Otaki Forks access road closed for summer

or take renata ridge and go over kapanui or via the akatarawa rd

The Blue Slip on the Otaki Gorge road, a couple of km short of the Forks, is a long standing problem area. The road is benched into a steep slope with the river actively cutting into the toe of the slope. Protecting the inaccessible toe would be difficult and expensive. I have been past several times when there were steps in the road surface due to slumping. The public were protected by warning signs only. On one occasion at least, the road disappeared completely, due to a major drop put. The risk of a large landslide, or the road dropping out, is probably quite low except during or soon after heavy rain. However, the risk of the District Council being blamed if anything untoward happens is very high. The road closure is to protect the Council and its staff as much as the public. Nowadays, most people expect to be kept safe without the need for any personal effort. Unfortunately, the more we are protected the more deskilled and unaware we become and the more we need to be protected. We are now too far down this track for any easy reversal. http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i117/calamus_us/OtakiGeorge_zpslrmc08rg.jpg http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i117/calamus_us/BP33_zps89x6hcv6.jpg

Report from the site: "(they walked past it) ... along with everyone else. Well worn track around barracade. "

This is a temporary access track to allow trampers to get in and out of Otaki Forks while the Otaki Gorge Road is closed. This access track is 5.1km one way, takes about 2 hour and dogs are only allowed if kept on a leash. Description from DOC website: Starting at Shields Flat Historic Reserve car park (13km down the Otaki Gorge Road), follow the directional signs and walk across the paddocks along the fence line. Once over the fence in the corner follow a mixture of orange triangles and directional signage up through a plantation of pine on a bulldozer track. A sign will direct you down a ridge through native forest; the steepest section on this track. At the bottom of the ridge the track pops out onto a private vehicle track that can be followed all the way down to the Otaki Gorge Road. Follow the road to Otaki Forks. Access on this track has been provided by two private landholders and will be removed when vehicle transport is restored to Otaki Forks.

Huzzah!

Looks like it would offer a nice warm-up with about 220m of vertical climbing and descent before heading up Judd Ridge. I wonder how many trampers will say (and have been saying) "bugger that" and will follow the (closed) road anyway?

Between that description and a topo map I'm still trying to figure out where DOC's describing that it actually goes. How soon before the Forks are they pushing people back onto Otaki Gorge Road? Does anyone have an approximate map handy? Or if you go there, could you post a GPX file?

My guess is that starting from the back corner of Shields Flat paddock at BP33 884 752 you head SW up the spur to BP33 881 747 then head SE down a fairly steep spur to BP33 885 746, then head along the road to the Forks. About 2km or so up and over and about 3km along the road. This to me looks like the shortest practicable route over the top of Blue Slip and back down to the road without walking in anyone's backyard.

or you could just keep walking down the road past the slip...

Glad you got the point @waynowski Human nature to take the easy route...