Mount Messenger to Kiwi Road track
Alert/Important notice
The track across Rerekapa Station is closed from 1 September to 30 November due to lambing.
Track category
Tramping track
Time:
5 hr 30 min
Description
This route descends to a regenerating kahikatea swamp and then continues up the ridge above the Mimi River valley.
The open mixed tawa/kamahi forest on the ridge is interspersed with small patches of hard beech forest. The route continues over several ridges and then descends and levels out.
The route skirts around Oenone trig (351 m) and continues along the ridge towards Rerekapa Station, which is managed by Landcorp (permission is needed to cross the private land, please phone +64 6 752 6819). Beyond Rerekapa Station you can see the forest of the Makino Conservation Area. The route then climbs over several steep peaks to Huanui trig (353 m) and then descends into a gully with a small stream.
A steep climb leads onto an easier section, which follows the ridge out to the open farmland of Rerekapa Station and on to Kiwi Road.
Either arrange to have a car waiting at Kiwi Road, or return to Mount Messenger. The track is not marked where it comes out onto the Kiwi Road in the vicinity of an airstrip.
Getting there
The track begins on State Highway 3, 50 km north of New Plymouth and approximately 1 km from the base of the southern side of Mt Messenger.
About the area
The steep forested Mt Messenger Conservation Area is a mixture of coastal forest, kahikatea swamp, tawa/kamahi interspersed with hard beech forest. It is home to kiwi, paua slug (schizoglossa), scrub beetle (Odontria veluntina) and the hebe townsonii.
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
