Mananui Tramline (Māhinapua Walkway): Walking Guide, Time & Access

Route overview

This flat, easy walk or mountain bike ride, suitable for children, follows an old logging tramline and passes beautiful Lake Māhinapua.

This DOC directory entry covers Mananui Tramline (Māhinapua Walkway) in West Coast, within Māhinapua Scenic Reserve. Where DOC groups several walks, times and grades refer to the listed options rather than a single continuous itinerary.

Distance, time and grade

• Distance: Not confirmed on the checked DOC page; see individual route sections
• Walking time: 2 hr - 2 hr 30 min
• 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

Woodstock Rimu Road to Picnic Point

Starting from the car park off the Woodstock Rimu Road, the eastern end of the walkway leaves the road and joins a historic logging tramline which is followed for the rest of the trip.

After a straight flat section section, the track climbs gradually around the side of a small hill before reaching the turn-off to Picnic Point. The track to Picnic Point is a side trip to a small pebbly beach on the edge of Lake Māhinapua which is about 15 minute walk from the turn-off. Picnic Point and return to the carpark is about one hour and is a popular walk for those not wanting to go along the whole walkway.

Picnic Point turnoff to Mananui Bush

Soon after the turn-off to Picnic Point the tramline leaves the scenic reserve and crosses a creek into Māhinapua Forest. This area was commercially logged before being grazed for a short time. It then became an experimental forestry station and was logged again in the 1970s.

The track continues through the forest before descending around the side of a small hill to lower lying land. Elevated board walks are used to cross this swampy area, which floods regularly. After crossing this swamp the track sweeps around to the site of the Mananui Sawmill that was started in 1885. From here the walkway crosses Māhinapua Creek and its swampy margins via a foot bridge and through a privately owned deer farm, before emerging on S 6 just north of Mananui bush.

Getting there

Access is from a signposted car park approximately 8 km south of Hokitika on SH6 or from a car park on the eastern side of Lake Māhinapua on the Woodstock Rimu Road. The walk can be done from either direction.

Know before you go

After heavy rain, water may rise and cover the boardwalk so it becomes impassable.

The track is part of the West Coast Wilderness Trail and is a Grade 2: Easy mountain biking experience. You can expect a wide track with a good surface and occasional board walks. The track is a mixture of flat sections and gentle up and downhill.

This is a shared-use track. Follow the mountain bikers code: respect others, respect the rules, respect the track.

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.