Mokaihaha Ecological Area: Mokaihaha Track

Weekend adventures with Senior DoC Ranger Mayer, it’s got a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? Mayer had mentioned a few weeks back that he would take me track marking if I was keen...of course I said yes straight away. Or did I? There was a fair bit of banter and negotiations that he wouldn’t use his ‘supervisor’ voice on me and whether or not morning tea was included. Happy to say that he was very patient and it was a fun day out.

Mokaihaha Track is 9.6km outside the town of Mamaku - I had never been there, so we did a couple of laps around the town before heading to the track. The town reminded me a lot of when I used to live in Te Araroa. It isn’t technically a loop track as you pop out of the bush about ten minutes down the road, but it’s easy enough to walk back to the car along the gravel road. You can walk the track in either direction - we walked it counter-clockwise.

Discover Our Local: A return to the Pākihi Track on the Motu Trails

The Pākihi Track is part of the Motu Trails, which is actually made up of several shared use tracks (MTB and hiking) in Ōpōtiki, as well the villages of Motu and Matawai. My first time on the track was three years ago, during a solo hike where the track was closed to MTB riders because of a massive slip above the hut. This time I brought along my friend Kat to help kick start more Sunday missions.

I have ridden part of the Dune Trails three years ago, doing an 18km return ride from Ōpōtiki to the Tirohanga Campground. My friend, Richard Hamer (the Whakatāne Cycle Coach) had convinced me to get back on a bike after 11 years. Although I did enjoy it, I still prefer tramping as it allows me time to walk at a pace that allows me to soak in the views and do photography. Kat on the other hand does enjoy MTB and was scoping the track for a future riding mission.

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).