Access

Whirinaki Te Pua-a-Tane Conservation Park is signposted from SH38, 20 km from Murupara and 77 km from Waikaremoana. Turn into Minginui Road, just after Te Whaiti (coming from Murupara). A DoC campsite is situated at Mangamate Waterfall, 6.7 km from the junction on the right. The self-registration camp has toilets and tent sites by a small creek and waterfall. Minginui Village is a further 7.5 km, from where roads to most tracks depart. After Minginui all roads are unsealed and some are in a poor state of repair.

Fort Road branches left at the junction with River Road, 1 km from Minginui. Follow the rough road through derelict exotic forestry to a parking area at the native forest edge. The start of the track is signposted to the left.

Track

Following the loop anticlockwise arrives at the ‘H-Tree’ after 10 minutes. A bench beside allows prolonged viewing of this bizarre and unique rimu. The loop continues to weave through an ever-changing forest, dominated by lofty totara, rimu, matai and miro. The track exits at the far side of the parking area.

Flora

One explanation for the tree may be that a burl formed on the older partner, due to a shock early in its life course. This bulbous appendage then latched on to the nearby diminutive partner, whose bark grew around the burl, allowing a sharing of nutrients.

Another notable feature of this forest is the high number of rimu and totara, with diverging apical shoots. These cause the trees to fork and grow into two crowns.