Awa-te-Take Historic Reserve

Awa-te-Take Historic Reserve

Your Nature Guide

Marios Gavalas's avatar

Marios Gavalas

Author And Researcher

Nau mai, haere mai

Nau mai, haere mai

I'm Marios, delivering the best of Aotearoa's nature walks to your device.

I've personally walked hundreds of New Zealand's tracks and spent months in libraries uncovering interesting information on New Zealand/Aotearoa. And you'll find a slice of that research on this page - enjoy!

Maps

FREE Header

Deep Nature NEW

Author Marios Gavalas, Rankers and hundreds of contributors bring you a free web map to help you get lost (and find yourself) in Aotearoa's nature.

Information

Awa-te-Take Historic Reserve

approx 3 km return | 1 hour return

The pa is approximately 100 metres long and 50 metres wide, with two massive defensive ditches, the remains of which are still strikingly intact. Many rounded river boulders were used to bash fern roots and are scattered amongst the regenerating forest. Food pits are also seen as depressions in the forest floor.

Walking Track

Access

1 km east of the Waitara River, opposite the entrance to Waitara on SH3, turn into Ngati Maru Road. After 4.4 km the road turns right at Tikorangi School and continues straight for 2 km to a sharp right hand bend. The start of the track is at the far end of the farm compound in front of you.

Track

Cross the undulating paddocks over four stiles to the entrance of the reserve. You’re heading for the clump of native forest on the hill to your left.

Cross the stile into the reserve, where there are no formal tracks. The two formidable defensive ditches are as difficult to cross now as they would have been when the pa was inhabited. Minus, of course, the marauding warriors wielding spears.

Once on the central platform, the understorey is sparse, but the supplejack may provoke a few tussles.

Flora

The reserve now features a large number of kohekohe. Podocarps such as rimu and matai are also present with tawa and kamahi. These overtop ngaio, maire, mahoe, mapou, hangehange and tutu.

Polynesian History

The pa was formerly occupied by Te Atiawa and taken by a war party of Ngati Ruanui, under chief Te Tuiti-moeroa. Taranaki tribes later attacked the pa causing Te Tuiti-moeroa to flee to the coast. He was later found and slaughtered, and act which spurred the revenge of Te Atiawa, who attacked and killed many Taranaki tribesman at Pekatu.

Details

Feature Value Info

Organisation

DOC Taranaki

Central government organisation

Location

North IslandTaranakiNew Plymouth

Categories

  • Activity__walking_and_trekkingWalking
  • Free

Directions

To Coordinates

Coordinates

-39.0520855152787

174.281022453308

Latitude
-39.0520855152787
Longitude
174.281022453308

Nearby