Kahikatea Walk
Track category
Walking track
Time:
20 min
Description
Kahikatea fruit
As the name of the walk suggests, mature kahikatea are the star in this reserve. Lie on your back and look up at the canopy and admire these majestic trees. There is a stand of rata trees beside the track that started out life by piggy-backing on larger trees. They perch in the tree as an epiphyte and send down roots that then form their ground support. As the rata grows, its roots become twisted and interwoven with each other. The rata then grows larger than its host tree, sometimes killing it in the process.
Getting there
The track is located in the Pohangina Valley about 40 minutes drive from Palmerston North. From Ashhurst, drive north along Pohangina Road, then turn right onto Pohangina Valley East Road. You will go past the Highland Youth Camp on your right and Pohangina Valley East Road veers off to the right. Stay on this road and the track is located on your left approximately 1 km past Arbon's Road.
About the area
Damaged by storms and heavy snow in 2004, many of the tree tops were snapped off and will take some years to recover. However, this is a beautiful short walk and with parts of the canopy now opened up, would be warm and sunny on a nice day.
Plan and prepare
Before you go into the outdoors, tell someone your plans and leave a date to raise the alarm if you haven't returned. To do this, use the New Zealand Outdoors Intentions process on the AdventureSmart website. It is endorsed by New Zealand's search and rescue agencies and provides three simple options to tell someone you trust the details about your trip.
Location map
