My Favourite Walk
Tramping Te Apiti - the narrow passage Above: An informative whare with impressive displays of Maori history and Te Apiti events over the years. Below left: The 6.2 metres high, 1,5 metres wide, 1.2 metres deep steel statue of Whataonga.
38 Walking New Zealand, issue no 294
By Daniel Haddock
“It is the only place in New Zealand where a river begins its journey on the opposite side of the main divide to where it joins the sea. With its native bush and wildlife, Te Āpiti is a time capsule that preserves the bush that once covered the Manawatū, a place frozen in time.” (Te Apiti-Manawatu Gorge- Te whenua me te tāhuhu koreroHorizons Regional Council) Sunday, July 3rd dawned with a frost in Havelock North as 10 Heretaunga Tramping Club members boarded the van accompanied by one car of four members for the trip to the 11.3 km. Manawatu Gorge Track. Another driver was picked up in Norsewood and David joined in Dannevirke. “In April 2017, the Manawatu Gorge was closed again due to a large slip. Contractors were pulled out of clearing the slip in July 2017 due to ongoing geological movement in the hill, closing the road indefinitely.” So five years on, the closure necessitated dropping off one group at the eastern entrance, Ferry Road Reserve. The van was then driven back to the western Ashhurst end where those remaining parked the van/car and started the track. - 2022
The eastern entrance was marked by a whare of detailed historical/ current information of this unique reserve above the Manawatū River, which the Rangitane Iwi named Te Au Rere a Te Tonga, meaning ‘the rushing current of the south’. The track was well-maintained and featured an array of signage along the journey. The trail climbed and descended in long sections. Viewpoints There are five viewpoints which “give spectacular vistas of the river, road, railway, reserve and turbines at nearby windfarms” (DOC). Each stop was a few metres off the track and well-worth the detour. You could hear the turbines well before getting up close and personal with them. Standing above the river along the various viewpoints, you could see where the railway tunnel entered on the Woodville side. Ferns, birds and nikau palms Te Apiti is an isolated remnant of native podocarp forest. (PNCC.govt. nz) Much of the flora was identified
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