New Zealand Walk: Beehive Creek a zig zag

The Beehive Creek walk follows a shallow creek through a mixture of native bush and exotics before crossing farmland.

Length of walk 4 km

Time Allow two to three hours.

Classed as an easy walking track.

Seasonal restrictions Closed for lambing and calving from 1 August to 30 November.

Dog access - No dogs are allowed.

This is a great summer walk, which follows the sandy bed of Beehive Creek through a mixture of native bush and exotics. Parts of the track may be hard to follow due to flood damage. It requires several crossings of the normally shallow, gentle stream and then climbs over hilly farmland to reach the Pohangina Road.

Walkers can then return to the starting point via the road or back along the stream. There are good views of the Pohangina Valley and the Ruahine Ranges from the top of the hill section and you may see tui, kereru, fantail, bellbird and kingfisher along the way.

Getting there Beehive Creek is located on Pohangina Road, around 33 km north of Palmerston North. From Palmerston North head to Ashhurst, turn onto Pohangina Road and drive through Pohangina. The walkway begins approximately 3 km further on and is signposted.

Know before you go The Beehive Creek Walkway is not a loop track. It can be walked in either direction, but you will need to shuttle cars if you want to avoid the 3 km stretch of road between the start and finish points. Alternatively you can begin at the creek end, walk as far as you wish and return the same way.

Please note: As at 30 August 2021 the northern part of this walkway via the easement is closed for major farm operations. DOC are working to establish a more suitable alternative route. Until an alternative is available, only enter from the southern end and return the same way once you reach private land.

Beehive Creek a zig zag through creek walk

By Jem Bakker

Beehive Creek is an easy half day walk that has the added novelty of zig-zagging up a creek as you make your way upstream to the farmland.

This walk isn’t a difficult walk nor does it take a high fitness level. It is perfect for families and those wanting a fun and different walk. The path is often overgrown and dips in and out of the creek. There were times when we didn’t even bother following the path as we could see it just went over the bank for a couple of meters then veered down into the creek again. Sometimes there is little point in following it.

Beehive Creek isn’t recommended in winter. Although the creek is not particularly wide or deep, if it had a bit of water coming down from above over a long period, the creek would swell. This is a walk best tackled in other parts of the year.

The start of the walk is by public road, but you are quickly surrounded by trees, bush and farmland, taking you away from the realities of life. It is easy to forget that you aren’t actually far away from modern life.

Almost immediately into the walk, your feet are submerged in the water as you tackle the first crossing of the creek. I lost count of how many times we crossed.

As you walk through the many glades with nothing for company other than the birds sitting watching high up in the trees and the insects buzzing happily about minding their own business you feel a serene sense of peace. A constant rhythmic sound came from our boots as we trodded along.

Walking in silence and having our musical boots competing with the birdsong was very pleasant.

If you sit quietly on the logs that lie in wait for a weary walker to sit on for a rest, you may just spot some of our local birds.

We saw fantails flitting furiously from branch to branch, tuis guarding their trees, Woodpigeons clumsily bumbling about and plenty of other

Above On the Beehive Creek track with a stream flowing through.

birds. Sometimes you have to settle for just listening to them. But that is enough as their songs are quite beautiful.

You can carry on up through the farms and then head back to your car via the road, but I prefer to turn around and come back through the creek again.

Plus, it is much more fun stamping through the water than it is trying to dodge cars going at 100kms up the windy road. Much . more natural and wilder.

If you do decide you want to make a loop of it, you will need go outside of lambing and calving season. The farmland closes between 1st August and 30th November for this reason.

From the top of the hill, you get a magnificent view of Pohangina Valley and the Ruahine Range in the distance. This part of the walk requires a bit of fitness as it is uphill, however, it doesn’t take you long before you spy the road cutting a scar through the farmland.

Beehive Creek is a novel half day walk that will please young children as well as the young at heart. It is a beautiful, serene hike that isn’t too difficult. The added bonus of reliving childhood stamping through puddles makes Beehive Creek a delight.