Otanewainuku | Walking Times: | | | Summit Track | 1 hour 30 minutes return | | Rimu Loop Walk | 30 minutes return | | Mountain Road to Whataroa Waterfall | 60 minutes one way |
Otanewainuku is a 20 minute drive up Oropi Road and onto Mountain Road where there is a small carpark, a public shelter, toilet and picnic area.
Mount Otanewainuku is covered in virgin forest and bird life is prolific. Emergent podocarps, especially rimu, are common and tawa, kamahi and rewarewa form the canopy.
Maori legend says Tutanekai, lover of Hinemoa, leapt from Otanewainuku summit to escape his Rotorua enemies. Geologically, Otanewainuku is a rhyolitic dome, rising above the ignimbrite plateau of the Mamaku.
The loop track to the summit starts behind the shelter and is reasonably steep in parts, but the view from the top is worth the climb. A tower constructed on the summit (640m) by the Army territorials offers panoramic views from East Cape to Mount Tarawera and Rotorua, and across the Mamaku Plateau to Mount Ruapehu.
The rimu loop walk starts from the opposite side of the road near the carpark. It is a gently graded walk that features some impressively large rimu trees, and finishes back at the road.
For the slightly more agile a well marked route branches off the rimu loop track after 15 minutes and undulates through the forest to the Whataroa Falls. Explore this lovely stream with its cascades and pools before returning the same way. Beyond the waterfall this track goes north to the main ridge track which leads to Otawa Scenic Reserve. It is around 18.5 km or 9 hours to Upper Papamoa Road. Please contact the Department of Conservation, 253 Chadwick Road, Greerton, Tauranga, for a map and further details of this track if required.
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