Description
(North to South) |
Enter the Cossey Gorge Track off Cossey Access Road (also called Massey Road) 700 metres uphill from the Wairoa River Track exit. Walk down steps to join up with Massey Track.
Follow Massey Track south-east 3.5 km to join with the Wairoa-Cosseys Track, a 6.5-km tramp with views across the Wairoa Reservoir, around to the dam itself, where there’s a picnic ground. Take the Wairoa Loop Track from here to Repeater Road. About 1 km along this road, at the junction with the Challenge MTB Track, there's a campsite with a basic shelter, rainwater, and a composting toilet. If you're not stopping, then stay on Repeater Road just over 1.5 km to its junction with Moumoukai Road. There’s a parking area here, and a locked gate – usually left open. This section of the park network is set aside for cycling, but there’s plenty of room. Head left (north-east) down Moumoukai Road 2.5 km to the junction with Mangatangi Hill Road. If you want to camp at this point, then continue straight ahead (north) another 400 metres to the Upper Mangatawhiri camping area with flush toilets and water (need to boil for 3 minutes). If you want to continue the through route, then turn right (south-east) instead at the Moumoukai Rd / Mangatangi Hill Road junction and follow along another 2 km to the junction with Manning Road. Follow Manning Road for 1.5 km to the turnoff to Moumoukai Valley Road on the right (south). This road has an old ford across the Milne Stream that's been washed out and never replaced, so you have to walk across the stream to find the road again. Follow Moumoukai Valley Road 2.5 km to the Lower Mangatawhiri Campsite.
From the campsite, the Lower Mangatawhiri Track crosses the Mangatawhiri River, but unless there’s been heavy rain in the catchment its easily wadeable here. The track then heads in bush up to Peak 445 and continues along the ridge past Peak 234 to a spur above the Mangatawhiri River. It then descends sharply down to the river. The largely-bush section from the Lower Mangatawhiri Campsite is just over 6 kilometres in total, and you need good tramping skills to do it. It’s marked but not otherwise formed, and you should be careful to follow the orange triangles as there are other tracks that intersect it en route. The track descends off the last steep ridge, to the second crossing of the Mangatawhiri. The river is now further from its headwater, and rises swiftly after rain. If it's swollen don't attempt it, but it’s usually safe enough in summer. A bridge is planned for construction across the river at this point, and when that’s in place - sometime in 2010 - the track across Mallington Farm will be re-routed to stay on the true left of the river. Meantime however, you must wade the river a further two times, following tthe farm track 2 km out to Lyons Road.
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