Pororari River Canyon Track

This Pororari River track is a mostly-easy 45-minutes one-way walk through a wonderful limestone river canyon festooned with jungly sub-tropical rainforest on downstream end and temperate Beech forest on the upstream reaches— a neat transition. The obvious highlight of the track is the river itself. The Pororari, depending on rain, can either be a clear languidlyflowing invitation to walkers to leap into any of its many boulder-framed emerald pools…or, during rain, it can be a frothing muddy beast on a barely-controlled hurtle through the jungle. Either mood the Pororari is in is sure to please—give it a look!

The track contours the river bank, generally a few meters above the river. There are a couple sets of steps over/under some boulders, but otherwise it’s easy-walking for the entire family. The day-walk ends at the Inland Pack Track junction, where the Pack Track descends to a small beach on the Pororari (the Pack Track continues either north or south into the adjacent river canyons if you wanted a much longer loop route to try—get info at the i-Site if so.)

So, for the shorter day-walk, turn back where the Pack Track descends left to the river just a few hundred meters from the junction sign. On the way back along the Pororari Track take time to leave the track and scamper down to the riverside rock gardens because the magnificent canyon walls are better viewed from the river than the track.

Excerpt from "NZ Frenzy Guidebook" by Scott Cook