The Te Paki Coastal Track is temporarily closed after packs of wild dogs have been seen marauding through the area.

DOC closed the track on April 1 after it was alerted to packs of up to 15 “menacing and feral dogs” on the west coast between Ninety Mile Beach and Cape Reinga. Four tracks and a campsite have been closed, however, the popular Cape Reinga/Te Rerenga Wairua Lighthouse Walk remains open.

A DOC spokesperson said no one has been attacked by the dogs. The department is working with landowners and the local council to contain the animals and is hoping to trap or cull them. The department will keep the track closed for at least two more weeks and further monitoring using trail cameras, visual surveillance and a detailed collection of sightings will be undertaken.

Dave Spicer owns Ahikaa Adventures which runs sand surfing tours at the Te Paki sand dunes and said his nephew saw a pack of about 15 dogs last week and managed to exterminate three of them. He said his nephew now had a contract to exterminate the rest of the pack.

“We’ve heard they’ve been coming up to hikers in the area,” Spicer said.

He said the dogs had been seen over a large area, from about 30km north of Ahipara on Ninety Mile Beach and up towards Cape Reinga.

While there had been wild dogs in the area before, he said they had never gathered in large packs like this.

“People up here are a bit concerned.”

The dogs were likely lost hunting dogs or pets abandoned by travellers, he said.

Real Far North Tours owner Johanna Maaka runs shuttle transfers for trampers on the Te Paki Coastal Track. She said she was still running transfers and it was up to trampers to decide whether to go on the trail.

“We had customers over the weekend and no one’s seen any dogs, so I’m not sure where they’ve disappeared to,” Johanna said. 

She has run the service for four years and said there had never been an issue with wild dogs before.

“There have been sightings of dogs in the past, but never in packs.”

She said the track should not have been closed and hoped DOC would reopen the area soon.

“I hope they hurry up because it does put off people coming to do it on their own and scares them off.”