Trails › New Zealand › Waikato › Umukarikari Range
Waipakihi Valley (Waipakihi Road end to Waipakihi Hut)
Next nearby hike: Urchin Track (to Waipakihi Valley) 0.0 mi · 0.0 kmExplore Umukarikari Range →
Waipakihi Valley (Waipakihi Road end to Waipakihi Hut) other trails nearby (tap a dot to open it)
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NZ Department of Conservation (CC BY 4.0) · OpenStreetMap · Official page · Basemap: OpenFreeMap (OpenMapTiles, © OSM contributors).
7-day forecast
Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0)Best time to hike
Best months: Jan–Apr, Nov · highs 11–17 °C (52–63 °F)
- J17°8°174
- F17°8°148
- M14°6°184
- A11°4°177
- M8°2°212
- J6°0°254
- J5°-1°245
- A6°0°238
- S8°1°235
- O10°2°223
- N12°4°186
- D15°6°220
Average high °C · low °C · precipitation mm per month. Highlighted: best months.
How we pick months
Best months are those where the 1981–2010 average daily high is 10–27 °C (50–81 °F), the average overnight low is 0 °C (32 °F) or warmer, and average precipitation is 200 mm (7.9 in) or less. Values are long-term monthly averages for the ~1 km cell at the trail point on the map, from CHELSA V2.1 climatologies (Karger et al., CC0), not a forecast. Higher or more exposed parts of a route can be colder, wetter or snowier.
About this trail
Head up the Waipakihi River Valley, a popular option for hunters to access the tops, or a great day out for swimming in the summer.
NZ Department of Conservation (CC BY 4.0).
Trail facts
- Length
- 4.9 km · 3.0 mi (DOC route geometry)
- Source
- NZ Department of Conservation (CC BY 4.0)
- Difficulty
- Very hard (9/10) (Expert · NZ Department of Conservation difficulty (CC BY 4.0))
- Typical time (DOC)
- 8 - 12 hr
- Official page
- doc.govt.nz/link/9045f75b551748dba4986fb6f48
- Mountain range
- Umukarikari Range (North Island Mountain Spine; GMBA)
- Nearest town
- 21 km S of Turangi (Waikato Region) · GeoNames
- Park or forest
- Kaimanawa Forest Park
- Connects to
- Mt Urchin Trig Track, Urchin Track (to Waipakihi Valley) (at its start or end)
- Best months
- Jan–Apr, Nov
- Country
- New Zealand
- Region
- Waikato
- Continent
- Oceania
- Route centre
- -39.1735, 175.8410
How it’s scored
Very hard (9/10). Official rating: Expert · NZ Department of Conservation difficulty (CC BY 4.0).
A score is omitted when we do not have an official rating or enough measured length and elevation gain to compute one. Nothing is guessed. Read the NPS method: https://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/how-to-determine-hiking-difficulty.htm
Hikers can rate difficulty from 1 to 10 (1 = flat, short, easy walk for anyone; 3 = gentle hills, a little effort; 5 = moderate climbs, some fitness needed; 7 = steep or long, solid fitness required; 10 = extremely strenuous or technical; long steep climbing; experienced hikers only). The community average is shown once at least 3 people have rated the trail; until then the official or computed score is used when we have one.
Nearest trails
distance from the trail centreUrchin Track (to Waipakihi Valley)
0.0 mi · 0.0 km · Kaimanawa Forest Park
Mt Urchin Trig Track
0.1 mi · 0.2 km · Kaimanawa Forest Park
Tree Trunk Gorge tracks
1.6 mi · 2.6 km · Kaimanawa Forest Park
Umukarikari Track
4.2 mi · 6.7 km · Kaimanawa Forest Park
Waihohonu Track
8 mi · 13 km · Tongariro National Park
Southern Access Corridor
9 mi · 14 km · Kaimanawa Forest Park