Three day hike in the Waioeka: Moanui - Koranga Forks - Tawa Loop

When you’re a townie like me, hiking in the backcountry always means driving a few hours. Usually down a gravel road with potholes, and the odd tree blocking the road. Moanui Road in the Waioeka Conservation Area had two out of three, luckily for me, it wasn’t a fallen tree because I don’t own a chainsaw yet. The carpark and start of the Moanui-Koranga Forks-Tawa Loop is about a 40 minute drive from Waioeka Gorge Road and then Te Wera Road turn-off. You can get through the gravel road on a 2WD drive, but the potholes can be pretty unforgiving to a low-riding bumper.

I started my walk around 11am - fortunately it was overcast with a lovely breeze so I didn’t have to suffer the midday heat. The Moanui Track starts off on farmland as it follows the Koranga River. The bush sections are well graded and marked (orange triangles), while the open farmland had large, yellow wooden posts. Some sections narrowed down to double my boot width with steep drop offs, but as long as you watch your step, it’s fairly easy to get through. These are working farms, so keep your distance from livestock and leave gates as you find them (or follow instructions on signs).

Here's why Mount Tauhara is definitely worth the climb

Mount Tauhara is a 65,000 year old dormant lava dome volcano, the gentle giant that stands as gatekeeper to Lake Taupō. The 2.5km track to the summit (1,088m/3,570ft) is popular with locals and visitors alike. At the top, the tall fella and I were treated to panoramic views of the district, and even as far as the peaks of Tongariro National Park.

After a weekend of foodie indulgence for our anniversary, a walk up Mount Tauhara was a must-do before heading home to Whakatāne. After downing coffees and bacon butties at the Sunday market (Aaron was stoked that the butties came with HP sauce), we drove the 10 minutes out of Taupō to the Mount Tauhara carpark. The car park is at the end of Mountain Road, just before a gated working farm.

A rainy day hike on the Tarawera Trail

Grey skies greeted us at Te Wairoa carpark. I knew we were in for a wet afternoon, but I was hopeful we would be closer to Hot Water Beach by then, and even planned a quick soak before catching the water taxi at 3pm. I’ve walked the Tarawera Trail twice before (from both directions) and was pretty confident with my five hour walking estimate. Unfortunately, there have been a couple of major storms since I last hiked the Tarawera Trail, and the large windfalls and overgrown sections did slow us down. I was still pretty close - it took us 5.5 hours and made it to Hot Water Beach with just three minutes to spare!

Even though it’s called the ‘Tarawera Trail’, I reckon it’s still a well marked track and beginners shouldn’t have too much trouble. When you leave the carpark, the trail will begin to narrow as it climbs up towards Te Wairoa viewpoint. There was a lot of grass and ferns growing over the track, which slowed me down a lot. Being just five feet fall, we had a good laugh as I bush bashed my way through, and the tall fella cruised through it. Is it even hiking in the backcountry without a bit of bush bashing?

River exploring in the Ikawhenua Ranges

“Leave it! No! Leave it!” I thought I was alone on the track when her voice boomed through the birds and the light breeze. A few minutes later, I saw a woman walking towards me carrying a dead possum in her left hand, with a dog on her right. The dog seemed proud of his find, and somewhat annoyed that the woman wouldn't let him enjoy it. “I’m trying to find a tree high enough to hang it on so he can’t get to it next time.” We both laughed. She must have been a local living nearby, there weren’t any other cars parked up when I got there.

I was back in the Ikawhenua Ranges in Galataea - I had walked up Mt Tawhiuau a few times, but had never the Galatea Foothills Track. It was a good morning for it, almost-spring weather meant a couple of layers but rain wasn’t on the radar that day. The Kahikatea canopy stood tall, but not thick enough that sunshine couldn’t get through to the forest floor.

Women’s weekend overnighter at Daly's Clearing Hut

Saturday night was pretty special - it was warm enough to spend a couple of hours looking up at the Milky Way, telling bush stories and laughing at life. We even spotted a few shooting stars that I later learned were the tail end of a meteor shower. There is a fire pit in front of the hut, but with all the recent rain there just wasn’t any dry wood around. One by one people started going to bed, and I seriously thought about sleeping out on the deck. But I knew rain was coming too, and I was glad to be warm in bed when I heard it dancing on the roof at 5am.

This was the biggest group I've hiked with ever - four newbies and my regular adventure buddies, Katri and Tia. I organised a beginner’s overnighter for the weekend - an idea that came from some followers on Facebook who I already knew through different circles. Whakatāne is a small town with two degrees of separation after all. I have hiked most of the Kaimai-Mamaku Forest before, and Daly's Clearing Hut is definitely the most accessible for beginners. The quickest route is less than two hours from the car park.

Our group met at the Franklin Road car park around midday. The plan was to walk alongside the Waitawheta River, the same track I’ve taken to Waitawheta Hut previously. It's lovely flat terrain that's really more of a walking track. You can see remnants of the historical tramway, which were used to transport the giant Kauri they were milling. We walked for about an hour through farmland and bush until we reached the Daly’s Clearing Track junction.

Rogers Hut via Moerangi Track in Te Whirinaki Pua-a-Tāne

I stopped by at Volk & Co to grab a takeaway soy mocha for the drive to Te Waiti. Early mornings usually meant fog on the roads, and I had plenty on the way to Murupara. There was some lingering fog as I hit the gravel section on SH38, but the morning sun was actually more of a hazard, especially on the corners. I felt a sigh of relief as I turned into Okahu Road.

The 35km Moerangi Track is shared use for MTB and trampers. For MTB, the ride starts at Okahu Road and ends at River Road. Trampers can walk the track in either direction. I walked in/out to Moerangi Hut from River Road last year, and geez that was a big hill! The great thing about this section of Moerangi Track is that it’s mostly cleared of roots and runs alongside the river. It was incredibly peaceful walking on my own.

Somewhere before I reached Whangatawhia (Skips Creek) Hut, I came across the only people I met on the track that day. It was a group of five that had stayed at Rogers Hut the night before. One of the men in the group stopped for a chat, asking if I was walking in on my own. I sure was! They had met four women on their way to Moerangi Hut earlier, but being a Sunday, there was a high chance I could have the hut to myself. Lucky me.

© 2015 Five Foot Ronna

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