46 January 2009 January 2009 47

trips trips

After a quick bite at the Fat Dog Café we packed into the Hilux intent on making our way to Poverty Bay. But when a helpful fellow wearing a faded Steamers jersey noted our accents, he felt obliged

to inform us of the massive redwoods that stood sentinel in nearby Whakarewarewa Forest.

Naturally, we felt duty-bound as Americans abroad to investigate. We knew radiata pine, known back home as Monterey pine, thrived in New Zealand, but could the tallest trees in the world really have found a home so far from the fog-enshrouded coast of northern California?

The answer was a resounding yes. It was a nine-minute drive from downtown Rotorua – yes, we actually timed it – and upon arrival we saw that our impromptu guide hadn’t done us wrong. As it turns out, it was the planting of over 150 species of trees in what is now the Redwoods that

California dreamingPohaturoa Track, Whakarewarewa Forest / moderate

Top:The view from the trig on Pohaturoa; Left: Taking a break beneath massive redwoods in rotorua’s Whakarewarewa Forest

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ultimately proved radiata was the species best suited to commercial harvesting. And while it can be witnessed in vast quantities throughout New Zealand, nothing can match the massive height of the sequoia sempervirens. Those along the track reach heights of 60m.

Though best known for its mountain bike trails, Whakarewarewa Forest (commonly known as just ‘The Redwoods’) boasts a hearty network of hiking tracks, which are separate and distinct from those enjoyed by the mountain bikers. Of these walks, the Pohaturoa Track struck our fancy, and so we headed out from the car park and in no time were surrounded by massive trees nearly a century old and blot-ting out all signs of civilisation. Suddenly Rotorua – and for that matter, the sun – seemed impossibly far away.

Some of the other tracks available to us while we stood pondering our options back in the car park were the Waitawa Walk, a leisurely one-hour return ideal for amateur dendrologists and budding botanists (numerous plant and tree species are marked track-side on the nature trail) with Douglas fir, silver fern and black tree fern (mamaku), and the Quarry Lookout Track, a moderate one-and-a-half hour return that also provides views of Rotorua. The Tokor-angi Pa Track (three-and-a-half hours return) leads the tramper through the initial copse of redwoods and then up eastwards with views of Rotorua and Mt Ngongotaha to the remains of a pa site.

For those looking for a long day, the full Whakarewarewa Cir-cuit (eight hours) provides the tramper not only the spectacular views of Rotorua and immediate environs but also the opportu-nity to tramp the shores of the both Blue and Green Lakes nearby (no boating, fishing or swimming permitted on Green Lake; check with Redwoods Gift Shop and Visitor Centre for information, as parts of the route are also subject to forestry operations).

As we progressed along the Pohaturoa Track, the trees dis-persed and it was a steep climb that afforded us a fantastic view of nearby Whakarewarewa Thermal Reserve and Lake Rotorua, where we stood silent for a moment, watching the milky waters about Motutara Point converge with the deeper blue of the lake and the bustle below. The entire trip took us a little under two hours from the car park and back, and we were happy for this short and very easy-to-access detour.

But knowing there’s so much packed into that little reserve, we’ll be back for another go.

- Craig Carey

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iLe access Te Ngae Rd

(SH30/SH30A) east to Tarawera Rd, turn right (south-east) and then right again onto Long Mile Rd; One kilometre on the left (south) for the car park and visitor’s centre. grade Moderate (steep track); two hours returnmap 260-U16 Rotorua