This article was published in Tararua Tramper December 2025
Turere Stream waterfall
SF - Saturday 8 November
Turere_waterfall.gpx Trace to Turere Stream waterfall via Clay Ridge and back via Whakanui and Turere ridges. Click to go to interactive map.
At 8:40 a.m., after a quick round of sunblock, seven keen trampers set off from the Catchpool Valley car park under blue skies. Spirits were high, chatter was on, legs were fresh, and within minutes the group settled into a good pace up the Five Mile Loop Track. It didn’t take long before layers came off as the track climbed steadily through regenerating bush.
The ascent up Clay Ridge was tackled at a brisk clip. Perhaps a little too brisk for the two newcomers Jo and Terence, who were on their first club trip. They took it in good humour though, and everyone regrouped frequently. The views began to open up as we gained height, the air filled with birdsong and the scent of spring.
We reached the viewpoint just below the McKerrow junction in 1 hour 40 minutes, comfortably ahead of the DoC estimate. It was the perfect spot for a well-earned morning tea and some banter, while admiring the view of Wainuiomata, Wellington harbour and the ridgelines in the distance.
From there, we descended a SE-pointing spur, roughly one kilometre NE of the McKerrow high point. A well-marked trap line appeared almost immediately, a pleasant surprise, guiding us down a beautiful, open spur shaded by tall beech trees and punctuated by glimpses of Turere Stream below.
When the track was directly south of the Turere Stream, we angled northeast, seeking the least steep way down to the stream. It proved to be a good approach; a steady descent through dry and crispy leaf litter brought us to the stream bed.
We followed the stream downstream approximately 100 metres toward the top of the Turere waterfall. A majestic spot. As we enjoyed lunch in the sun, Franz went for a recce to scout a possible route down beside the waterfall. It turned out to be impassable that way, too steep and uninviting.
So we climbed back up to the spur we’d descended earlier, then followed it further down. The final section was a steep scramble, one that ended with Terence sliding gracefully (and fortunately safely) onto the stream bed. Two hundred metres upstream and we were standing at the base of the falls. A group photo with the self-timer captured a moment of truly happy trampers in front of the Turere waterfall.
We continued walking downstream to a side stream near the base and then climbed sharply up its TL. The slope turned vertical for the initial but short section, a ‘grande verticale’, but a half hour later or so we were back on what felt like a highway, the Whakanui Track, just south of point 586. There we met a few overnight trampers heading down to the Ōrongorongo River for the night. We wished them well and continued south.
Not long after, we reached the high point 497 and decided to leave the main track, following the Turere ridge down toward the stream mouth. This ridge turned out to be a true gem, dry, open, and easy to follow, marked by a trapline the entire way. The final drop was steepish, but a clear trail made for quick progress, delivering us gracefully onto the Big Bend Track.
We paused at the Turere bridge for a relaxed afternoon tea, reflecting on the day’s route.
The final leg along the Catchpool Track was cruisy. Back at the car park just before 6:30 p.m., we wrapped up 9 hours 45 minutes of pure adventure: roughly 1,300 metres of climbing and descent, 21 kilometres covered, and no loss of limbs. (M V)
Mike Voets (leader), Catharina and Andrew Fisher, Franz Hubmann, Graham Morley, Joanna (Jo) Spratt, Terence Wood