It’s a reasonably easy walk with the biggest climb happening in the first third of the journey. From there you wander through a variety of terrains with a couple of good views along the way.
This post will give you all the details you need to know about the Tokorangi Pa Track in Rotorua.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DETAILS ABOUT THE TOKORANGI PA TRACK
Rating?1
I’m giving this a 3.5-star rating. The same as the yellow marked Pohaturoa Track starting from the same spot. The first two-thirds of the Tokorangi Pa walk is awesome as you navigate the Redwoods, then climb up through the bush to some viewpoints before plunging down into a valley.
The last few kilometres get a bit boring as you’re walking on access ways which aren’t anything special.
With that said, it’s a great way to spend a few more hours in the Whakarewarewa Forest.
The purple markers are super frequent.
RELATED POST: A LIST OF WALKS IN ROTORUA
Incline5: My Strava data had 361 metres of elevation gain, the majority of which is in the first 5km.
Hike Duration6: It took me 2 hours 30 minutes on the dot which was at a good speed. The Redwoods website has the track at 3 hours 30 minutes, most (I’m going to say 95%) will finish the walk in this time.
TOKORANGI PA TRACK MAP
While you can see Tokorangi Pa Road on Google Maps, the majority of the track isn’t marked on here. On the usually reliable Maps.me, it’s not obvious what track you’re supposed to follow.
But in short, you won’t get lost as the purple arrow markers (above) are really frequent.
HOW TO GET THERE
The Redwoods i-SITE is a 4.7km walk from the Rotorua i-SITE. This will take you no more than an hour, so it’s not off the cards for the super keen.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
There’s a bus that’ll get you the majority of the way. You’ll need to the #3 bus stop across the road from Pak’n’Save here and get off
If you’re planning to spend a good portion of the day there though, that little energy you’ll save is helpful.
DRIVING
There’s a tonne of free parking on Long Mile Road. From downtown Rotorua, it’s less than a 10-minute drive to reach the i-SITE. If it’s busy at the Redwoods (weekends/public holidays/summer), you might need to park a 5-10 minute walk to get to the info centre itself.
RIDE SHARING APPS
At the time of writing, Uber, YourRide, and Ola are not available in Rotorua.
MY TOKORANGI PA TRACK EXPERIENCE
I arrived at the i-SITE just after 1 pm on a reasonably bad day weather-wise. Anyhow, I decided to go ahead with the walk, being sheltered early on by the huuuuuge Redwoods.
Skipping across a boardwalk, the Redwoods disappear but the greenery doesn’t. The first incline is after you make a right turn, where you’ll face a few sets of stairs. For the next 1km or so it’s a steady climb. When the track starts to flatten, peak behind as you’ll get a few views here. It’d been raining the previous couple of days, and while there was certainly some mud I was able to get up with slipping in my running shoes.
It was starting to get misty at the summit, making for a cool feel.
Views back out over Rotorua.
Once you hit the summit about 4.4km (~1 hour) in, the next few kilometres are a steady descent. At times I found them slippery in the rain. The terrain changes as you hit some 4WD tracks providing more footing into the valley. There’s a variety of trees again, but the pines are prominent.
There’s a small stream you’ll need to cross, but like most of the hikes in NZ, there’s some perfectly placed punga and rocks. As you start to emerge from the valley, the scenery gets a bit boring as you walk along the 4WD track, past a reservoir of some description. Once you begin the final descent at the 9.5km mark, it’s all downhill until you return through the Redwoods for the last few hundred metres of the walk.
The main attraction in the Redwoods is the canopy walk (day and/or night). And while that’s cool, I really encourage you to walk some of the other tracks in the Whakarewarewa Forest. It’s a sneaky beautiful and diverse forest, and as the walks are free it’ll help offset the costs of which can increase quickly with all the things to do in Rotorua.
RECOMMENDED READING
200+ Things to do in New Zealand
An awesome guide to things to do in New Zealand (I’m biased)
My Tarawera Ultramarathon recap
If you’re a runner, check the last Tarawera Ultramarathon dates. It’s one of the premier running events in NZ.
Sharpen up your NZ slang
A list of the common slang phrases you’ll hear in New Zealand
Hey, it’s Jub here. I’m the guy behind Chur New Zealand, helping you have the best time hiking, trekking, walking…whatever you want to call it…in NZ. I’m based in Queenstown and am always out and about exploring trails, old & new. If you have any questions, reach out.