Waitohu access to Tararua Forest Park established

A new, usable, publicly visible route into the Waitohu catchment in the Tararua Forest Park is now available.

Outdoor Access Commission regional field advisor David Barnes notes there’s an existing unformed legal road near the route, but, as is often the case, bits of it are not that practical to use. Getting a route marked and made usable has involved discussions with three landowners and a lessee, the council and DOC. Work was completed over the summer.  

In 2023, DOC referred a member of the public to David, with concerns that prior access via a quarry road on private land had been blocked. David identified the nearby unformed legal road and met with landowners to discuss using that versus alternative routes. They agreed to an alternative route, and the DOC ranger was keen to mark it. However, progress was difficult, and when the ranger left DOC, it appeared that the project may have died. But Kāpiti District Council picked it up and we now have a useable and publicly visible route.  A Mainland Cheese project – good things take time!