Te Rerepahupahu Falls @ Toptracks.info

Te Rerepahupahu falls

DoC recommended times and track type:

Where is it? Head North from New Plymouth over Mt Messenger to Ahititi (around 60km) where you turn right onto Okau Road. This road takes you through to Ohura. After 12km is Kiwi road on the right, worth a trip on the way home if you have time. It will bring you out at Uruti, bypassing Mt Messenger, but it definitely won’t save you time. Keep going on Okau Road for another four km where you turn left onto Waitaanga Road, to Ohura, not Tahora. This road deteriorates into a one lane gravel track with many blind corners. Not the place to test your rally skills. Expect an oncoming vehicle when least expected. However work is happening on the worst pieces and they are being sealed. Waitaanga South Road is 15km further on, on the right, just past Mohakatino Road and before the Waitaanga Stream bridge. The car park and start of the track is at the end of this road, one km or so. Cross the style from the car park and head left past the stockyards. The first 35 minutes of the walk is across farm land. Stay on or close to the farm track. Expect it to be muddy. Once you get into the forest the track follows the tramway route through to the hut. Most of this is on the moss covered tramway sleepers, which are uneven and slippery. There are many wooden bridges and six swing bridges. The Falls are an hour from the hut, a short climb to a ridge then a very steep climb down to the river. There is a steel ladder in one place to remind you that it is steep. An intersection with the other access tracks is reached, turn right and walk for 10 minutes to the falls. There is a picnic and camping area there. The track is in excellent condition, but it is unusual to have to walk on sleepers for some long and this takes a bit of getting used to. When they are wet they are unpleasantly slippery.
Features The new four bed DoC hut is very smart, with running water and a shower. The falls are an hour from here. They are never going to be a national icon, but look impressive after a period of rain. They are reputed to be the fourth highest in New Zealand. The bush tramway must have been extensive. The sleepers are still there, some still with rail dogs intact, the rail is mostly all gone. Evidence of bridges can be still seen, and the there is the odd clearing which clearly had something to do with the tramway but not so clear as to what it was for. Some photos but little info appear in Paul Mahoney’s book ‘The Era of the Bush Trams in New Zealand’. There is a copy in the Research Centre of Puke Ariki at 385.5 MAH. Dangers Make sure people understand where you have gone. It is well off the beaten track, and there is definitely no mobile coverage. As for the track, be careful. Additional Notes The DoC web site provides information on the tracks from the three access points. See Waitaanga South Road to Te Rerepahupahu Falls Track Tatu to Te Rerepahupahu Falls track Mt. Damper to Te Rerepahupahu Falls track

This information was gathered while on site in 2004.

Where is it?

Head North from New Plymouth over Mt Messenger to Ahititi (around 60km) where you turn right onto Okau Road. This road takes you through to Ohura. After 12km is Kiwi road on the right, worth a trip on the way home if you have time. It will bring you out at Uruti, bypassing Mt Messenger, but it definitely won’t save you time. Keep going on Okau Road for another four km where you turn left onto Waitaanga Road, to Ohura, not Tahora. This road deteriorates into a one lane gravel track with many blind corners. Not the place to test your rally skills. Expect an oncoming vehicle when least expected. However work is happening on the worst pieces and they are being sealed. Waitaanga South Road is 15km further on, on the right, just past Mohakatino Road and before the Waitaanga Stream bridge. The car park and start of the track is at the end of this road, one km or so.

Cross the style from the car park and head left past the stockyards. The first 35 minutes of the walk is across farm land. Stay on or close to the farm track. Expect it to be muddy. Once you get into the forest the track follows the tramway route through to the hut. Most of this is on the moss covered tramway sleepers, which are uneven and slippery. There are many wooden bridges and six swing bridges. The Falls are an hour from the hut, a short climb to a ridge then a very steep climb down to the river. There is a steel ladder in one place to remind you that it is steep.

An intersection with the other access tracks is reached, turn right and walk for 10 minutes to the falls. There is a picnic and camping area there.

The track is in excellent condition, but it is unusual to have to walk on sleepers for some long and this takes a bit of getting used to. When they are wet they are unpleasantly slippery.

Features

The new four bed DoC hut is very smart, with running water and a shower. The falls are an hour from here. They are never going to be a national icon, but look impressive after a period of rain. They are reputed to be the fourth highest in New Zealand.

The bush tramway must have been extensive. The sleepers are still there, some still with rail dogs intact, the rail is mostly all gone. Evidence of bridges can be still seen, and the there is the odd clearing which clearly had something to do with the tramway but not so clear as to what it was for. Some photos but little info appear in Paul Mahoney’s book ‘The Era of the Bush Trams in New Zealand’. There is a copy in the Research Centre of Puke Ariki at 385.5 MAH.

Dangers

Make sure people understand where you have gone. It is well off the beaten track, and there is definitely no mobile coverage. As for the track, be careful.

Additional Notes

The DoC web site provides information on the tracks from the three access points. See

Waitaanga South Road to Te Rerepahupahu Falls Track

Tatu to Te Rerepahupahu Falls track

Mt. Damper to Te Rerepahupahu Falls track


Te Rerepahupahu falls
DoC recommended times and track type:
4-5 hours
tramping track
There are three ways to get into these 60m falls in the middle of the Waitaanga Forest in North Taranaki. The most common way (described here) is a hike mostly along the bed of the bush tramway, from the end of Waitaanga South Road. But in only two and a half hours you can get in from Waro Road off Hwy 43. The longest way is continuing on past the Mt Damper Falls for another seven hours.