“In 2008 Jane Tombleson had a bright idea. Having walked and ridden the hills of their back-country farm for years, she decided it was time to share the outstanding rugged beauty and history of the region with the rest of the world.”
At the time, her husband Warwick was a little dubious about the merits of such a scheme but nine years later, Haurata Walks are booming. TV crews have filmed there and Haurata is suddenly not the hidden gem it once was. The landscape is spectacular - steep escarpments and bluffs, bizarre sandstone formations, native bushland, waterfalls, swimming holes, rock slides, native birds, sheep, cattle, wild goats and deer. At night you can even see glow-worms. Consequently there are long and short loop walks of varying degrees of difficulty, each with their own unique features. This is big, steep country so a reasonable level of fitness and sturdy boots are required. The four to six-hour Top of the World walk takes hikers to the highest point in the region which offers 360-degree panoramic views over Gisborne-Tairawhiti, Mt Hikurangi, Young Nicks Head and Panekiri Bluff. Te Kooti’s Retreat, a three to five-hour walk, ends at a historic pa site on top of Ngatapa Mountain where, in 1869, the famous Maori Ringatu church leader Te Kooti was surrounded by the English constabulary and Ropata from the Ngati-Porou tribe, before escaping over the cliffs into the Urewera ranges. Accommodation is available in the Farm House, a four-bedroom holiday home with all the luxuries including an outside tub, or the Backpacker Cottage which offers basic, budget accommodation with all the amenities you need for a great walking holiday. Meals can also be arranged.
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