Bell Rock Loop Track a walk to an iconic rock

Bell Rock is an iconic lookout accessed reached via a medium intensity walk, with breathtaking views over Hawkes’s Bay.

This track features a variety of vegetation and seasonal bird activities. The track climbs through mixed beech and podocarp to a forest dominated by gnarled beech and mountain holly trees and panoramic views. The low canopy provides opportunities to view large numbers of tui, bellbird and kereru.

Expansive views from the top of the range include Mahia Peninsula, Te Kooti’s Lookout, and the Kaweka mountain range. Note, the latter part of the walk and lookout are very exposed and can be particularly windy.

While the track is largely fine for children who are fit enough to walk the distance, please pay particular attention to them at the lookout as there are significant drops.

On the return journey, there is the option to veer left for an alternative walking route back to your car. This will deliver you to Pohokura Road approximately 1km away from your car (turn right onto Pohoura Road to get to your car).

Distance: 5.3 km

Duration: Three hours return

Stuff’s Brook Sabin calls it “the best walk you’ve never heard of”.

Getting there

Head north from Napier on on SH2 to Tutira, and turn left into Matahorua Road - just beside the Tutira storeabout 35 - 40mins from Napier.

Keep going up Matahorua Road for about 5km until the road forks – keep left, into Pohokura Road. The tarseal changes to gravel shortly after, and the carpark is approximately12km from the start of Pohokura Road on the left. Recommend navigating to the Bell Rock Loop Track Parking on Google Maps.

You can now view and enjoy the latest issue of Walking New Zealand magazine online for $2.50 at http://www.walkingewzealand.co.nz

USA’s 63rd National Park is the newest

Walkers who like to include (or ‘tick off’) a National Park when they head to the USA now have a new option – The New River Gorge, which earned the status just over two years ago.

Ironically, despite it’s name, New River is one of the oldest waterways in the world and it has carved out a dramatic chasm through the state of West Virginia.

Clients can self drive to West Virginia in a few hours from Washington DC – those with a hankering for this sort of thing could take in the more familiar Shenandoah National Park in Virginia along the way.

New River Gorge National Park and Reserve itself spans more than 70,000 acres (approx 28,000 hectares) along the river so there are plenty of stop off points to explore, hike or go mountain biking, and small towns along the route that people can stay in.

The most photographed single landmark in the park must be the New River Gorge Bridge – the world’s longest single-arch bridge in the world when it opened in 1977 and still the longest of its kind in the western hemisphere and the third highest bridge in the USA.

Just off the highway is the Canyon Rim Visitor Centre where people can walk out to an lookout for a view of the bridge – more spectacular seen from that vantage point than from driving across it.

There are options to walk and drive under the bridge or even take a guided tour along a catwalk a few metres below the bridge surface.

Travellers can easily get more immersed in the park from the visitor centre – helpful staff can give suggestions depending on any time restraints.

An easy to moderate walk (about four kilometres each way) is the Endless Wall – a hike over a creek to a spectacular view over the gorge at Diamond Point.

We are looking for the best digital photos each month depicting walking

Above right: I recently travelled to Norfolk Island with my family and found it to be walker’s paradise with numerous hikes, by sylvan pine forests, steep and windy, breathtaking cliffs and amazing sunsets. Pictured here is a walk at the Captain Cook Lookout to the north of the Island near Duncombe Bay where Cook had landed in 1774 The lookout is also the starting point for the Bridle Track, the best walk in the island and a birdwatcher’s delight to look at the migratory nesting birds. Photo by Avan Adak, Sydney, NSW.

Below right: Bald Cone guards the entrance to South Arm, Port Pegasus, on Stewart Island. The climb to the summit weaves its way through giant granite rocks and then steeply up large rock slabs. The views are stunning. Photo by Clair Woodhall, Napier

Above: left A small creek to cross. Above right: The bright orange hut built by NZ Deerstalkers Association. Below left: Sheep and cattle along the way.

13 Mile Bush Walk on Benmore Station

By Yvonne van Eerden

We are going to Benmore Station (10km west of Springfield) to walk 13 Mile Bush that is about 70 km from Christchurch with the tramping club. We had not been to 13 Mile Bush since before Covid.

The weather was on our side again with clear blue sky with little wind, but maybe a shower in the late afternoon. That was good for us.

The walk is described as moderate to challenging but the beginning of the tramp towards the bushline is easy walking and suitable for everyone to experience the working farmland and mountain views. You do not have to do the entire tramp. Just enjoy the nature and the surrounds.

Once we arrived at the carpark (you need to be observant to the entrance of Benmore Station as the DOC sign is in the driveway which is marked with trees showing the entrance) we sorted out our gear and headed to the beginning of the tramp through the deer fence, always making sure you leave the gate how you found it! scrub and tussock.

The group followed the river amongst the mountain views towards the bush.

One the way we met some sheep and cattle and came across some puddles due to the rain the night before but we knew that we had some creeks to cross eventually anyway.

A hunter who we met had been at the hut overnight said there are pigs, deer, goats and chamois in the area that is a good place for hunting. He was on his way back to the car park and he said that there were trees down but that we would have no problem going to the hut.

There was certainly plenty of mud as we went further into the bush which we went around and across the best we could, there was no doubt that our boots were going to be full of mud eventually and we had the creeks to clean them at any time.

The track was steep in a few parts and we just took our time,but we knew that the track was well within our capabilities.

We talked a few times about the hut being close and all of a sudden it appeared, the bright orange hut.

The hut which was built in 1975 and is bright orange and owned by the New Zealand Deer Stalkers Association. The hut has a wood burner with a few bunks and is a great shelter from the weather.

Lunch was had outside in amongst the beech trees. It was a very peaceful place. After our great lunch break we started our walk back down the track and by this time we had given up on dodging the mud and we just walked through it in places, we were very lucky as we did not sink down to our knees.

Walking through the creeks cleaned our boots and it is not a problem walking with wet feet as you dry out very quickly.

A few clouds started to appear on the way back. A fantastic day for us all. The track is approximately 11.7 km return allowing two and a half to three hours each way.

Above right: A view towards the hills. Below left: Walking beside a muddy track.

Below right: Another stream to cross.