Tawatawa TrailsBeginner

Description

Starting at the entrance to the driveway of Tapu Te Ranga Marae, you head up the driveway and take the track to the right of the Manawa Karioi Ecological Restoration Project's display board. Follow the 4-wheel drive track up past the top horse paddock (so keep dogs on a lead until well past this point). Follow the trail curving around the west edge of the horse paddock, and take the trail to your right where it forks at the corner of the paddock.

Carry on up the track until you come to a gate/stile - this marks the start of the Tawatawa Reserve. Go through the gate, and take the trail to your left marked City to Sea Walkway. Follow this up over the hill, and just before it hits Frobisher Street take a sharp right back into the Reserve along the 4 wheel drive track. This will take you past the point where you entered the Reserve, and on to where the reservoir is. Take the stairs to the right of the reservoir, and then the trail that heads into bush to the left of the next set of big stairs - this is the Tawatawa Bush Track (but there's no sign).

Follow this trail through bush around the valley, until it forks - take the right fork (the Akiraho Track) which will switchback all the way up to the ridgeline. When you hit the ridgeline you'll go through a small gate, follow the trail round to your right and through another gate about 20m on. Then follow the trail to the left when it forks again which takes you around the hill above Owhiro Valley. On your left will be the Whārangi Track down to Happy Valley Road - you can follow this down and back up to add 2.5km and some hill practice (this is also part of the WUU2K course).

Once you come back up the Whārangi Track turn left and follow the ridgline past the powhenua sculpture (on your left) and through another small gate. Cross the grassy paddock (look out to Cook Strait to your right) and take the gravel track to your hard left and down about 30m until you hit the end of Quebec Street. Go through the gate, and then immediately a hard right and down some stairs, which takes you back onto a trail that heads on through more bush. When the track splits (you'll see the golf course down to your left, and the marae to your right) take the hard right track which carries you on around the hillside.

You'll rejoin the Tawatawa bush track just at the base of the big stairs you passed earlier - 140 steps, great for stair repeats! Instead of taking the small stairs to your left that you came over earlier, follow the trail that takes you around the right of that small hill and back to the reservoir. Pass back to the gate where you entered the Reserve, but this time take the track down to your right. Partway down the hill the track splits and you want to take the hard left track, which will take you back down to where you began at the marae (after crossing a small stream).

Features of interest

The trail begins in the grounds of Tapu Te Ranga Marae, winds up through native bush cared for by the Manawa Karioi Ecological Restoration Project, heads into and around Tawatawa Reserve, and passes the distinctive powhenua sculpture of Maori Chiefs by Bruce Stewart up on Tawatawa Ridge. It also traces a small part of the WUU2K course.

Make Up of Run

Easy Single Track: 90%

Farm Road / 4WD Track: 5%

Gravel Road: 5%

Route Data