Last Updated: 21st Sep 2023
Old Coach
Last Updated: 21st Sep 2023
Open
Grunt Factor: 29 ?
Gnarl Factor: 23 ?
28.4km
720m
720m
194m
Last Updated: 21st Sep 2023
Last Updated: 21st Sep 2023
Open
Grunt Factor: 29 ?
Gnarl Factor: 23 ?
28.4km
720m
720m
194m
Front country - easily accessible
Out and Back
Undulating, some big hills
Native bush
Plantation/exotic forest
Riverside
Sealed Road
Gravel Road
Easy Single Track
Moderate Single Track
Average Uphill Gradient: +8.9%
Average Downhill Gradient: -8.8%
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4:00
Slow
3:00
Moderate
2:00
Fast
Follow the Te Araroa track from the start heading down the hill to the Waitangi River. Cross over the river and follow track along the river bank for a couple of kms to the Taheke River. Cross the river and head along then up the hill on the other side until you reach Pataua North Road.
Turn left down Pataua North Road (for about a km) before turning right up Mangahui Road. Follow Mangahui Road for about 4 - 4.5 km until you hit the forestry gate. Just before the gate on the left is a track that cuts down the side of the hill. This is the Whanui Coach Road. Follow to the end and then return all the way back to the start. In the summer, quick dips in the Taheke or Waitangi River are great to cool off.
The Whanui Coach Road section of this run (from about 10kms in through to 18km) is lovely gentle sloping single track in native bush.
A bit of parking space available near the start
17 km
19 minutes
Unknown
No
Moderate.
Patchy.
Windproof jacket, First aid kit, Extra food for emergencies, Cellphone, Map
Take your own. Would not recommend drinking from the streams along the way.
Generally muddy / wet / slippery in the winter, take a bit of extra care and allow a bit of extra time.
Town Basin Whangarei
Whangarei
Plenty of choices for a drink / food - about 15 - 20 minute from the start of this track.
Trail Legend
Fastest Known Times (FKTs)
You and Old Coach
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Don't let my long time to do this run put you off - I actually did it twice. The trail description is accurate re: timing to turn-offs, etc (first lap went too far up Patea North Road for some extra vert before realising my mistake 😅 - there is no road sign for Mangahui Road heading up to the right). This is a 4.5km uphill - good runnable gradient, but a bit of an unrelenting slog nonetheless. Makes the next track down even better. Except for the overgrown grass section, not technical and possible to run.
January 8
FC
Matts review above is still applicable as of December 2018. I wasn't quite as prepared for the river crossings so early in the run (almost impossible not to get wet feet) so feet were a mess after running 28k. The first part of the trail (te araroa) had really long grass so was a bit tricky to make out any holes in the ground so don't expect to run too fast through this section!
December 26, 2018
MM
Awesome run, a lot of elevation though, track can be very slippery as the ground in many places is clay. Best part was the Whanui Old Coach Trail section. Just a word of caution, this trail is very popular with Mountain Bikers so do keep an eye/ear out for them especially on weekends. When going up the Mangahui Road, there is a fork where the left hand side goes to a forestry gate, this is not the gate you want to get to, veer right and continue up the road another 500m and there is a Kiwi Zone sign near the entrance to the Old Coach Road.
August 10, 2018
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