National Park to Whanganui River

From National Park Railway Station, head north up Ward Street for 430m, then west onto Carroll Street and over the railway tracks at the crossing.

Mangapurua-Kaiwhakauka Track (from Whakahoro to the Mangapurua Landing) - 40km / 13 hours

7 hours from Whakahoro to the Mangapurua Trig; 6 hours from the Trig to Mangapurua Landing.

A combined walking/cycleway, this track follows former road lines and makes for easy walking. It leads up the Kaiwhakauka Valley to the Mangapurua Trig. There it joins the Mangapurua Track, which descends through the Mangapurua Valley to meet the Whanganui River at the Mangapurua Landing.

From Whakahoro the track follows the disused road along the true left bank of the Whanganui River for 1km, before turning sharply into the Kaiwhakauka Valley. The track follows along and crosses the Kaiwhakauka Stream over an old wooden bridge. It continues along the true left bank of the stream up to the head of the Kaiwhakauka Valley. Note: Care should be taken not to disturb stock and gates should be left as found when crossing farmland.

On reaching the junction of the old Kaiwhakauka, Mangapurua and Ruatiti/Ōhura Roads, keep to the right to drop down into the Mangapurua. A side track leads to the Mangapurua Trig, the highest point in the area. On a fine day, there are sweeping views of Tongariro National Park to the east and Mt Taranaki / Egmont to the west. Mangapurua Trig is your best opportunity to get a phone signal if you need to confirm a canoe pickup time at Mangapurua Landing.

From here the track winds steadily down into the valley where the track meets and stays on the true left bank of the Mangapurua Stream. Continuing along the old road line, the track crosses numerous side streams and the valley progressively closes in. Although the track is freshly maintained, the rocks can be slippery when wet – care should be taken in negotiating these sections and beware of falling rocks.

At the lower end of the valley, the track crosses to the true right bank of the stream over the historic Bridge to Nowhere. This is a large concrete bridge built in 1936, but is now standing abandoned in the bush in the middle of 'nowhere'.

This last section of the track is formed to walking track standard and is often used by river travellers to visit the Bridge to Nowhere. 

Beyond the bridge, continue for another 40 minutes as the track follows the true right bank of the Mangapurua Stream and then leads along the true left bank of the Whanganui River to reach the Mangapurua Landing.

Note: Mangapurua Landing is a dead end for walkers. River transport is the only option for those travelling south from Mangapurua Landing. Hikers reaching Mangapurua on foot can take a pre-arranged jet boat ride to Pipiriki or Whanganui.  Contact suggestions at the end of this notes section, and in the Whanganui River - via Whanganui River section.

General information

For local information and a list of suppliers, contact:

Whanganui i-Site, 31 Taupō Quay, Whanganui - P: +6 349-0508 - E: info@whanganui.govt.nz

The distances and campsite options when travelling by river are:

• Whakahoro to Mangapapa campsite: 11 kilometres
• Mangapapa to Ohauora campsite: 16 kilometres
• Ohauora to John Coull Hut: 10.5 kilometres
• John Coull Hut to Mangawaiiti campsite: 9.5 kilometres
• Mangawaiiti to Mangapurua campsite: 9 kilometres