Manawatu Gorge walk, Wednesday 15 April 2026
Top picture: At the start of the track on the Ashhurst side
It was a quick start in an almost brand-new rental van, with great acceleration and Juliet at the wheel. We whizzed along SH50 and onto the new Woodville to Ashhurst highway, arriving at 9.15am. The car park is now impressive, with plenty of spaces and new compost toilets (you needed to know that, didn’t you?).
Six set off at 9.30am, leaving Sue, Tony and Ted to take the van to the Ballance Bridge near Woodville, from where they planned to do their walk.
There had been a lot of low, dark cloud when driving towards Palmerston North but although we had the odd bit of drizzle, we didn’t really get wet and the sun shone intermittently. We estimated the temperature to be 14-16C which is near-perfect for walking.
The well-maintained bush section
Our gradual climb up from the car park made for easy walking. The tracks are good, and sneakers for footwear would have been fine, but we all wore our boots. We had our gaiters on for warmth rather than leg protection, as there are almost no plants on the path. Everything is well maintained, well signposted and there was almost no debris or fallen branches on the track.
Cloudy weather always seems to enhance the colours of the native bush here, and the trees are just magnificent. We stopped several times, trying to identify some of these majestic trees. They are mainly tawa and podocarps, with lots of broad-leaf trees as well, and many are very tall, old and well established. Autumn, with its warmth and dampness, has resulted in prolific and varied fungi along the route.
The renowned Apiti monument gave us a good reason to stop, laugh and take photos, as it always does!
Topomap of the Manawatu walk
The windmills must have been producing lots of power, as they were whistling around at speed, and the continuous hum reminded me of an airport. The view down the river is as steep as ever, and we could see a long way.
We were expecting to meet Sue for lunch, but she did not appear – so we ate ours anyway, just before tackling the zigzag route downwards.
Views of the Manawatu River
We reached the road at 1.30pm, and guess what? No van. We thought they had gone off for coffee somewhere but I managed to get Sue on the phone. She was most confused about how she had missed us. It turned out they had parked a bit further along the road, on the other side of the bridge and soon we were all reunited! The weather had brightened up by then and it was a pleasant drive back to Napier.
Gorge tramp from the Woodville end – lone walker Sue Martin’s story:
Because I was recovering from an injury, I decided to walk in for just two hours and return. (Huge admiration for Tony and Ted, both in their early to late 80s, who walked in some distance too, before turning back. They’re an inspiration.)
It had been some time since I walked this track, so it was good to be among the big trees and ferns again – and good to see signs explaining the different fern species. This is a special place because most of New Zealand’s ferns are right here in this bush. A careful watch for fungi revealed few varieties, though.
The Ballance bridge
Dappled sunshine appeared on the track and, now and again, trees creaked and groaned in the breeze. I love the way the supplejack (Kareao) winds itself around everything here. The bush was in very good condition, with many traplines set near the track. Piwakawaka and kereru calls could be heard throughout the walk.
There were only a few spits of rain and the temperature was perfect for walking (but I kept the shower jacket on). As I went on, the wind turbines’ noise grew extremely loud; it sounded quite like Victoria Falls!
A great day for wind power production
After two hours, it was time to turn around (and spend a few minutes indicating I had done so, with arrows and signage). But there was no sign of the main group coming from the Ashhurst end. I had lunch at the Te Apiti lookout and, returning to the van, met only three other people who were also walking part of the route.
It was a beautiful bush walk (but it’s so much better with some company). And, having resolved the parking confusion, we all met up and headed home.
Trampers: Juliet Gillick, Selina Chilton, Simon Hill, Michelle Finlayson, Ted Angove; John Tovey, Tony Pluymers, and reporters Di Reid and Sue Martin
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