Wangapeka Track
Tramping track
Time:
4 - 6 days one way
Distance:
53 km
Getting there
From Tapawera, 62 km from Nelson, follow the sign posts west to the Wangapeka Valley. After crossing the Dart River ford or footbridge, continue 7 km up the valley to Prices Clearing. Here there is an information kiosk with public telephone (free dialling to Nelson) and intentions book. The track starts a further 1 km on.
From the West Coast road, turn off at Little Wanganui, 80 km north of Westport, 18 km south of Karamea, and drive inland for 5 km on Wangapeka Road to the carpark where the track starts.
The Leslie-Karamea Track leads into the Wangapeka Track.
Public transport
A bus service is available from Nelson to Tapawera. From Nelson, Motueka and Tapawera, on demand transport services are available to the start of the track.
Similar services are available from the Karamea end, and an air service which can return visitors to their starting point.
About the area
Created in 1996, Kahurangi is one of New Zealand's newest and the second largest national park. It's located in the northwest corner of New Zealand's South Island.
Steeped in goldmining history, the Buller area is home to Punakaiki Rocks, the temperate forests of Oparara Basin, along with Cape Foulwind and Tauranga Bay.
Description
Connor Creek, Wangapeka
The Wangapeka Track traverses Kahurangi National Park from the Waimea Basin in the east to the West Coast near Karamea in the west. It crosses two saddles of over 1000 metres and travels through beautiful beech-forested valleys of the Wangapeka, Karamea, Taipo and Little Wanganui rivers. Reasonable fitness is required and boots are recommended.
Activities
Fishing
Hunting
Fishing
The Wangapeka River has good numbers of brown trout and is a nationally recognised fishery. Anglers need a licence from Fish & Game New Zealand.
Hunting
Red deer can be found and pigs are present, but not in large numbers. All hunters must have a DOC permit. For a permit contact a West Coast office for the Little Wanganui catchment and a Nelson/Marlborough office for the rest of the track.
Places to stay
This is a standard 20-bunk hut in the Motueka area.
This is a basic 4-bunk hut in the Motueka area.
This is a standard 10-bunk hut in the Motueka area.
This is a standard 10-bunk hut in the Motueka area.
This is a standard 16-bunk hut in the Motueka area.
This is a standard 10-bunk hut in the Buller area.
You need backcountry hut tickets or a backcountry hut pass to stay in the huts, which all require three tickets with the exception of Cecil King’s Hut, Stag Flat and Little Wanganui Emergency Shelters which are free and the Rolling River Shelter which is one ticket.
Plan and prepare
- Undertake the Wangapeka Track only if you are an experienced tramper and carry warm, waterproof clothing and extra food.
- Rivers and smaller side streams can rise quickly; do not cross when they are swollen.
- Boil, filter or treat water for drinking
What to expect on a tramping track:
- Challenging day or multi-day tramping/hiking
- Track is mostly unformed with steep, rough or muddy sections
- Suitable for people with good fitness. Moderate to high level backcountry skills and experience, including navigation and survival skills required
- Track has markers, poles or rock cairns. Expect unbridged stream and river crossings
- Tramping/hiking boots required
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