Bay of Plenty: Hiking the Western Okataina Walkway

No matter how quiet you try to be at 5.30am, everything just seems louder somehow. It was an early start because I was on my way to Rotorua to meet up with Senior DoC Ranger Mayer (has quite a nice ring to it doesn’t it?), my hiking buddy for the day.

We planned to walk the 17km Western Okataina Walkway starting at the Okataina Outdoor Recreation Centre and finishing up at Millar Road at Okareka. The track can also be walked from Te Ruato Bay in Lake Rotoiti, but we decided to save ourselves a couple of hours and go from the recreation centre instead.

Hiking to the Waitawheta Hut in the Kaimai-Mamaku Ranges

I whistled Crowded House’s classic ‘Weather With You’ as I walked towards the end of Franklin Road in Waihi. The forecast had been rain, and I had certainly prepared myself for a wet hike to the Waitawheta Hut. With Whakatāne being the current sunshine capital, I like to joke that even in winter, I bring the sunshine with me. I had been sitting in the car watching the sun shower threatening to turn into a downpour, when suddenly the clouds gave way to blue skies.

As I walked along the empty road, I wondered if I would be lucky enough to have the hut to myself that night. It’s well into the winter season - shorter daylight hours and finding weather windows on weekends does mean more chances of cold, wet hikes. If I wasn’t slightly obsessed with hiking, those are perfectly good reasons in my book to stay home. Maybe it’s the eternal optimist in me or I’m just getting better at reading weather forecasts, but I barely had to use my rain jacket that weekend.

Hiking to the Central Whirinaki Hut

If it takes almost two hours to drive to get to the start of the track, can you really say it’s in your backyard? That’s how long it usually takes me to get through the long, windy road to Minginui, the closest village to Whirinaki te Pua-a-Tane. It’s a stunning podocarp rainforest that’s on the edges of the Whakatane District - and what a taonga / treasure it is!

I’ve been to the Whirinaki before, twice actually, to do the waterfall loop. Hiking to the Central Whirinaki hut was the first time I had ventured this deep into the forest. The 15.6km hike to the hut is a steady climb with short bursts of uphill. The track is well marked and maintained, with one rogue sign that made me think I was close to the hut when in fact I had another to go! It took me 5.5 hours with a 30 minute break for lunch at Vern’s Camp. By the way, if I wasn’t hiking solo and the forecast wasn’t in the single digits, I would have definitely stayed there. What a cool little spot!

Discover Our Local: Matatā Scenic Reserve - Part 1

I couldn’t find a lot of information about the Matata Scenic Reserve online, so I decided to check it out for myself. Matatā is only 20 minutes drive from Whakatāne, it’s been awhile since I’ve been on a solo hike and I was excited to check out a new track close to home.

Matatā is on SH 2, about a 20 minute drive from Whakatāne and less than an hour from Tauranga or Rotorua. The trailhead is at Mair Street - it’s the first left turn if you’re coming from Whakatāne. Keep driving until you get to the end which is like a cul-de-sac. Please be respectful and make sure you don’t block access for the residents. The scenic reserve sign is across from the train tracks, and you’ll see the patch of grass that’s been mowed which leads you down to the tracks. Also, listen and watch out for trains! At the tracks go right, then look for a bit of gravel on the grass on the left bank - that’s the start of the track (less than two minutes walk).

Bay of Plenty: Learning about te ao Māori in the Ōtanewainuku Forest

The connection I feel when I’m in nature, be it in the bush, on a mountain, lake or coast isn’t something I find easy to describe in words. It’s a language we are all born with, yet will lose over our lifetime unless we continue to build on that connection.

Up until a few days ago, I had never heard of the Ōtanewainuku Forest. It's just over an hour's drive from Whakatāne, tucked away in Oropi, just inland of Te Puke. Basically, right on my doorstep!

For my Sunday hike, I was lucky enough to be joined by Te Reiroa, a local whose knowledge of
Te Ao Māori exceeded his years. This was his hau kāinga (a forest he grew up in) and I felt privileged to be given a personal guided tour, learning about various Māori folklore. He took me to Whataroa Falls, where it's believed to be a gateway between 'noa' or the land of the living, and the spirit world. It's a rare sharing of old world knowledge and insight into Te Ao Māori that most people may never experience in their lifetime, and for that I was most grateful.

Bay of Plenty: Exploring Te Rerekawau (Kaiate) Falls

I like exploring the Bay of Plenty, and last Sunday’s mini-roadie took me to Te Rerekawau Falls (also known as Kaiate Falls). It’s in Waitao, about 20 minutes south of Tauranga. From Whakatāne, it’s an easy hour drive along the Tauranga Eastern Link (SH 2) until the turn off to Kairua. The drive is surrounded by farmland - I read that there used to be a gravel section leading to the car park, but now it’s sealed. The car park isn’t that big, so if it’s full you just have to park down the hill and walk back up.

Before the car park, there’s a track that runs along the river, don’t use this as the section that connects to the main track is now permanently closed. The track starts at the car park.