Just going to the top is much easier than going over the ridge and down the other side, it’s not really worth it as there isn’t much to see. The track starts at the end of Hot Springs Rd at the car park. It’s an excellent walk with Rimu & giant Kauri trees, freshwater streams, plenty of great views and bird life. This is our most favourite walk in Katikati and we’ve hiked it a lot, it’s not too hard.
About 15 mins into the walk you’ll cross the Te Rereatukahia Stream before climbing on a moderate grade, sidling in and out of gullies for a further hour before slowly winding your way up to meet the North-South Track at the summit.
Once you get to the summit of the Tuahu Track you hit the North-South track. From here you can turn left and go to the Motutapere Hut, continue past the hut and turn left onto the Mt Eliza Mine Track which then takes you further onto Thompsons Track.
Or you can turn right and do the Te Rereatukaihu Hut Loop walk which comes out just a bit further past the Hot Springs car park.
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The start of the Tuahu Track is a 5.5km drive to the end of Hot Springs Road, and a total of 8km south of Katikati. There is plenty of room to park the car, although don’t leave any valuables inside, you might get broken into. There has been a lot of maintenance done on this track and it’s now really nice.
The start of the Tuahu track is easy to find just follow the sign post. The toilet is up in the trees on the left hand side of the car park. 20 mins into the walk there is a turn off on the left to the massive Tuahu Kauri tree, the 5 minute walk is well worth it, the Kauri tree is amazing. The Te Rereatukahia Stream can be tricky to cross if it has been raining in the last day, otherwise, you can rock hop the stream without getting your socks wet.
When you cross the Te Rereatukahia Stream it is uphill all the way. You will skip across two more creeks and walk through a small grove of Rimu trees. The track winds its way up the Kaimai Ranges, but is not steep, it’s a fantastic walk. There is so much beautiful bush, with peps through the trees of the stunning views to Tauranga along the way.
At the top of the saddle, you will meet up with the North-South track. If you have some time up your sleeve, or you brought some lunch with you, walk straight past the North-South junction and follow the track over the top for 3 minutes to a grassy strip alongside the track. There is a small patch of grass for you to sit down on, have a hot drink and enjoy the great view of the mighty Waikato. With power 10 binoculars you can just make out Hamilton on the horizon.
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