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Key facts
- Distance
- 2 km loop
- Walking time
- 1 hr
- Track grade
- Easy
- Location
- Tararua Forest Park
- Dog access
- Dogs allowed. Keep dog under control at all times. 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
This well-graded, family-friendly loop track passes through regenerated native forest.
This DOC directory entry covers Kiriwhakapapa Loop Track in Wellington, within Tararua Forest Park. 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 km loop
- 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 allowed. Keep dog under control at all times. Other pets on conservation land rules.
Description
This well-graded walk passes through forest that has regenerated well after being logged for its rimu and other podocarp trees in the 1930s. Another attractive feature is the many planted redwoods.
It connects with a low-level tramping track that follows old bush tramlines through to the Mikimiki valley, and with Kiriwhakapapa to Blue Range Hut , atramping track that ascends the Blue Range to the Blue Range Hut, approximately 2–3 hours away.
Getting there
The loop is off the Blue Range Track at the end of Kiriwhakapapa Road, 7 km from State Highway 2, about 16 km north of Masterton.
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.
