Puketapu loop walk, Wednesday 4 February 2026
Banner Photo: The new Puketapu bridge, built to survive any weather
Ian Pirie used his local knowledge of car park costs and time limits, so we parked in the EIT student car park knowing we could be there all day for free.
Drizzle hung about and didn’t look like it would ease up. This inclement weather was dampening our spirits. The word ‘cafes’ was being bandied about as a popular option to walking in the rain. However, we decided to brave the elements and walk out for an hour. If the weather didn’t improve, we’d call it quits and return to the car park.
It was a happy, chatty group of five that headed off along the track on the north side of the Tutaekuri River. And the weather gods were on our side. The drizzle cleared and it wasn’t long before parkas were being tucked into backpacks as we ambled along, following the lime-sand cycle track.
A delightful tree-lined cycle/walking path
I had been apprehensive about this tramp, fearing it might be a bit boring. The landscape doesn’t change much. But I was proved wrong. The stopbank gave us a raised view of fertile alluvial flats where animals grazed or orchard apple trees marched in well-ordered rows.
About a third of the way along the track, our path was blocked by a tree-felling crew trimming poplars. As we waited for the path to be safe, there was a lot of good-humoured banter with the stop-go sign holder about him doing a coffee run for us. Funny that he wasn’t at all helpful…
Once on our way again, there was a lot of chatter peppered with laughter. The speed of the two front pace-setters matched the rate at which they were talking – yak, yak, yak.
At Puketapu, coffee was sourced at the village shop and we took a break up in the reserve by the new bridge approach.
The track was undergoing tree maintenance
This walk was planned with the idea of making the return trip along the riverbed. From the heights of the bridge, we spent some time perusing the riverbed landscape and considering the notion of walking back this way. Recent rains had increased the river flow and so this ruled out the idea. We played it safe and returned via the river’s south track. The first part has a border of twisted layers of sedimentary rocks. These fascinating landforms generated a lot of geological conversation.
It wasn’t long before the fast talkers were once again out front, leading the group up onto the stop-bank that meanders back towards the Waiohiki (Redclyffe) Bridge. This side of the river is still showing scars from the Gabrielle floods, with debris wrapped around the bases of large walnut trees.
As we neared the Waiohiki golf course, a number of signs signalled no admittance to the track as it is still under repair. We were forced to walk single file along the tar-sealed road with the leader calling “truck coming” to keep us safe.
Once back at the EIT car park, we found a suitable spot to enjoy our packed lunches and consider the highlights of the walk. These included the coffee, walking in patches of sunshine, the laughter, the good stretch of legs while breaking in new boots, golf balls found in the long grass along the side of the road – and having the worries about a boring walk convincingly dispelled.
Walkers: Ian Pirie, Donna Weston, Selina Chilton, Keith Gore and reporter Margaret Palmer
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