Mangaotaki walk and Waitanguru Falls walk
Track category
Walking track
Description
Waitanguru Falls
Mangaotaki walk
Time: 30 min loop
Distance: 0.8 km
The car park and track entrance is on the left immediately after the Mangaotaki Bridge. This gentle loop walking track winds its way over tree roots and passes many boulders along the way as well as a gnarly old tree and towering kahikatea laden with epiphytes.
Waitanguru Falls walk
Time: 15 min return
Distance: 0.2km
These falls a further 11km along from the Mangaotaki walk on Mangaotaki Rd. The car park and track entrance is on the right. A well graded and stepped walking track takes you down to a viewing platform that looks out to this magnificent tiered waterfall.
Getting there
Travel south from Te Kuiti on SH3 until you reach Piopio and turn right onto Kea St. After 1 km turn left into Mangaotaki Rd. The Mangaotaki walking track is about 8km long this road.
Activities
Dog walking
Fishing
Dog walking
Dogs and owners are welcome to use the Mangaotaki walk and Waitanguru Falls walk track for exercise. You'll need a dog control permit, which is available from the Maniapoto Area Office. Dogs must be under control at all times.
Fishing
The Mangaotaki River contains an extensive length of fishing water, especially in the middle reaches, that is ideal water for the novice fly-fisherman. Water clarity is not quite adequate to spot fish, but there is generally no shortage of rainbow trout between 0.5 - 1.5 kg.
Access to the middle and upper reaches can be gained from Mangaotaki Rd, via State Highway 3 at Piopio Village. Public access to the stream is available through the Mangaotaki Scenic Reserve for about 2.5 km.
Trout fishing licenses are necessary and can be obtained from the Fish and Game website. The fishing season is from 1 October to 30 June each year.
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.