A walkway expedition

Riparian Oasis: The gravel path winds through riparian native planting beside Whangawehi River. Picture by Gillian Ward

Gillian Ward takes you on an extraordinary journey along the Te Aratia Walkway, where history, community, and nature intertwine on a mesmerising 13-kilometre trail through Māhia Peninsula.

Te Aratia Walkway is a walkway easement over private land across Māhia Peninsula, following an ancient traditional ara (pathway) which connected the Whangawehi Estuary to inland Māori settlements in the valley, and was also used by those travelling up and down the coast. The idea of developing this walkway came from a desire to share the benefits of the large-scale Whangawehi catchment restoration project with the wider community.

The Whangawehi Catchment Management Group (WCMG) was born in 2010 when the Wairoa District and Hawke’s Bay Regional Councils had to upgrade a wastewater system for the Māhia Beach township on the western side of the peninsula.

The Whangawehi community were worried that the proposed settling ponds, to be located in the Whangawehi River headwaters, would harm the river, estuary and mahinga kai beds. Despite concerns, the local marae accepted the need for the ponds but asked for a community-driven large-scale restoration programme for their sacred awa, to mitigate any ill effects from the treatment system and from other land uses. (From WCMG signboard on the trail.)

Since 2014, 250,000 native trees have been planted in the catchment, 150ha of riparian margins retired, and 30ha of bush blocks protected. In December 2020, the 13-kilometre Te Aratia Walkway was created.

Early in October, a Gisborne Canoe and Tramping Club group followed the walkway, managing this “through” walk with an exchange of car keys — some people walking generally downhill (from Kinikini Road), and some walking uphill (from Whangawehi estuary). We were fortunate to have a perfect day, which, after a few days of very wet weather, meant we particularly appreciated the day.

The Te Aratia Walkway starts at sea level at the Whangawehi boat ramp. It follows the river and climbs gently through farmland to a picnic area. From there the grade gets a little steeper through a commercial forestry block and beautiful native forest in the headwaters of the Whangawehi catchment before exiting on Kinikini Road at 140m. The views from here are breathtaking. A sidetrack, about 1½ kilometres from the picnic area leads to the boundary of Māhia Scenic Reserve.

The Whangawehi Estuary section of the walkway meanders along the stream edge, beside and below the planted riparian native bush with views of the stream, adjacent farmland, bush remnants, bluffs, and the estuary. This is a beautiful walkway but there is quite a lot of repair work needed on the track, and some of the riparian plantings have been lost with erosion of the stream edges. Although Cyclones Hale and Gabrielle did not affect the walkway greatly, there was further storm damage from the late June rain event.

The information signboards are excellent, and in this lower section, the track surface is mostly compacted gravel. The sturdy seats in places along the track are each unique and beautifully designed, and the tuna panels below the information signs emphasise the river restoration theme.

The Whangawehi Catchment Management Group has constructed a shelter with information displays at the picnic area, about halfway along the walkway. There is a crossing of Whangawehi River near the shelter, at the place where the Catchment Group eventually hope to build a bridge. In dry weather, this stream flows with clear water over a bed of mostly small rocks, but after the recent rain, the stream was knee-deep and muddy. The tramping club group crossed with linked arms, using mutual support because we couldn’t see the bottom, and there were some awkward large rocks. A good chance to practise safe stream-crossing techniques.

The Kinikini Road section of the walkway passes through a 1000ha forestry block which was planted by Māhia Forest Ltd about 20 years ago. There are several different tree species — Californian Redwood, Douglas Fir, Japanese and red cedar, Eucalyptus, Mexican Cypress, and Pinus radiata. The recent rain meant that the track was wet and muddy in places when the tramping club group visited, with a couple of trees across the track in the plantation forestry area.

The Whangawehi River was and still is a source of abundant fish and the fertile river terraces were used to grow crops in pre-European times. The plantation forest, as well as the native bush riparian planting, and pockets of remnant native bush, reduces rain runoff and stream bank erosion and absorbs nutrients. Since water monitoring began in the Whangawehi Stream catchment in 2013 there has been a substantial improvement in water quality and an increasing īnanga population. Customary harvests can now take place after a gap of many years.

This walkway easement was designed to be used both by people walking and mountain biking, but at the moment the track surface under the plantation forest is really too soft to ride by mountain bike. It would be fine to ride a mountain bike from Whangawehi Estuary to the shelter, and back, with care. In short sections where the track has slipped away, or there are slips that have come down onto the track from above, you would need to walk (or carry) a bike.

The track will become firmer in the summer and when the section through the plantation forest is rideable it will again be possible to cycle the full circuit — Whangawehi boat ramp — Kinikini Road — Māhia beach — Oraka — Whangawehi boat ramp, which is 24 kilometres.