Otanewainuku rises to 640m high and is covered in virgin forest. A loop track leads to the lookout tower which is too overgrown to give spectacular views. We were fortunate while up there to meet Patricia, a fit and inspirational local who regularly climbs the track to the summit for exercise.
We started the track clockwise and met a little robin on our way up. There are kiwi in the forest as well.
The walk was done the day before Cyclone Vaianu arrived in the Bay of Plenty. We did the Rimu Loop walk on 17th December 2025.
Meaning of name Ōtānewainuku: This sacred mountain of Waitaha is 645m high with many settlements located on and around it. Ōtānewainuku is the headwater of many local streams and its name means “the many waters that spring forth from the domain of Tāne (the god of the forests)”. Another definition is “the mountain of the parting waters, where the clouds meet the land, and the rain leaves the sky.” Source: waitaha-iwi.org.nz
Te Koutu Lake, or ‘Lake Te Koo Utu” is located in the town of Cambridge. The name of the lake loosely translates as ‘to scoop up water.’ The trees and gardens were established in the 1880s. There are two tracks, the upper track leads to a rotunda, recreation area and conservatory while the lower track goes around the lake.
The lake was formed indirectly from the last major eruption of Lake Taupo around 1800 years ago, when tonnes of debris swept down the Waikato River and blocked off many side streams. Here, water backed up behind the debris dam and formed this small lake.
In the 1880s the Cambridge Domain Board took responsibility for the area. Gradually they converted the gorse and manuka covered land into a park filled with chestnuts, elms and gum trees. Carp and catfish were let loose in the lake and white swans were released too but failed to establish.
It’s a good place to break the journey between Auckland and Rotorua. The best times to visit would be May when the trees are turning red and golden, our walk on April 9th was a bit early for that. The other time is summer when the water lilies are out.
The lookout is situated between Karekare and Piha beaches. The views weren’t great, we couldn’t see Lion Rock because cyclone Vaianu was on its way from Fiji.
We didn’t realise at first we were walking on a pa site related to the ancient Turehu. The inhabitants of this ancient pa lived on the cliffs either from fear of people or fear of a tsunami.
The full name of Te Ahua Point is ‘Te Ahua O Hinerangi.’ Hinerangi was a Turehu ancestress. A pou (carved pole) dedicated to a descendant of the same name looks out toward the Tasman Sea. This Hinerangi died of a broken heart after losing her husband to a rogue wave while fishing on the rocks at Piha.
Hinerangi
The info board maintains the site was one of those chosen by the ancestors of Te Kawau a Maki who lived here for its position and proximity to Hikurangi. Hikurangi was the name given to the main mountainous range that formed part of Te Wao nui a Tiwa, the great forest of Tiriwa. Tiriwa was the chief of the Waitakere Turehu.
The ancestors of Te Kawau a Maki are the Turehu, a pre-Maori people. Their hair colours ranged from white and dull-golden, with red being predominant in the general population. There were also shades of brown through to black. Braided samples of this multi-coloured hair (taken from the Waitakere rock shelters) used to be on display at Auckland War Memorial Museum and were written about by Maori Historian, Sir Peter Buck.
There is more about the Turehu here, under the heading ‘Waitakere Turehu, Auckland‘ …
There is a radar station at the site. In 1948 two pioneering radio astronomers determined for the first time the source of radio waves from outside the solar system. The radio signals were identified as coming from three stars, Taurus-A, Centaurus-A and Virgo-A. Taurus-A is the remnant of the famous Crab Nebula, a super nova in the constellation of Taurus which exploded in 1054 AD.
About 15 years before Captain James Cook arrived, Ngati Whatua took over the Tamaki isthmus by warfare (note: Maori land ownership kept changing as tribes grew stronger) and yet even then, the Kawerau in the Waitakere’s were still recognised as the iwi whenua of the Waitakere when others such as the Maruiwi and Waiohua became extinct or absorbed into Ngati-Whatua, (In effect, they became the same as Maori absorbed into European bloodlines today – if you think about it!). The remnants of the Kawerau lived in Mahurangi and Omaha after these times. Source: The Kawerau
“Te Kawerau ā Maki are a West Auckland-based iwi. Our origins arise through whakapapa to the first human inhabitants of the land – the Tūrehu, and descent from the early migratory people to settle the region, such as the Tini ō Maruiwi and Te Tini ō Toi, to the arrival of the Tainui, Aotea, Moekakara, Tokomaru, Kahuitara, and Kurahaupo canoes in the 14th century, and the Ngati Awa, Ngāoho, and Ngāiwi people who occupied the wider area prior to 1600.” Source: Te Kawerau a Maki
The walk begins to the north of the ferry terminal at Matiatia. The first ten minutes of the walk is along the beach and it’s best to go either side of low tide.
The picturesque views include Rangitoto Island and downtown Auckland. The track passes some of the island’s most expensive houses with their manicured gardens and sculptures. There’s an interesting dog made of timber at Cable Bay.
It’s a slog up a lot of steps at Cable Bay until you get to Delamore Drive. The road has a gate which you pass through and after that a long track downhill track leads back to the ferry terminal at Matiatia.
Stony Batter is at the end of Man O’War Bay road. It’s an impressive remnant of New Zealand’s coastal defense system. While very little remains above ground, the rooms and tunnels below ground are really well preserved.
The walk along the gravel road past farmland and grape vines gives sweeping views of the Hauraki Gulf out to the Coromandel peninsula.
The area takes its name from distinctive rock formations that are the remnants of two ancient volcanos.
There is a charge to enter the batter, in order to maintain the site. The historic site was built in 1942 and finished after the war. It’s managed by the archaeologist leasing it.
Stony Batter rock formationOld WW2 kerosene heaterStony Batter walk
A walk through a rare patch of bush on the southern coast of Waiheke Island. Although Waiheke Island is the Hauraki Gulf’s second biggest island, it’s been intensively farmed and very little bush remains. The forest on this walk consisted mainly of punga, kohekohe and taraire trees. I didn’t see any kauri trees.
The walk was ho-hum and not well sign-posted.
The best forests on Waiheke Island are on private land. We carried on to the Man O’War Forest Zip-line where we got to walk and fly through big stands of kauri. I recommend the experience.
I give the walk a low rating because of the lack of signage. It was supposed to be ‘the School Loop Track’ but I couldn’t find it.
This walkway follows the Te Henui river. It was a serene stroll rich in history. The first thing we learned was the meaning of Te Henui.
To Maori, warfare was both an integral part of their political system and a response to offenses or crimes of any kind. Between the late 1700s and early 1800s the tribes of the Taranaki region were in regular conflict with various tribes from the Waikato region.
According to the story that has been handed down through generations it was during an expected battle with Waikato that the Henui stream was given its name.
The Taranaki iwi travelled along the coast to help defend the local Atiawa tribe from Waikato which was nearing their boundaries. They arrived around nightfall and headed towards Te Henui. Scouts from Te Atiawa saw them and mistook them for the enemy. Intense hand to hand conflict erupted in the dark from one riverbank to the other. It wasn’t until daylight that each party realised they were fighting their own allies. There were significant losses experienced on both sides.
Hence the meaning of Te Henui, “the big mistake.”
There are two pa sites on the walk. The first was Pukewarangi, crowned with some pines, which we explored.
The second was Parihamore, a pa site further along the path.
During the 18th century a beautiful young woman named Urukinaki resided at Parihamore Pa. She attracted attention from men all over Taranaki including Potaka, a chief of the Puketapu hapu from the Bellblock area.
Urukinaki considered Potaka too old and ugly and was not the least bit interested in him. Angry and insulted, Potaka laid siege to Parihamore. The siege dragged on until starvation was imminent and Urukinaki surrendered for the sake of her tribe.
Crossing the path underneath the Cumberland Street Bridge we walked back along the other side of the stream.
The path led past the other side of the Parihamore pa site to the historic Te Henui cemetery and from there it rejoined the path along the stream.
Te Henui cemeteryTatton grave, Te Henui cemeteryOld vickarage built 1845Mohammed Islam Salaman tombTe Henui pathway
Walk: Taranaki 5
The walk was busy at times with cyclists who I can’t always hear on the path, but I rate it as a solid four.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Links
Te Henui Vicarage Associated with the earliest period of European settlement in New Plymouth, the vicarage is one of the relatively few buildings in New Plymouth that was not demolished during the Taranaki Wars, signifying the esteem that the building had also with local Maori.
The 7km long walk goes from the port to the estuary of the Waiwhakaiho River. We started at the other end, next to the Te Rewa Rewa Bridge because I wanted to get that perfect shot of the bridge and Mount Taranaki. It was too cloudy for that in the early afternoon, so we walked as far as the Fitzroy Beach reserve. We didn’t have time to go any further.
We’ve done the walk from the other end on a blustery day with friends in 2017.
We returned at 6pm for the sunset shot and this time it was perfect.
Mount Taranaki can be seen on a clear day, usually in the evening, from the hill where I live in Wanganui, see below.
The walk was busy at times with cyclists who I can’t always hear on the path, but because of that awesome bridge I rate it as a solid four. The bridge was opened in 2010 and is part of the northern extension to the Coastal Walkway, connecting New Plymouth with Bell Block.
This pa is ringed on three sides by a high defensive ditch and the Waitara River on the fourth. There’s a second ditch inside the first. The ditches are so well constructed that even now, centuries later it’s still impressive. Food pits called ‘rua’ are still visible, despite being covered by centuries of leaf litter.
The way in is not very welcoming as there’s a screen of kawakawa bushes, but once you’re through it’s easy to walk around. There are karaka trees throughout the site and a big totara tree that would have been growing there when the site was still occupied.
The track begins at a farm on the end of Ngatimaru road. You can park near the farm shed. The track is over farmland marked by an orange trail marker.
Ngati Maru descend from an ancient Taranaki people known as the Kāhui-Maru, whose genealogy predates the arrival of the explorer Toi. Kahui means a flock, a name which is only applied to the tangata-whenua people. (Source: Tangata Whenua – The ancient inhabitants of Taranaki)
Ngāti Maru were not involved in the land dealings which led to war in Taranaki in 1860, and were not directly involved in the subsequent fighting. Source: Ngāti Maru (Taranaki) Claims Settlement Act 2022
The Musket Wars
Taranaki was a fertile land that was home to 8 Māori tribes before it was devastated by the Waikato invasions that began in 1817. It would be left almost uninhabited for the next seven years before European colonisation began in 1841.
And here’s another video about Taranaki by Kiwi Codger. In this podcast Kiwi Codger critiques the New Zealand Herald article on the destruction of Parihaka in South Taranaki. Like much of our news today, it presents good information out of context, and reinforces negative impressions of the colonization of New Zealand. He also outlines the importance of accessing all the factual information available, and describe where you can find many of the early books, diaries, and official records in order to form your own informed opinions. Be sure to check out Kiwi Codger’s YouTube videos on the Musket Wars. I’ve just summarized what happened; Kiwi Codger brings it to life!
This is the prettiest waterfall I have ever seen. A weir above the falls diverts some of the river through a power station so the falls are greatly diminished from their original power. Even so the area has still maintained its natural beauty.
Omanawa Falls was the first underground hydro-generating power station in the country and entire southern hemisphere. It was constructed in 1913-1915 for the city of Tauranga, which at that time had a population of around 1500 people .
Ngati Hangarau, the tribe who are kaitieke (guardians) of the area hold the river and falls as a sacred place.
There are three different viewpoints. We saw the falls from two of the lookouts but didn’t do the third, the Te Harikoa Lookout at the base of the falls. It would have taken an extra 662 stairs and 40 minutes; time we didn’t have.
What we did see was wonderful, a single drop waterfall in front of a cave, surrounded by native bush with the water splashing into a sapphire coloured pool.
As well as native birds the pekapeka, long tailed bats, have been recorded flying around the Omanawa Valley.
There’s a cafe at the car parking area near the start of the track.
The earliest people known to have lived in the Tauranga area are the Purukupenga, whose name alone survives, and the Ngamarama, who inhabited all the land from the Waimapu Stream to the Kaimai ranges. So numerous were these people that when the Tainui canoe passed through the Tauranga harbour, she made only a brief stay. Source: Tauranga Local History
Ngati Hangarau, the guardians of the area, are a sub-tribe of Ngati Ranginui of the Takitimu canoe.
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