Tramp Reflections 792 - Arahaki Lagoon, Whirinaki

24 August 2008

We had a wet day all around and it took us longer to drive there & back to these spots in Whirinaki than it took us to do the two walks. Arahaki Lagoon is a stunningly beautiful rain fed lagoon surrounded by towering Kahikatea. The track passes through impressive Tawa/Podocarp Forest to the lagoon, where a rather impressive boardwalk & viewing platform has been built. Because so much rain had fallen the lagoon was full & the boardwalk underwater, great fun for those of us with short legs. The tramp took 3 hrs return.

Whirinaki Waterfall is a well maintained and mostly well graded loop track that follows the Whirinaki River. Walking through the Podocarp Forest was impressive and we had some excellent view points of the river before we reached the awesome waterfall. On the way back, we followed the other bank back to the start point on River Road. The walk was 3-4 hrs return.

Lynne

Photographs by unknown (FinePix F480).