North Block Road walks
Track category
Short walk
Description
Walking through the trees on Swamp
Track
Triple X Hut & Swamp Track
Time: 10 min to Triple X hut, 1 hr to Swamp Track
From the Sunrise carpark follow the farm track for 10 minutes to reach the Triple X Hut. This 12 bunk hut with grassy surrounds and space for camping is an ideal base for groups wishing to experience an overnight stay close to a road end.
About 100 metres before the hut is the access point to Swamp Track. This low level track meanders through a mix of beech, rimu and kahikatea forest at the base of Sunrise Track. This track can be completed in a circuit from Triple X Hut.
Triple X Hut and Stream and the Armstrong Saddle all derive their names from a pilot, Hamish Armstrong, who crashed onto the saddle in 1935. The plane wreck was found after several weeks of searching, but Armstrong himself was never traced. A shirt labelled "XXX" was the only clue found to his whereabouts.
Tracks in the area
Getting there
The North Block Road end is the most popular starting point for visitors to the Eastern Ruahine.
North Block Road is approximately 100 km from Napier. Follow State Highway 50 for 66 km and turn right into Wakarara Road. After 20 km, turn left into North Block Road. The start of Sunrise Tracks starts at the road end.
The last 4 km of this road is through private farmland. Please don't disturb stock and leave gates as you found them.