Whitianga Rock Walk and Maramaratotara Track: Walking Guide, Time & Access

Route overview

These walks connect Ferry Landing Wharf, Whitianga Rock and Maramaratotara Bay. See the remains of a Ngāti Hei pā site and spectacular views of Whitianga Harbour.

This DOC directory entry covers Whitianga Rock Walk and Maramaratotara Track in Waikato, within Whitianga 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: Not confirmed on the checked DOC page; see individual route sections
• Walking time: Not specified in the checked DOC directory
• DOC grade: Easiest

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

About the walks

• See the remains of a Ngāti Hei pā site

• Excellent views of Whitianga Harbour and Maramaratotara Bay

• Sheer unfenced drops on Whitianga Rock Walk

Whitianga Rock Walk

Distance: 300 m one way

The track starts at Ferry Landing Wharf. Follow the track as it leads along the edge of the harbour then climbs to the remains of a well-fortified Ngāti Hei pā site.

You can see terraces and ditch and bank defences. Read more about the pā in the History and Culture section of this webpage.

At the grassy area, you have the option to turn off onto Maramaratotara Track.

Beyond the grassy area, Whitianga Rock Walk follows a very steep ridge. There are sheer drops with no barriers right beside the track and a fall could be fatal. Take care and keep children within reach. Track not recommended in wet or windy weather.

The track continues along top of the Whitianga Rock peninsula, with dramatic views of Whitianga Harbour and Back Bay.

You can see post holes cut into the rock along the peninsula. These may have supported a wooden structure or platform in the pā.

At low tide, you can see a rock wall visible underwater in Back Bay. This was built to hold kauri for a nearby timber mill.

Maramaratotara Track

Distance: 1 km one way

The track starts at Maramaratotara Bay. It climbs the hill behind the bay, then descends to Back Bay. The track is through forest but there are several good viewpoints with views over Whitianga Harbour and Maramaratotara Bay.

At Back Bay, the track passes through a boggy section at the edge of the beach. This is particularly wet and boggy at high tide.

The track then climbs to the historic pā site, where it connects with Whitianga Rock Walk.

Loop walk

Distance: 1.8 km loop

You can combine Whitianga Rock Walk and Maramaratotoara Track to form a loop.

Starting from Ferry Landing Wharf, follow Whitianga Rock Walk to the pā site, then turn off onto Maramaratotoara Track. Continue on Maramaratotoara Track to Maramaratotoara Bay, the follow the footpath back to Ferry Landing Wharf.

Getting there

Whitianga Rock Walk

• Starts at Ferry Landing Wharf. You can get to the wharf via a short ferry ride from Whitianga or by following Purangi Road to its end.

• You can also access Whitianga Rock Walk from Maramaratotara Track.

Maramaratotara Track

• Starts on Purangi Road at Maramaratotara Bay.

• You can also access Maramaratotara Track from Whitianga Rock Walk.

Know before you go

What to expect

• Unfenced sheer drops beside the track on Whitianga Rock Walk

• Narrow and slippery tracks

• Steep sections and stairs

• Wet, muddy and boggy on Maramaratotara Track

• Track not suitable for people with limited mobility

What to take

• Sturdy footwear with good grip

• Everything on the short walks gear list

Facilities and rules

• There are public toilets at Ferry Landing Wharf

• No camping

• No fires

History and culture

This pā was named Whitianga, a contraction of Te Whitianga a Kupe, to celebrate that great explorer's visit to the area. Later, Hei, the sailing master on board Te Arawa, settled in the area and gave his name to Te Whanganui a Hei (the Great Bay of Hei), later named Mercury Bay. The earliest known chief to occupy the pā was Hui Teure of Ngāti Hei, the tangata whenua of this area.

Residents of the pā were able to control access to the river and the bay. Rock bluffs and water provided natural defences on three sides; ditches, earthen banks and scarps protected the pā on the landward side. Post holes cut into rock towards the end of the peninsula, may have supported a wooden structure or platform, also defensive in function. Houses, cooking shelters, fireplaces and pits for storing crops, would have been built on the terraces on either side of the ditch. Shellfish would have been an important source of food; you can still see shell heaps (or middens) deposited beside the track.

When Captain James Cook and some of his men visited Whitianga Rock in November 1769, they were welcomed and given a meal by local people, but the pā itself was abandoned. Cook described some of the pā's decaying defences, including a ditch 14 feet deep on the outer edge and 22 feet on the inner side where an earth bank had been built to give extra height. The remains of this bank are still visible. Wooden palisade posts added to the defence. Cook concluded that the pa had been attacked as only the burnt stumps of the palisades remained.

It is probable that Tuhotepiki, a Tauranga chief who lived about a generation before Cook's visit, made the final, disastrous attack. According to his descendants, he destroyed Whitianga Pā and killed its chief, Koropirioteote. He then married Koropirioteote's widow and lived peaceably as the leader of her people.

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.