Hokitika, III of V: Mananui Bush Walk, 24th September 2021

Another short walk near Hokitika...

On our third day in the Hokitika area Karen and I headed south to explore the tracks around Lake Mahinapua. The lake itself is beautiful and there are a lot of interesting tracks here from ten minute bush walks to multi hour tramps to the foothills of the Southern Alps.

Mananui Bush Walk sign on SH6 near Ruatapu

We started with the Mananui Bush Walk just north of the Lake Mahinapua Tavern on SH6...there is a prominent sign on the left of SH6 pointing you to the carpark. Mananui Bush is a remnant of coastal Totora forest and it is stunning with dense understory and some fine examples of Totora, Kahikatea and other Podocarp species. 

Mananui Bush Walk car park holds 4-5 cars....

The carpark can hold about 4-5 cars and the track starts right from the edge of the gravel area and meanders through the bush for about a kilometre to the coastline west of the reserve. We were the only people there the whole time we were in the reserve and it was calm, peaceful and sheltered in amongst the trees. 

The Mananui Bush Walk starts right from the carpark...

Both Karen and I thought this was one of the nicest walks we did on our whole holiday so lets take a look at the Mananui Bush Walk. 

Mananui Bush Walk:

I have driven past the Mananui Bush sign probably ten times over the last five years and every time I thought to myself "...ooooooohhh I would like to go walk that track". When we were planning this camper van holiday it was one of the first 'to do' locations I added to the list. It is not a long track but it is one of the nicest small bush reserves I have ever visited and totally worth stopping for. 

The Mananui Bush Walk is an area of coastal Totora forest...

Bruce parked at the Mananui Bush Walk carpark

The track meanders through the forest for just shy of a kilometre and the end of the walk is a very remote section of Ruatapu Beach. The track quality is excellent and this walk can be finished in running shoes...boots are not a requirement. 

Map: Tracks around Lake Mahinapua

Start of the Mananui Bush Walk, Ruatapu

From the entrance you are straight into mature Totora forest with classic dense West Coast bush under the trees. There are some big Podocarp trees including Kahikatea, Matai, Miro, Rimu and of course Totora. Most of these are heavily festooned with a whole eco-system of moss, lichen, vines, ferns, grasses and small plants.

Gravel covered Mananui Bush Walk

I have to say I am surprised this area of bush still exists...it is right next to a major road and occupies potentially useful farmland.  Unfortunately early pioneer New Zealanders were not known for their attachment to conservation values which is why this type of coastal forest is now so rare. I can only imagine it was saved as a source of timber by some long dead landowner and eventually taken over by the NZ Forestry Service and then DOC.

The bush is super thick along the Mananui Bush Walk

We saw this rock perched in the Y of a tree along the track..they have become more common over recent years. I know this is a form of visual pollution but putting the odd rock in a tree does not irritate me like masses of rock stacks on a river bank do. I think it looks quite nice!

A painted rock along the Mananui Bush Walk

Most of the trees in this bush are covered with a mass of climbing vines and plants which is a common feature of Podocarp forests. While it does get cold on the West Coast most of the time the air blowing in off the Tasman Sea is warmer that the land so you have a temperate climate. 

Vines growing up a Matai Tree in Mananui Bush

When I was in the Army we often did exercises on the West Coast as it is basically a jungle environment much like the Pacific Islands and SE Asia where we expected to be fighting. For difficulty of movement and harsh living conditions it has few equals in this country. 

Epiphytes growing on a Totora Tree, Mananui Bush Walk

The forest grows right up to the edge of the track and I am sure that if DOC didn't occasionally cut it back it would soon reclaim it. You are basically walking along a corridor through the dense bush with a cathedral like arch of green foliage over your head. This walk would be beautifully cool on a hot summer day....

The Mananui Bush Walk is a corridor through the bush

The understory is ferns, grasses and small bushes...

Totora Trees are often covered in vines, ferns and flaxes and these one's are no exception...in a lot of cases you can barely see the tree through all the plants growing on its trunk...

...most of the trees are cloaked in climbing plants...

...they add to the beauty of the trees...

 There are a lot of Mahoe or Whitey Wood trees in this reserve...they drop leaves all over the track which eventually become handsome leaf skeletons. I have seen these trees in several places along the West Coast including Paparoa NP, Kahurangi and up around Whariwharangi in Abel Tasman NP. 

Mahoe/Whitey Wood are one of the understory trees...

Here is another stash of rocks deposited in a hollow tree by people coming back from the beach. Ruatapu Beach is dark sand but it also has a lot of rock banks as the local rivers shift a huge amount of smaller stones out to sea. You will often find Serpentine, Quartz, Sandstone, Mica, Gneiss and even Pounamu on the beaches. 

A rock filled stump in Mananui Bush.....

They add colour to the dark green forest...Mananui Bush Walk

As you get closer to the beach the trees start to space out a bit more so there is a lot more light filtering down into the forest. It makes for more dramatic photos as you get shining beams of light crossing the track. There are a lot more Kahikatea Trees down this end of the reserve as they love sandy soils...

Kahikatea grove along the Mananui Bush Walk

Rata vines on a Totora tree in Mananui Bush

This is an interesting photo...you have all of the major Podocarp species in this one area including Mahoe, Rimu, Totora, Matai, Miro and Kahikatea. 

A mix of Totora, Kahikatea, Miro and Rimu trees...

After about ten minutes of travel you reach the western edge of Mananui Bush and the forest starts to open up. The Podocarp trees turn to Kiekie, ferns, flaxes and grasses and grow incredibly dense to protect themselves from the desiccating effect of the on-shore winds. 

The western edge of Mananui Bush, Ruatapu

The forest opens up closer to the beach...Mananui Bush Walk

There is a sign near the beach warning that Penguins and Fur Seals breed in this area at certain times of the year. We were a little too early but if you are here around Christmas you should do your best to give them space...especially those Fur Seals as they can be grumpy bastards at the best of times. 

Kiekie and flax dominate in the sandy soils...

First view of the Tasman Sea on the Mananui Bush Walk

You pop out on a very remote section of Ruatapu Beach with no sign of habitation to be seen anywhere along the coast. The sea was rough as a storm was building out in the Tasman Sea and big rolling waves were crashing ashore incessantly. Ruatapu Beach kind of reminds me of the beach at Birdling's Flat on the way to Akaroa...the ocean just never stops roiling and making noise. 

Ruatapu Beach and the Tasman Sea, West Coast

...the surf was rough at Ruatapu Beach on the West Coast...

You could see a long way along the coast..on a clear day I am sure you would be able to see down to the area around Haast south of you. There is a small headland a couple of kilometers north so that would block any long distant views in that direction.

View south along Ruatapu Beach, West Coast

...driftwood shelter at Ruatapu Beach...

Karen and I were utterly alone on the beach..the only foot prints we could see were from birds and animals so I think we were the first people to visit that day. We walked a couple of hundred meters along the beach to a stone bank and collected some rocks to take home with us. Later we walked back to the beach entrance and sat for about ten minutes watching the waves roll ashore.

It was very tranquil......

Looking north along Ruatapu Beach

I would recommend that you do not go into the water if you ever visit this beach...it is just too dangerous. The sea is rough and chaotic and you could see both rips and side currents flowing quickly off the beach. It would be nice to sit in the sand dunes and enjoy the sun...it was warm here even with a brisk breeze blowing in off the sea. 

West Coast beaches are not for swimming at....

After twenty minutes on the beach we set off back along the bush walk...it was starting to get get cold as the wind was constantly blowing in off the sea. You return back along the same track with slightly different views as you approach the forest from the opposite direction.

On the Mananui Bush Walk enroute to the car park

The track winds through Mananui Bush 

I think this was the most overgrown tree along the Mananui Bush Walk with a huge billowing canopy of plants clinging to the lower extremities of the Totora which supports all this. They were growing from ground level right up to the top most branches of the tree...

This Totora is almost invisible under climbing plants

Further along there is an over hanging branch with a complex ecosystem of plants growing along it. there were lichen, moss, ferns and various other plants all clinging to the branch. Nature is a spectacular thing with all manner of species making their own place in the world. 

Really beautiful...

A hanging garden of ferns on the Mananui Bush Walk

...there is a whole ecosystem on this one branch...

A tree just off the track had blown over some time in the past and it highlights how thin soils in a coastal forest effect the flora. This bush is underlaid by deep sand with a thin crust of duff and soil on top. Usually the root systems of any trees in these areas are shallow so the forest is susceptible to blow down events in big wind storms. 

You can see how thin and weak the roots are in the blown down Matai tree shown below...

Coastal soils are shallow and sandy...

The clouds had cleared as we were walking the track so it was much lighter and brighter as we walked back to the carpark. It was also much warmer in the forest out of the strong wind blowing off the sea.

Karen photographing the Mananui Bush Walk

It was a pleasant day walking the Mananui Bush Walk

Here is a good example of the varied tree species in Podocarp forest with a Rimu right next to a Miro.  Just off to the right were a couple of big Totora Trees. Unlike Beech forest Podocarp is made up of many different types of large trees who co-exist by taking advantage of different conditions in the forest ecology which allows them to thrive. 

Miro and Rimu trees along the Mananui Bush Walk

Mananui Bush Walk: track side rock clothed in moss, ferns etc....

We arrived back at the carpark after about an hour on the track ....walking the track takes half this time the rest was spent sitting on the beach, gathering stones or taking photos. From here we jumped back into the van and headed about 2 kilometres south down SH6 to Lake Mahinapua. 

End of the Mananui Bush Walk, Ruatapu

Both Karen and I thought this was one of the nicest walks we have been on for quite a long time. The forest is just beautiful and surprisingly intact given how close to a road it is. The beach is remote and absolutely gorgeous and you will want to spend time there enjoying the total tranquillity of it all. Obviously I recommend you stop here even if you only walk five minutes into the forest. 

Access: Mananui Bush and the Mananui Bush Walk are located just off SH 6 approximately 10 km's south of Hokitika. Look for the sign on the left side of the road just before the Lake Mahinapua Tavern.
Track Times: The Mananui Bush Walk is approximately 2 km's return and takes 30-40 minutes to walk depending on how long you spend on Ruatapu Beach.
Miscellaneous: The Mananui Bush Walk is flat and well maintained for its whole length.  The walkway can be done in running style shoes no boots required. DO NOT SWIM at remote Ruatapu Beach...it is very dangerous with rips, cross currents and rough sea conditions the norm. There are no toilets or water points on this track. 

Hokitika, II of V: West Coast Treetop Walkway: 23rd September 2021

A return visit to a West Coast icon...

We spent our first full day in Hokitika visiting the Hokitika Gorge Walk and the West Coast Treetop Walk. The Treetop Walk is an elevated forest walk near Lake Mahinapua about 10-12 kilometers south of Hokitika along SH6. I have been to the Walkway four times now but you always find something new to experience when you are here. 

Entrance to the West Coast Treetop Walk and Café

There are currently 2-3 treetop walkways here in New Zealand...one in the North Island and two in the South Island. 

Nice manicured grounds at the West Coast Treetop Walk

You start the walk from the office & café at the entrance to the Walkway complex...there is an excellent café here and attached gift shop. Karen and I had some lunch before our walk and the Caesar Salad and open Chicken Sandwich were both tasty. The entrance fee is $32 dollars which seems like a lot but it has not increased since the last time I was here with Karen back in October of  2019. 

Some information about the West Coast Treetop Walk

The structures of the walkway are from twenty meters to nearly fifty meters above ground and are at the level of the top foliage of the mature trees in the reserve. The top of the largest tower is very high for height adverse Jon but the enclosed nature of the platforms mean I am ok to climb to the top without breaking down into a quivering heap. I am not so happy on the cantilever but more about that later...

Looking out over the West Coast Treetop Walk

The Walkway is right next to Lake Mahinapua and you can see a goodly portion of the total area of the lake especially along the northern shoreline. There are fantastic views of the surrounding forest, the lake itself and right out to the distant Southern Alps if you are here on a clear sunny day. 

Lake Mahinapua from the West Coast Treetop Walk

It is an awesome spot to visit on the West Coast so let us have a closer look at the Walkway and what you can see from it...

The Westcoast Treetop Walkway:

The West Coast Treetop Walkway is made up of a series of gantries, towers, platforms and stairs which take you around an area of mature wetland forest on the southern shore of Lake Mahinapua. You start from the cafe/gift shop/office adjacent to the car park and the whole walk will take you from 30 minutes to an hour depending on how long you stand admiring the trees...

The office and cafe at the West Coast Treetop Walk

There was a bird feeding platform near the start of the walk where native birds were eating cut fruit, sugar water and grain set out for them by the cafe staff. There were a number of Bellbirds, Silver Eye, Tui and Pukeko eating here. 

Feeding platform for native birds, West Coast Treetop Walk

Interesting sculpture at the West Coast Treetop Walk

The first part of the Walkway is a 500 meter stroll along a gravel access road...you climb about 40 meters onto a small ridge near the start of the gantries. Along the way there are a number of seats you can sit on to take in the surrounding dense native bush. During the summertime there is a small shuttle which can run people to the start of the gantries but it really isn't necessary. 

The West Coast Treetop Walk starts with a small hill climb...

...Treetop Walkway...there are several benches you can rest at..

West Coast Treetop Walk: you are climbing to the start of the gantries

First view of the West Coast Treetop Walk

There are a series of panels on this Walkway explaining the fauna of the area including the standard DOC species signs, historical information and panels like the one below explaining a particular aspect of the local forest. I like this sign about Epiphytes...it is the most straight forward explanation I have ever seen of these plant species. 

Epiphytes live in most of these Podocarps trees...

The walkway covers an area of Kahikatea wetlands and the gantries sit at a standard height of 20 meters above the ground. They are not enclosed but they do have very high barriers on both sides of the walkway. It is safe in almost all conditions but they do move around a bit in high wind so be forewarned. 

Start of the walkways at West Coast Treetop Walk

There is an extensive set of raised gantries, platforms, stairs and a tower...

West Coast Treetop Walk: the walkway is at tree top level

You walk around the walkway at the height of the forest canopy so you get a unique glimpse of a world that is normally out of sight to most people. There are all kinds of plants growing in the top of these trees as they use their height to gain access to more of the sunlight on offer. Most of the plants are propagated from wind blown seed but some of them are deposited by bird droppings or through vines climbing from tree to tree...

Mature Totora trees flank the West Coast Treetop Walk

West Coast Treetop Walk: closer look at the top of the foliage

You are heading towards the large tower at the end of the first couple of hundred meters of the walkway. It is significantly higher that the rest at 47 meters (154 feet...) and has a staircase winding around it to a platform near the top. From experience this tower will move a lot in even the gentlest wind so don't climb up if heights are not your thing...

First view of the tower...West Coast Treetop Walk

You will see all manner of native birds as you walk along the gantries...I have seen Kingfisher, Tui, Kaka, Keruru, Bellbirds, Fantails and Tomtits flying around. Tui are especially common as they inhabit the top of Podocarp trees and at certain times of the year you will se a lot of them flying about and singing...

Many native birds live in the area...

The main species of tree in the area is Kahikatea as they love the wet soggy soils along the side of big lakes. You will also see Rimu. Matai, Miro and Totora trees along the walk and the understory down at ground level is thick and varied. 

West Coast Treetop Walk: looking at a mature Rimu Tree

It would be virtually impossible to fall off the West Coast Treetop Walk

 Lake Mahinapua from the base of the tower...West Coast Treetop Walk

 

Karen and I walked up to the top of the tower to have a look about the surrounding countryside...you can see for many kilometers in all directions. To the north is the lake itself...west are a low range of hills between the Walkway and the Coast.

View east to Lake Mahinapua from the West Coast Treetop Walk

To the east is the forest along this side of Lake Mahinapua and also the distant foothills of the Southern Alps. On a clear day you can see their white snow capped peaks in the far distance...on the day they looked dark and moody covered in what looked like thunder cloud. 

View to the east of the West Coast Treetop Walk

 South is the bulk of Mt Greenland near Ross and the long line of high mountains stretching down to Fiordland. The view out over the forest and bush is beautiful and reminds me a bit of visiting Te Urewera NP back in the 1990's. There is almost no sign of humanity save the walkway itself...

Distant outliers of the Southern Alps from the West Coast Treetop Walk

The platform at the top of the tower...West Coast Treetop Walk

The platform at the top of the tower is quite big and I suppose you could get 8-10 people up there and still have a bit of Covid spacing between groups. It is a bit chilly in the wind so make sure you have a jacket or warm top in case you get cold. Don't drop you phone...there is no way to retrieve it as there are no tracks under the structure... 

West Coast Treetop Walk: view of the walkways from above...

Karen and I atop the West Coast Treetop Walk tower

...the tower is the same height as the Kahikatea Trees...

After the tower you head along the gantries to a walkway that is cantilevered out from the main structure with a great view of Lake Mahinapua. You are now on the western part of the structure and you can see the end of the walkway very clearly from here. There is a great view of the tower back along the gantries...

West Coast Treetop Walk: heading for the cantilever walk

The West Coast Treetop Walk tower is 47 meters high...

The cantilever walk heads towards Lake Mahinapua

The ground under the Treetop Walkway is covered with thick native bush and features a number of small creeks and swamps. This whole area is a Kahikatea wetland...they like these shallow, damp soils. Eventually as the ground dries out the Kahikatea are replaced by other podocarps with Rimu, Totora and Miro being the main replacements. 

Looking down to the ground under the West Coast Treetop Walk

I am not so good at walking out onto the cantilever section of the Walkway...it sways around a bit in the wind and though I know I am unlikely to fall it is all a bit hair raising for me. Karen has no problem with heights so she charged out to the end like a trooper...

Karen walking out to the end of the cantilever

West Coast Treetop Walk: information panel about Lake Mahinapua

The end of the West Coast Treetop Walk...

I managed to walk right out to the end of the cantilever this time but the grimace I have on my face really tells you all you need to know about how I view this. The view of Lake Mahinapua from the end is worth it though...this is the closest place along the Walkway to the lake so you can see some detail of the shoreline from here. 

Karen at the end of the cantilever...West Coast Treetop Walk

Jon at the West Coast Treetop Walk

Karen's panoramic view of Lake Mahinapua...

Lake Mahinapua is close to the West Coast Treetop Walk

You can really see how much higher the tower is from the rest of the structure...it is nearly 30 meters higher than the rest. The staircase winds up around the outside of the main pillar and the platform is covered so people can walk up there in the rain. 

The tower at the West Coast Treetop Walk

...heading back off the cantilever...West Coast Treetop Walk

From the cantilever there is just the last section of the walkway before you are back on the access road to the start/finish of the Walkway. There are great views from the end around the rest of the walkway including the lake, tower and the cantilever gantry...

The forest contains wetland species...Kahikatea, Matai, Miro, Totora and Rimu

West Coast Treetop Walk: the last section of walkway...

...side view of the West Coast Treetop Walk cantilever...

Looking to the first section of the West Coast Treetop Walk

We eventually walked off the Walkway structure and back onto Terra Firma after about 35 minutes....we have been here before so you might spend more time if it is your first visit.

Exit from the West Coast Treetop Walk

...looking back along the exit of the West Coast Treetop Walk...

From the end of the gantries you walk back along the access road to the café and shop at the entrance to the Walkway. During the summer they have a small shuttle which can transport you back to the start but it isn't needed. It is about 800 meters or 10 minutes walk back along the track and it is either flat or downhill the whole way. 

...you walk back to the Walkway Café along this road...

...typical Kahikatea tree at the West Coast Treetop Walk...

The native bush along the access road is nice especially down by the exit from the Walkway and there are some stonking big trees along here include Kahikatea, Rimu and Totora. You can look out over the surrounding forest and the walkway from a number of spots along the road....

West Coast Treetop Walk: highlighting a large Rimu Tree...

Walking back along the West Coast Treetop Walk access road

...then dropping down to the café

We passed this native jasmine along the way back to the café...they normally inhabit the top of Beech and some Podocarp trees. I'm not sure why it is growing so close to the ground but it wont last long as possums love eating them. Very pretty though....

Native tree Jasmine along the access road...

I like these native plants, West Coast Treetop Walk

We were at the Westcoast Treetop Walkway later in the afternoon so it was getting on for 4 pm by the time we got back to the camper van. There were only a couple of cars still in the car park and one other camper van with a family we saw at several different places over the time we were in Hokitika. 

The café and carpark at the West Coast Treetop Walk

It is interesting to compare this with the O'Reillys Treetop Walkway I did in Australia back in the 1990's. The two are separated by nearly 25 years and it is obvious how much people learnt about building this type of walk in the intervening years. Similar concept but so very different in execution...

...it was very quiet at the West Coast Treetop Walk...

The West Coast Treetop Walkway is good value and interesting so I would encourage you to go and visit if you are ever over on the Coast. It is a good accompaniment to a visit to Lake Mahinapua which is close by so make a day of it and drive south from Hokitika and have a look around. 

Access: Both the West Coast Treetop Walkway and nearby Lake Mahinapua are located off SH 6 approximately 10-12 km's south of Hokitika. The West Coast Treetop Walkway is on Woodstock Road...follow the signs from SH 6. 
Track Times: The West Coast Treetop Walkway takes 30-40 minutes to walk, with a five minute walk to the start and finish from the nearby café. 
Miscellaneous: The Treetop Walkway costs $32 per adult, $16 per child but there are other payment options. There is a very fine café located at the walkway with a la carte and cabinet food and a gift shop. The walkway can be done in running style shoes no boots required.