Te Āpiti or Manawatū Gorge is widely acclaimed as a must do, iconic hike/walk in the lower North Island. Just a 20 minute drive from Palmerston North to reach the Tawa loop side of the gorge. If you don’t want to do the full hike, at least make sure to do the Tawa loop. The native bush here is home to the only place in Aotearoa you will see a giant maidenhair fern. The lush bush is home to many a Tui and Bellbird providing beautiful song to accompany you on the hike. The full hike has stunning views from multiple vantage points and gets you up close and personal with the Manawatū’s newest edition of wind farms!
Be sure to read the signs you come across along the walk as Te Āpiti is steeped in rich cultural history. It’s known as a national taonga (treasure). You’ll even come face to face with a towering sculpture of the ancient chief Whātonga standing guard over this precious Forrest.
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Details
Starting Point: Manawatū Gorge Road.
Distance: 11km one way.
Duration: 3-4 hours
Difficulty: Moderate/Hard
When: We did this in February
Local iwi: Rangitāne
Additional Information: If you do this walk as a there and back, it’ll total around 22km. Instead, we did this walk in two stages, start at Gorge Road near balance domain, walk to Te Āpiti Lookout and back. Then head to Manawatū Gorge Road carpark and do the Tawa loop track. Alternatively, find some friends to pick you up at the end of the trail to do it all in one day!
Trail Map
The Trail
This is a one-way walk, meaning you either split it into sections and do them as loops/there and back hikes or you do it all in a day. We think it’s a bit long to do in a day, especially given there are a lot of uphill sections to this hike. Ideally use two cars with a group so you can leave one car at the end of the hike and do it all in one go!
We did the section of the hike from the Manawatu Gorge Scenic Reserve first. From the start, we made it about halfway to the Te Āpiti lookout before turning around and retracing our steps to the start of the hike. We then did the rest of the hike on a different day by completing the Tawa Loop Track from the Manawatū Gorge car park.
Windy Lookout
The views here are absolutely incredible! Well worth the short side trail to get to. We were lucky enough to share the spot with a very friendly local who chatted with us for a while and sat in silence with us too whilst we all munched on our snacks and enjoyed the view before us. The wind isn’t as bad here as the name would have you believe, but still be sure to hang on to your hats! Tiff got close to losing hers here!
Windmill Lookout
If you’re like us and never been up close to a windmill, you’ll be surprised to realise they are quite loud! From a distance, they look rather peaceful, but up close, you can hear the blades swishing through the air. You’ll hear the windmill before you find it on this little detour from the main track. We think it’s worth walking out here. You feel very small standing underneath these giant turbines. There is even a table here if you fancy another place to sit and eat a snack! If you need a toilet, then this is the only one on the track. It’s off to the side a little, but there is a well-formed track to get to it.
Sentinel Lookout
Another quick detour from the main track will reward you with more stunning views out over the river and surrounding countryside. If you don’t want to add a few extra meters to the walk, then you can always skip this one in favour of Te Āpiti lookout. You don’t need to leave the main trail to reach this lookout and are rewarded with similar views.
Tawa Loop
If you have split the walk into two like we did, you’ll want to save this section for last. The Tawa loop track is a 4km track roughly 1-2hrs long. Following the track, you’ll wander slowly up the southern edge of the gorge shaded by the lush bush. Be aware that the track can get slippery here. About halfway along, you’ll get some gorgeous views over to Palmerston North from ‘Tom’s lookout’. Keep following the track to reach the junction with the main gorge track under the powerful gaze of Whātonga.
Whātonga Sculpture
This impressive sculpture watches over the land here. Standing at 6.2m high, Whātonga is hard to miss. The history of Manawatu Gorge begins with the chief Whātonga on board the Kurahaupo waka. He was a great explorer. More history on Whātonga and Te Āpiti here. The sculpture is made of steel and covered in intricate patterns of mangōpare to depict the sailing history of Whātonga. Be sure to read the info boards here to learn more about Whātonga as well! From here, turn left and follow the trail back down to the car park.
Extra Tips/Info for Manawatū Gorge
As always, remember that this walk takes place in native bush and on Māori land. Rangitāne are the tangata whenua (people of the land) of this beautiful walk and the surrounding area of Manawatū. To respect this, we always stick to the trail, leave nothing but footprints and take nothing but photos.
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