Kauri grove

Time: 40 min one way

The track starts with a flight of stairs, then levels out to cross a largely open face with views to the north. Walk past an old pa site (hidden by vegetation) through regenerating native bush to a large kauri tree, estimated to be over a thousand years old.

A few minutes further on, and past the site of a large kauri that fell in 2009, the track passes through a grove of young kauri (rickers) to a viewpoint that looks out across the forest.

Return the way you came or continue on to complete the full loop.

Full loop

Time: 2 hr

From the viewpoint, climb up through stands of large rimu to an excellent view point of Huntly and the north Waikato lakes.

From here you can continue on the Hakarimata Walkway to the Southern Lookout (20 min, 700 m) with views that extend across Hamilton and south to Tongariro National Park on a clear day. Otherwise continue on the loop track, descend through an attractive grove of nikau palms to a lower viewpoint and the car park.

Address

End of Parker Road, Waikato.

Directions

The track is 6.9 km south of Huntly and 11.2 km north of Ngaruawahia. It starts from the end of Parker Road, off Hakarimata Road which connects these two towns.

Boot cleaning station

Make use of the magnificent new boot cleaning station at the start of the track. Our footwear can carry the spores causing kauri dieback. Cleaning your boots protects our precious kauri.

The No Entry sign is to clarify which lane on the boot cleaning station you should use, not to keep you off the track.