Pettifar Loop Track: Walking Guide, Time & Access

A Totara Reserve loop descending river terraces and using part of the Old Coach Road, with boggy ground possible and no verified technical grade.

Find the Pettifar start

Select Pettifar on the reserve's official walking map before leaving the campground area. The manager lists it as a separate outing from the Nature Trails and Fern Walk, with its own approach rather than an assumed departure from your picnic spot. Give the loop its full one-to-two-hour allowance and leave room for pauses. No source-checked distance is supplied here, so avoid comparing its effort with another walk using an invented kilometre figure.

Follow the river terraces

The route descends a series of terraces towards the Pohangina River and incorporates part of the Old Coach Road. That combination makes the landform and old transport line useful things to notice while walking. The manager describes low-to-moderate fitness requirements but warns that rain can leave the track boggy. This is not a verified easy-grade or all-weather surface promise. Choose footwear accordingly and turn back if the ground is unsuitable for anybody in the group.

Do not connect through Gilchrist

The adjacent Gilchrist Track has been permanently closed after flood damage took a section into the river. Do not rely on an older circuit map to combine it with Pettifar. Read the current entrance signs and keep to the permitted route. Pet dogs are not allowed in Totara Reserve; disability-assistance arrangements should be checked with staff. Pack food, water and a layer, and check conditions again before leaving rather than assuming campground opening dates establish walking-track access.

Read the official track description and notices immediately before travelling. The source-check date is not a live access or safety report.