Rewanui - a splendid Wairarapa walk

Easy walks that take in mature native bush, grassy ridges and panoramic views are few and far between in Wairarapa. This is mainly because most mature bush is either in steep country that is hard to access, most pasture land is on privately owned farms and panoramic views are earned through hours of walking.

Rewanui Forest Park, 22km east of Masterton on the Castlepoint Road, is a notable exception. The 334 hectare park is also one of the best remaining examples of lowland forest in Wellington region. Large stands of rewarewa, matai and totara are home to tui, kereru and grey warbler and are easily accessible through public walking tracks.

There are a range of tracks available, from the moderately graded ‘Totara Loop’ bush walk, which takes about an hour, to the relatively steep and exposed ‘Mt Clyde Trig’, which takes about two hours to complete. The latter climbs to 300m over rolling grassland and rocky outcrops and has 360o views of the Wairarapa from top of the trig. The grass provides a nice contrast to the bush and allows ample opportunity for picnic spots. A nice compromise is the ‘Matai Loop’ bush walk, which will also take two hours and offers fantastic vistas as you climb up through the bush.

Rewanui is owned by the Montfort Trimble Trust Foundation, a charitable trust set up in memory of local afforestation supporter Dr Montfort Trimble. It is the money from the initial harvest of pine trees on another site owned by the trust which funded the purchase of Rewanui in late 2004.

Stock grazed much of the under-storey until 2004, but native seedlings are coming back well since it has been fenced. Because mature lowland forest is rare in Wairarapa, Greater Wellington Regional Council does pest animal and plant control at Rewanui as part of its Key Native Ecosystem programme. GW set the programme up in the late 1990s to improve the health important native ecosystems in the Wellington region.

Pest animals being caught in the bush are mostly rats, cats, ferrets and possums, but GW has been targeting possums in the area since 1993 as part of the programme to control Bovine TB in Wairarapa.

GW staff also monitor bird, lizard and pest populations as an indicator of the health of the bush. Many community groups have a role at Rewanui. The Queen Elizabeth II Trust and Probus groups help maintain the area. Tinui and Whareama schools help plant the wetland area that has been developed with help from Ducks Unlimited. Last year Rewanui was one of the sites chosen for the ‘Summits for Ed’ project, where communities from all over the country took part in walks in memory of the late Sir Edmund Hillary.

How to get there. Take the Masterton to Castlepoint Road (starting from Te Ore Ore Road east of Masterton) for 22km. The car park is on the left about 1.5km after the slow vehicle bay.