Pirongia - Bell/ Tahuanui Loop 1.5 days
Pirongia Forest Park
- 1 – 2 days loop track
- Medium
This is a beaut! Fresh air, lush veg and precious plants only 1.5h drive from Auckland.
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Walking time
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1 – 2 days
11 hr – 14 hr
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Distance
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20.0km |
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Type
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Loop track
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Grade
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Medium |
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Bookings
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No bookings — open access
No — open access
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Starts
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Kaniwhaniwha carpark: Head off the highway Nth of Mt Pirongia, at the Forest Park roadsign - towards Te Pahu, go right; there's a sign before the bridge. |
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Maps
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NZTopo50-BE33
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Altitude
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959m |
There are luscious glades of podocarps, supplejack forests and swamps (tho not fire ones) which make for lots of extra fun...and the odd swoop of a kereru and tumble of wild pig (heaps) will keep you on your toes.
Along the tops are cool dracos and small eyebrights in summer, and gardens of dack...
hah- gotcha! Dactylanthus, an endangered parasitic plant pollinated by (rare) shorttailed bats, which looks barely more than a lump of root.
Here's a thing: DOC officers doing work up here a few years back could tell these plants were near - because the nectar shows up as fluorescent pink in the possums' bellies, it's a delicacy. Caught: pink-bellied!
Enjoy :-)
Tahuanui Track: about 4-5h to the summit.
Bell Track: about 7-10h to the summit. This one has better camping opps and views out west for sunset.
The DOC site has all the finer details.