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Location & access
DOC track reference point, not a verified trailhead, entrance or the whole route. Check the official route directions before travel.
Official location informationLocation source
DOC track reference point, not a verified trailhead, entrance or the whole route.
Reference point: -38.54951, 175.61915. WGS84 coordinates retained at the official service's returned precision; decimal resolution is not survey accuracy. Source positional accuracy is not specified.
DOC Maps walking and tramping reference point (WGS84), exact official-page GUID / Department of Conservation. Checked 2026-10-12.
Key facts
- Distance
- 5.8 km return via same track
- Walking time
- 5 hr return
- Track grade
- Advanced
- Location
- Pureora Forest Park
- Dog access
- No dogs. 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
Walk to the summit of Mount Pureora from The Timber Trail. This track is part of Te Araroa Trail.
This DOC directory entry covers Mount Pureora via Toitoi Track in Waikato, within Pureora 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: 5.8 km return via same track
- Walking time: 5 hr return
- DOC grade: Advanced
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
No dogs. Other pets on conservation land rules.
Description
This track is part of Te Araroa Trail.
Starting on The Timber Trail from the Tui Road carpark, this alternative route to the summit of Mount Pureora heads up the northwest side of the mountain. It's 1.8 km from the junction with The Timber Trail.
Lowland podocarp trees of totara, rimu and kahikatea give way to broadleaf dominated forest with conifers such as Hall's totara, culminating in open views of Lake Taupo, Mount Taranaki and the Manaku ranges at the summit.
Getting there
Pureora is east of Te Kuiti, and west of Taupo and Rotorua. At Barryville, turn off SH30 onto Barryville Road and follow this to Pureora. At Pureora, turn into Link Road, then Cabbage Tree Road to reach the Tui Road carpark.
Note that Toitoi Road and the Toitoi Road carpark is now on private land, and the old entrance and bottom 1 km of track is no longer maintained. Enter the track from Tui Road carpark.
Know before you go
There is no petrol outlet at Pureora - the nearest facilities are at Benneydale or at Mangakino.
Check the Mount Pureora weather forecast – NIWA website.
Nature and conservation
There are a good range of forest birds including kererū, robin, tomtit and seasonal birds such as shining cuckoos. Kākā may also be heard.
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.
