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Key facts
- Distance
- 2.5 km return via same track
- Walking time
- 1 hr
- Track grade
- Easy
- Location
- Harihari area
- Dog access
- Dogs with a DOC permit only. Contact closest DOC office to get a permit. Other pets on conservation land rules.
Checked against official sources on 8 October 2026. Rules and conditions are set by Department of Conservation — confirm with them before you go.
Route overview
View some of the largest rimu trees still standing in New Zealand on this track.
This DOC directory entry covers Amethyst Rimu Walk in West Coast, within Harihari area. Where DOC groups several walks, times and grades refer to the listed options rather than a single continuous itinerary.
Distance, time and grade
- Distance: 2.5 km return via same track
- Walking time: 1 hr
- DOC grade: Easy
Access and alerts
Source checked 2026-10-08. This page is a dated snapshot, not a live track-status report. Check current DOC route information immediately before travelling. An absence of listed alerts does not establish that a route is open.
Dog access
Dogs with a DOC permit only. Contact closest DOC office to get a permit. Other pets on conservation land rules.
Description
The track starts from Amethyst Hydro access road. Walk along the road you will pass the penstock, an exposed pipe which carries the water to the powerhouse building by the car park.
Continue uphill to the terrace. You will walk through mature, unmodified, mixed podocarp forest, consisting predominantly of rimu, along with some fine examples of mataī, kahikatea and miro.
Two very short side tracks lead to two trees of particular significance – Mahanga a Tāne/twins of Tāne of the forest and Te Manawanui/the largest which endures. These magnificent rimu are some of the largest standing in Aotearoa New Zealand. Learn more about them in ‘nature and conservation’.
This walk crosses Tarpot Creek which rises quick in heavy rain, making it dangerous to cross. Do not attempt this walk in heavy rain or if heavy rain is forecast.
Return the way you came.
This walk is a joint initiative of the Harihari Community Association, DOC, Electronet Group, Ngāti Māhaki, and Ngāti Waewae.
Getting there
Access is 8 km north of Harihari on the northern side of the Wanganui River bridge, approximately 64 km southeast of Hokitika on SH6.
Park near the powerhouse. Do not park at the track start.
Know before you go
The Amethyst Rimu Walk is accessed via walking up the Amethyst Hydro access road. The road is used by heavy vehicles, so stay alert and be prepared to move to the side of the road.
Tarpot Creek rises quickly in heavy rain, making it dangerous to cross. Do not attempt this walk in heavy rain or if heavy rain is forecast.
Nature and conservation
These magnificent trees are two of the largest known rimu in New Zealand.
Te Manawanui/the largest which endures, has a height of 35.1 metres. The is one of the largest rimu known to exist and was named to recognise its size. As well as surviving at least two possibly three ruptures of the Alpine Fault, Te Manawanui scores 449 points with the New Zealand Trees Register. This makes it the largest known rimu in the South Island, and the third largest in New Zealand.
Mahanga a Tāne/twins of Tāne of the forest, has a height of 34 metres. It is actually two trees which have grown together at some stage of their earlier life.
Sources and reuse
Route descriptions and practical information reproduced from the Department of Conservation, Crown copyright, under CC BY 4.0, subject to DOC's copyright policy. Formatting has been adapted, including flattening page sections; follow the original DOC page for maps, section-specific layout, current notices and linked documents. Outdoor Next is independent and is not endorsed by DOC.
The accompanying photograph is a licensed general hiking illustration, not a photograph of this route.
