- Area
- Kaweka Forest Park
- Time
- 2hr each way
- Grade
- Easy/Moderate
- Access
- Makahu Saddle, Whittle Road (65km from Napier)
- GPX File
- Kaweka Flats Bivouac (gpx, yo 36 KB)
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In country as precipitous and rugged as the Kaweka Range, there are limited options for family tramping. Happily, one accessible option suitable for school-age children is the track to Kaweka Flats Bivouac.
The biv occupies a grassy clearing among manuka, overlooking the craggy main Kaweka Range. Reached after a fairly easy two-hour walk, the track passes through surprisingly lush forest and fords a couple of small streams. The only harder section is the final short climb slope to where the flats proper begin. The biv has space for three at a squeeze and nice camping spots nearby for larger parties.
Kids might enjoy a side-trip to visit the nearby Iron Whare – the oldest hut in the range – which dates back the 1870s, when hardy musterers used to graze sheep in the range.