Thread: Kaimanawa Forest Park

Rangipo intake road, State Highway 1 has got a gate coming ,posts are in and reduced access

probably won't stay locked for long once the locals find out.

Any of you locals up that way further explain - DOC comment? I used to do alot of sika hunting down that road in my day. Pity if another access entry denied - and i don't want to hear access okay for 'walking'. You could use that excuse all over NZ and we would all be alot poorer for it. Not just trampers either.

There was a pass thru agreement with DOC,just had a look cant find anything about it now.

Sounds like waipakahi Rd has a gate as well. Not sure how far from the main road. I did hear a while back that the road crosses private Maori land and that a gate was going up to stop people driving through the private land. Not sure on the specifics though. Any Turangi locals on here might a bit more info?

Just guessing,i would say that DOC are the catylist for this.

Wonder how long it will be before it gets attached to a 4wd and pulled down

Originally Posted by Blackfern

Sounds like waipakahi Rd has a gate as well. Not sure how far from the main road. I did hear a while back that the road crosses private Maori land and that a gate was going up to stop people driving through the private land. Not sure on the specifics though. Any Turangi locals on here might a bit more info?

Can't find anything online but if true DOC are going to cop a crap load of crap, a lot of trampers use this area.

One of THE main access routes into the Kaimanawas for the past 65 years. DoC Will wear a lot of egg on the face if this is correct.

There will be a gate that restricts access to the new building off to the East of the tar sealed Waipakahi road that services the downhill mountainbiking route that comes off the top of the Needles though. Heli access to the top of the track I imagine. WAMS shows a new hut up on the upper bush edge too.

But if the tar sealed road itself has grown a barrier, well, lets say it won't take the locals too long to get imaginative...

Originally Posted by XR500

One of THE main access routes into the Kaimanawas for the past 65 years. DoC Will wear a lot of egg on the face if this is correct.

There will be a gate that restricts access to the new building off to the East of the tar sealed Waipakahi road that services the downhill mountainbiking route that comes off the top of the Needles though. Heli access to the top of the track I imagine. WAMS shows a new hut up on the upper bush edge too.

But if the tar sealed road itself has grown a barrier, well, lets say it won't take the locals too long to get imaginative...

My understanding is that both the rangipo access Rd and the waipakahi Rd have gates being constructed.

Next time you locals are passing, take some photos and put them up please.

I may be passing that way tomorrow, and was intending to do just that.

I'm well aware that there is a large swathe of Maori land (Rangipo Waiu) that separates the Desert road from the Kaimanawa State Forest park. The Waipakahi road was formed during the Tongariro power project development, in the late 1950's/early 1960's. It was a busy place in the 1960's A big concrete batching plant was based down there. I remember a bailey bridge permitting access to the northern bank of the Waipakahi river.

I would have expected there was some sort of agreement in place with the NZ Forest Service and LINZ (equivalent) to permit the continued access to the park through the Maori land. I would have expected that its successor, DoC continued or improved that agreement...but maybe not.

If what people have said is indeed happening, its a concerning escalation of the reduction in access to public lands. DoC have made it exceedingly hard to park your car out of sight of the Desert road at the Southern access corridor by installing all sorts of elephant traps and chains etc (complete with hidden hidden cameras). Now Waipakahi and Rangipo roads may well be being closed off. Pretty much no easy access to the entire western side of the Kaimanawas. Gonna be some pretty pissed trampers and hunters, given the lack of any discussion or communications from DoC to the Public about this.

No mention of Tree trunk yet.

I use to hunt the Waipakihi Valley accessing the Waipakihi Road early 80's. With the Bailey Bridge in place as stated above could access quite a way further up valley before parking by a stop bank, packs on and away. Sometimes camped at the car park and shot the odd red deer on the flats in spring. I was there when the Bailey Bridge was removed - which reduced vehicle access to a new car park area right next to the river. At the time they were extracting shingle from the Waipakihi river for the nearly finished Tongariro dam, this about 1981. The fishery was distroyed in the process though pockets of good rainbows (3-6lb) remained for another few years until they were fished out leaving tiddlers behind. Before quad bikes were invented spot lighters use to travel by horse back up the valley, then the odd motor bike started. We were woken up a few times with lights over our tent and the sound of motor bikes. Shot my first sika stag in the lower Waipakihi during a winter trip 1981, up an open side stream. Two other hunters turned up and put their dog on the scent before i got to where the stag had stood by the bush - the stag took off into the main river before succumbing to the shot (303 back then). I attempted to float the carcass back to the car - failed so ended up carrying it which weighed even more. Just a young 4 pointer. To lose reasonable access to this side of the Kaimanawa's sounds like greed in the making if true?

A lot of speculation going on here it seems. Lets not start a witch hunt before we have some facts.