The Papamoa Hills Regional Park is a great way to spend a couple of hours in the rolling hills with some views.

The Papamoa Hills walk is a solid alternative to walking up Mount Maunganui…or even better, do both.

This post will cover everything you need to know about walking around the Papamoa Hills, an actual working farm. That means you should close all gates you pass through, and there’s no tree canopy on this park, so stay sun safe 🙂

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Details About Walking The Papamoa Hills
2. Papamoa Hills Walk Map
3. How To Get To The Papamoa Hills
4. My Papamoa Hills Experience

1. DETAILS ABOUT MY PAPAMOA HILLS WALK

The views are certainly great, there’s no denying that. But there’s also no denying that you’re walking on farmland and there’s none of NZ’s epic bush that makes hiking in the country so good. While I enjoyed the walk, I guess I didn’t love it.

The access to the walk is like Taupo’s Mount Tauhara walk in that it’s not easy to get to by public transport which makes it a bit of a hidden gem for locals.

Note: there were no rubbish bins at the trailhead, but two toilets were open.

When¹: December 2019

Papamoa Hills Walk Distance²: The route I took was 5.3km (that includes walks around the summit etc) according to Strava. But there are various trails around the hills, so if you were to go to the summit and back only, that’d be just under 3.8km (you can see my (a href=”https://www.strava.com/activities/2922977659″ target=”_blank”>Strava data here). The signs at the trailhead have the summit at a 3.6km return walk.

Difficulty³: Easy

Incline⁴: The particular route I took had 219 metres of elevation. This will obviously vary depending on each route you take.

Papamoa Hills Walk Time⁵: Total time, including breaks was 1 hour 26 minutes. You could spend as little as one hour there powering up and down the summit, or you could stroll around various trails for 2-3 hours.

Are dogs allowed on the Papamoa Hills walk?

No, dogs are not allowed on the Papamoa Hills Park at all (source).

Is there water available on the walk?
No, you’ll need to bring your own water.

2. PAPAMOA HILLS REGIONAL PARK MAP

The Papamoa Hills Regional Park is on Google Maps, but the trails itself is not.

It is on Maps.me though, so I’ve pasted that below with the route that I took. I’ve also posted the map and the different trails that you can find on a sign at the trailhead.

3. HOW TO GET TO THE PAPAMOA HILLS WALK

Public Transport: There is no public transport that takes you closer than 4km to the track which leaves you with a walk along the side of roads with no footpath.

Walk: As mentioned, it’s not really practical/worth walking here given the distance and no footpath.

Drive: Right by the trailhead is a large car park meaning you should have no problem finding a parking spot. The place is busy enough where theft shouldn’t be too much of a concern, but of course, keep to your usual safety routines.

4. MY PAPAMOA HILLS WALK EXPERIENCE

Before arriving at the park I vaguely knew there were multiple tracks you could walk but didn’t know there were so many options. I quickly decided on my route, which was to go straight to the summit (Karangaumu Summit Track), then follow the ridge to the trees on the Te Rae o Papamoa Track that stick out from the summit.

Let’s time.

The start of the walk doesn’t give you a chance of a warmup with a steady incline up the gravel track. It doesn’t take long before you start getting views, but they aren’t the ones out toward the ocean we’re looking for.

I was surprised at how steep it was (nothing out of control), but soon enough there was a slight reprieve of a flat section that does give you some ocean views before it starts another climb which continues until you get within a couple of hundred metres from the summit. Just before the summit, there are a few benches you can have a picnic on, but you should walk to the trig (the summit) to take in the panoramic views first.

I visited a day or two after the White Island eruption but couldn’t see the island offshore, but on a perfectly clear day, you’ll be able too.

I spent about 10 minutes at the summit wandering around. I really like the views from up here which are a result of there being no forest in the regional park. I left the summit the way I came, but instead of walking back down, I walked towards the big trees in the photo above which is the Te Rae o Papamoa Track. If you’re returning from the summit to the car park, follow the way you came.

When you reach the trees there’s another bench if you want a picnic spot. After that, keep walking beyond the trees and you’ll see the path you need to follow around to the right-hand side, where are a house will come into view soon enough.

Just before the house the path splits off and you can turn left if you want a longer walk, but I decided to go right (there’s a sign saying car park) and made my way back with the path eventually joining the one I started climbing the summit up earlier.

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If you prefer to do more local activities, then walking around the Papamoa Hills is perfect for you. While it’s cool, you’re probably going to enjoy the views up to Mount Maunganui overall despite how crowded it is.

If you have any comments/questions about this walk, leave a comment below or email me jub@churnewzealand.com

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