Posts tagged riverwalking
Three day hike in the Waioeka: Moanui - Koranga Forks - Tawa Loop
Three day hike in the Waioeka: Moanui - Koranga Forks - Tawa Loop

When you’re a townie like me, hiking in the backcountry always means driving a few hours. Usually down a gravel road with potholes, and the odd tree blocking the road. Moanui Road in the Waioeka Conservation Area had two out of three, luckily for me, it wasn’t a fallen tree because I don’t own a chainsaw yet. The carpark and start of the Moanui-Koranga Forks-Tawa Loop is about a 40 minute drive from Waioeka Gorge Road and then Te Wera Road turn-off. You can get through the gravel road on a 2WD drive, but the potholes can be pretty unforgiving to a low-riding bumper.

I started my walk around 11am - fortunately it was overcast with a lovely breeze so I didn’t have to suffer the midday heat. The Moanui Track starts off on farmland as it follows the Koranga River. The bush sections are well graded and marked (orange triangles), while the open farmland had large, yellow wooden posts. Some sections narrowed down to double my boot width with steep drop offs, but as long as you watch your step, it’s fairly easy to get through. These are working farms, so keep your distance from livestock and leave gates as you find them (or follow instructions on signs).

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North Island, Walk, Forest, Walking Track, Hut, Advanced Hike, East Coast, Intermediate Hike, Water ActivityRonna Grace Funtelarthelocaltourist, newzealand, femalehiker, walk, dayhikes, walkingtracks, waioeka, moanui, korangaforks, tawa, hut, doctrack, dochut, riverwalking, backcountry, backcountryhikingComment
River exploring in the Ikawhenua Ranges
River exploring in the Ikawhenua Ranges

“Leave it! No! Leave it!” I thought I was alone on the track when her voice boomed through the birds and the light breeze. A few minutes later, I saw a woman walking towards me carrying a dead possum in her left hand, with a dog on her right. The dog seemed proud of his find, and somewhat annoyed that the woman wouldn't let him enjoy it. “I’m trying to find a tree high enough to hang it on so he can’t get to it next time.” We both laughed. She must have been a local living nearby, there weren’t any other cars parked up when I got there.

I was back in the Ikawhenua Ranges in Galataea - I had walked up Mt Tawhiuau a few times, but had never the Galatea Foothills Track. It was a good morning for it, almost-spring weather meant a couple of layers but rain wasn’t on the radar that day. The Kahikatea canopy stood tall, but not thick enough that sunshine couldn’t get through to the forest floor.

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The Local Tourist, North Island, Forest, Water Activity, Advanced Hike, Intermediate HikeRonna Grace Funtelarthelocaltourist, newzealand, nznatural, hobbyhiker, femalehiker, nzhikes, backcountry, backcountryhiking, dayhikes, daytramp, doctrack, galatea, galateafoothillstrack, ruarepuae, ruarepuaestream, riverwalking, rivermissions, whakatanedistrict, activitiesnearwhakatane, walkingtracks, explorewhakatane, discoverourlocalComment