Trail overview

• Kawakawa is a bustling rural town with some big tourist attractions
• The perfect toilet stop is Hundertwasser toilets. There are cafes, a small supermarket, museum, art gallery and plenty of craft and gift shops. The vintage trains also travel along the main street, the only place in New Zealand where this happens.
• Leaving Kawakawa from just behind the railway station, the trail takes you past the back of Moerewa town, passing the disused wood mill and other industrial areas giving you an insight into a rural small town in New Zealand. There is a public toilet, a bakery, a small supermarket, butchery and a takeway in town.
• The next 25km of the trail is a gradual incline to Kaikohe, passing the northernmost operational point of the railway at Ōtiria which recently stopped running. Beautiful waterfalls, the impressive Orauta Stream suspension bridges and rolling farmland.
• Before you reach Kaikohe you will pass Kaikohe Aerodrome. Built in 1942 as a United States Marines bomber base, it is the largest grass strip in the Southern hemisphere used now by general aviation.
• Arriving in Kaikohe you are at the highest point of the trail. Kaikohe is a farming town in which you will find plenty of eateries, supermarkets and accommodation places.
• Visit the Kaikohe Pioneer Village. Just 200 metres off the trail this 5-acre outdoor museum is full of historic buildings and treasures. It welcomes visitors with its friendly staff, and also offers complimentary tea, coffee and water!
• Pioneer Village is the hub for the cycle trail and where you can find the office for Pou Herenga Tai – Twin Coast Cycle Trail