I had always been aware that a route existed between these two points but was not sure how long it would take, so I guess there is only one way to find out.

So it was an early start for Winston, Jody, Sue and I as we headed for the Otanewainuku Carpark. Here we left Winston’s vehicle and all drove in my car down No 2 Rd to Te Puke, where we started walking up the Otawa Trig Track at 8:30am

After an hour and a half we reached the track junction, a few hundred metres short of the trig. We opted not to visit the trig this time, as we did not know how long the route would take us.

The route is fairly easy going, following a mixture of bush tracks and old forest roads. There are few views of the surrounding countryside but the bush is pleasant.

We had lunch where the Demeter Rd track joins and then arrived at the edge of Hans Pendergrast’s farm. From here the track follows the boundary fence for a couple of kilometres and even goes within a few metres of the farmhouse.

The bush was pleasantly cool once we were in it and it was a short descent to the Whataroa Falls. There was no holding Sue back, she was soon in the large pool at the foot of the falls for a swim.

From here it was a good track to the Otanewainuku carpark where we arrived at 3pm. Total time, including lunch stop and swim, 6.5 hours.

We drove back into Te Puke to collect my car and then home. One more warning, carry plenty of water on this trip. There is no good drinking water along the way.