The Kiriwhakapapa Road Tararua Forest Park screen location, featuring walking trails and campsite opportunities in wild, natural landscapes.

Kiriwhakapapa Road is the gateway to the sprawling Tararua Forest Park, featuring walking trails and a campsite.

Kiriwhakapapa Road lies 7 kilometres from State Highway 2 and is 16km north of Masterton in the Wairarapa region. The road is unsealed for the last 5km.

The road serves as the main entrance to the Tararua Forest Park. It offers a variety of hiking, hunting, and camping opportunities in a wild, natural landscape. Loggers cleared the area during the 1930s, but it has since been partially replanted.

The Kiriwhakapapa Loop is a popular 2km walking track suitable for all ages and fitness levels. It passes through a regenerated forest and connects with other hiking trails. One of these trails follows old bush tramlines through to the Mikimiki Valley, while another ascends the Blue Range.

The Department of Conservation maintains the family-friendly Kiriwhakapapa Campsite. It has non-powered tent sites, toilet facilities, and a communal cooking area.

Location details

Jurisdiction Masterton District Council
Permits required Yes, apply for a permit
Location descriptors Forest/woods, bush, jungle/rainforest, pines, redwoods, scrub, deciduous, evergreen, mossy, foliage, canopy, understory, verdant, serene, wilderness, remote, untamed, uninhabited, vast, uncharted, isolated, solitude, rugged, natural, peaks, valleys, slopes, scenic, winding road, roads.

Looking for more?

Camp Wainuiomata screen location. Has several buildings and is surrounded by forest and bush.

Camp Wainuiomata

203 Coast Road, Wainuiomata, Wellington | 12This campground offers a range of accommodation options in a stunning setting not far from the capital.

The screen locations of Catchpool Valley, with the river, lush bush, forest, and grassland.

Catchpool Valley

1039 Coast Road, Wainuiomata, Lower Hutt | 13An off-the-grid campsite surrounded by nature and walking tracks.

The rural, scenic screen location of Broken Hill Road, with green fields and lush forests surrounding.

Broken Hill Road

Broken Hill Road, Porirua | 14This rural road provides a scenic drive just a short distance from the state highway.

The swampy wetland of Fensham Forest, with an abundance of birds and native trees.

Fensham Forest

24 Cobden Road, Carrington, Wairarapa | 16A scenic native bush walk featuring abundant birdlife and a swamp forest.

Mangaroa Valley Road screen location, a scenic rural setting with native forest, farmland, and a mountainous backdrop.

Mangaroa Valley Road

Mangaroa, Upper Hutt | 18A scenic rural setting with access to native forest, and walking and biking trails.

The screen location of Te Mārua cliffs, where a river flows against vertical cliffs on the foothills of the Remutaka Range.

Te Mārua Cliffs

675 Main Road North, Te Mārua, Upper Hutt | 19A dramatic geological formation rising from the upper reaches of the Hutt River.

The screen location of Mount Victoria Town Belt, with lush green native bush and panoramic views across Wellington.

Mount Victoria Town Belt

Alexandra Road, Mount Victoria, Wellington | 20An extensive green space with panoramic views across Wellington and its harbour.

Long Gully Bush Reserve comprises 107 hectares of regenerating forest. It sits roughly 5 kilometres southwest of Wellington City, surrounded by the suburbs of Karori and Brooklyn.

Long Gully

Southernthread Road, Brooklyn, Wellington | 44A private, regenerative native ecosystem on the city’s doorstep.

Patuna Chasm, a cave system in a gorge of a river cutting through limestone cliff.

Patuna Chasm

236 Haurangi Road, Ruakōkoputuna | 45An ancient limestone gorge on remote, private farmland.

The unusual rock formations of the Putangirua Pinnacles in the Wairarapa region.

Putangirua Pinnacles

1341 Cape Palliser Road, Wairarapa | 46Epic rock formations in a remote part of the Wairarapa region.