Paengaroa Scenic Reserve Walk
Track category
Short walk
Time:
10 min
Description
From the carpark a short track heads down to a delightful bridge across the Hautapu River. From here a short walk takes you to a large clearing suitable for picnicking. A small stretch of boardwalk crosses an area that can be wet and swampy during winter.
Getting there
Paengaroa Scenic Reserve is situated near the village of Mataroa. Turn west off State Highway 1 three kilometres north of Taihape. Just before reaching Mataroa School turn right and cross the railway bridge and straight ahead lies the carpark.
About the area
Paengaroa is a special place for plants. It has a remarkable concentration of rare species and the greatest concentration of divaricating plants for any similar sized area in New Zealand making it a botanical treasure trove.
Divaricating plants are tangled twiggy plants with small leaves. Often this form changes once the plants get taller (over 3 metres) causing scientists to wonder if this kind of growth form evolved as protection from browsing moa. The more unattractive the younger plants looked the less chance they had of being eaten. Another theory was that the extreme climate - severe frosts, droughts and frequent floods - could have been the cause.
New Zealand's third rarest tree, Olearia gardneri (a tree daisy), is found here as are two rare species of dwarf mistletoe and many others rare species.
Paengaroa Scenic Reserve has been given Mainland Island status because of its special flora, meaning it is more intensely managed to try and create the equivalent of offshore islands on the mainland.
Plan and prepare
Location map
