Wangapeka Track

Italy

The Wangapeka Track is a tramping track in the north-west of the South Island of New Zealand. It is one of the main tramping tracks in the Kahurangi National Park, a protected area managed by the Department of Conservation. The route traverses the southern end of the park from the historic Wangapeka

goldfields area west of Tapawera to the coastal plains of the West Coast at Little Wanganui. The route is 59 km (37 mi) long and crosses the Wangapeka and Little Wanganui saddles, each over 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in elevation. The track passes through the valleys of the Wangapeka River, Karamea River, Taipō River and Little Wanganui River. The majority of the track is in river valleys and under forest cover, with small sections in tussock land at Stag Flat and the Little Wanganui Saddle. It typically takes walkers 4–6 days to complete the route. Track building began in 1861 from the eastern end, following the discovery of gold in the Wangapeka River valley in 1859 and further gold discoveries in the Rolling River in 1861. Early work on the track was funded by the Nelson Provincial Council and employed gold diggers as labourers. In 1868, a proposal was made for a through-route from Wangapeka...

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