The Montana Heritage Trail is the longest walk in Te Piringa/Cascade Kauri Park, which reopened in December 2023 after a six-year closure to upgrade tracks to limit the spread of kauri dieback and repair storm damage. 

Local iwi Kawerau ā Maki is heavily involved in the rejuvenation and has gifted the area a new name – Te Piringa, meaning the coming together of people and cultures.

The trail begins at the lower car park at the end of Falls Road off Te Henga/Bethells Road. The last section of Falls Road is metalled and runs through a golf course. The car park is beyond the landscaped arrivals area and has information panels and toilets.

Several linked trails here form a loop. From the car park, a short path passes the wāhi whakanoa, where you’re invited to cleanse your hands before entering the bush. Then, over a small bridge is a pou where you can decide your walk’s direction. The following description is for an anticlockwise loop.

Upper Kauri Track climbs steeply on stepped boardwalks through stands of kauri, some of the few that survived logging in the 1840s to 1920s. Neighbouring hills and valleys are visible through the vegetation, and, depending on the season, you may see pūriri, Kirk’s tree daisy or northern rātā in flower, and hear or see reintroduced toutouwai or kōkako.

Just past the 3km mark, take Long Road Track to the left, where the bush is regenerating. Pause to read about early European settlers who cleared forest in the area for farming or dug for kauri gum. There’s little to see now apart from the remains of fences and a few wooden posts.

At 4.8km is Fence Line Track and signage that describes how tough life was before road and rail, when it took three gruelling days to trek to Auckland. Fence Line Track leads to Waitākere Dam, built in 1910. The track skirts the reservoir, and at 7km there’s the option of crossing the crest of the dam for a wider view. There are toilets at the far end.

If not detouring, continue left on Fence Line Track. It ascends from the dam, then descends in a series of steps and boardwalks to Lower Piringa Track. Keep left at the intersection to walk past a giant kahikatea and through dense, tangled forest alongside the boulder-strewn Waitākere River. At 9.6km you’ll be back at the pou and the short path to the car park.