track, well maintained, and stunning view from the bench seat 400m prior to the Lookout turnoff - when running the loop anticlockwise.
January 12, 2020
Completed it again with a 2.5 year old on my back. The council/doc has put more time into this track fixing one of the slips that were there but also adding in more stairs. Unfortunately, the stairs on the fast 1Km down hill section that was so joyful to run before so whilst it's still a great accessible track the massively enjoyable part I used to fly down is now a bit slower as I have to navigate the stairs.
January 6, 2020
These overlap with this trail to some degree. You may wish to combine them but please note that to qualify for FKTs on these runs you should record a separate activity for each.