Hiking the Omanawanui Track and Puriri Ridge Track, New Zealand
Hiking the Omanawanui Track
The Omanawanui Track is an Auckland gem! With major renovations done to the walkway, this recently reopened bush walk should not be missed. An easy yet vertically challenging hike, the Omanawanui Track offers some top-notch coastal and bush scenery. Do not leave your camera at home!
View of Paratutae Island and Whatipu Beach behind it, from the top of the first hill
About the Omanawanui Track
The Omanawanui Track is located at the south end of the Waitakere Ranges, between Huia and Whatipu. The track is not a loop in itself, but there are lots of other tracks that you could take to make it either longer or a loop. The track is under 3kms and rises to a max elevation of 241 metres. The ascent is steep in parts but there are now over 2400 steps to help with that as well as lots of boardwalks to keep hikers out of the bush. The whole thing can be done in 2-3 hours depending on your fitness levels. You could probably run it in under an hour if you’re that way inclined!
The track itself is basically just going up and down two large hills. The first one is over 100 metres and it’s almost entirely uphill to the top of it. In my opinion, this peak offers the best views as to the West and South you can see Whatipu Beach and little Paratutea Island and to the East and North you can see the entrance to the Manukau Heads and Harbour. The second hill has the 241m summit and offers similar views to the first, but you cannot see the island and beach as clearly which is why I do not prefer it. There are a few points along the walk where you are close to steep cliffs so be aware of that, but you will be perfectly safe.
View from the top of the first hill looking north-east towards Huia and Manukau
The track has a confusing entrance on Whatipu Road which is just a small car park with room for a few cars on either side. The actual Omanawanui car park that will show up in Google Maps can be found if you continue to the end of this road. There are plenty more spaces here, a public bathroom and a little info area. I have done the hike twice this year and both times we started the track from this end which I think was a good choice. The first time I went, it meant that because we left so early (started around 8am and there were very few cars there) we returned we were going against the majority of the hikers. This suited me as I do not like being stuck behind people! It also allows you to end on a downhill, which is always nice.
What to wear and pack
Regular activewear will be fine for this hike, shoes may get a little muddy or dusty depending on the weather.
This is a very well graded path, with a bulk of it covered with stairs and boardwalks. You might get a bit muddy if there has been recent rainfall but you could easily do this hike with regular sneakers instead of hiking boots. Normal exercise gear is fine and maybe a light rain jacket if the weather is looking unpredictable.
I would recommend taking a large water bottle, a few snacks, and sunscreen in your pack. If you are not from New Zealand, do not underestimate our sun. Even on an overcast day, you could still get sunburnt as a lot of this hike is in the open. You’d have to be a few sandwiches short of a picnic to get lost in the bush on this track so there’s no need to take any camping equipment or emergency provisions. I will also just mention that a lot of the road down to Whatipu is gravel so just be aware of that if you’re not a confident driver.
Check out a map of the hike and surrounding area here.
Puriri Ridge and Mt Donald Maclean
After walking to the upper car park for the track (the weird little one I mentioned earlier), you can cross the road and start on the Puriri Ridge Track. It’s fairly similar to the Omanawanui Track but more in the bush as the ridgeline heads inland and maybe not as intense with the hills. There are more stairs though, you’re not getting off lightly. The walk up to the top of Mt Donald Maclean from the sign was less than 20 minutes and was a nice way to end the first leg of the hike. If you have a good level of fitness and want a longer hike then I would recommend doing these two tracks too. The Omanawanui Track is challenging for its steep hills but is not a particularly long walk.
Kauri dieback
The reason that a lot of the Waitakere Ranges were closed off for so long is that Kauri dieback was spreading at an alarming rate. As the name suggests, this disease was killing our beautiful, native Kauri trees. The disease spreads from soil movement, particularly spread by humans. It is important to do your part when in the NZ bush; use the boot cleaning facilities provided and stay on the paths where instructed. Kauri trees are some of the oldest in the world, some growing for more than 1000 years and almost all trees will die once infected with the dieback disease. Read more about it here. You can see from my pictures that the path is very well kept and there is no need to go off-track.
Wearing my hiking boots and pack to train for a different hike, not necessary for this hike at all though.
It makes me sad that I have to mention this at all, but PLEASE be respectful of nature! Along with cleaning your shoes when appropriate, please stay on the paths and take your trash with you!
I made a little video of the hike which you can see here on my Youtube channel. All photos were taken on my iPhone 11 and edited with the Beach Bum mobile Lightroom Preset that I made, you can check out here.