Fallen Tree Bush Walk 2026

It is some years now since Cyclone Gabrielle felled the tree after which this walk is named. The tree has settled substantailly into the hillside and the foliage grown up around it since, and the track to get around it has changed shape every year since. Yet the tree does remain a substantial presence on the walk and confirms the relevance of the trail’s name. This is a very pretty bush walk of about five hours passing through a variety of mostly native forest which in the lower parts is dense with ferns and areas of Parataniwha covering the forest floor.

This walk begins at the Govan Wilson Rd entrance to the old Conical Peak Rd that runs along the ridge from Conical Peak almost to the Dome highway, now little more than a disused 4WD track. The route we take is a loop starting out along the ridge, through recovering native forest, to a path that leads us down to the Waiwhui stream. Here we we stop for lunch at the stream crossing where DOC has kindly placed a toilet and cleared a patch of ground as a comfortable resting place.

We then set out to rejoin Conical Peak Rd by walking up a track that is sometimes steep and demanding, sometimes criss-crossed with tree roots, and can be slippery in the wet. Walkers need to be sure of foot and have decent hiking/tramping footware. As we climb back up the ridge we pass through some large, older trees and look down from the ridge through impressive bush groves.

We reach a height of 360m above sea level and should get to enjoy a view over the Matakana foothills to Tiritiri and Coromandel, on a good day. Expect to enjoy a complete break away on this walk in the bush.