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Ōtaki Forks temporary walking access

A guide to DOC’s Emergency Access Track that provides a walking track to Ōtaki Forks bypassing the slip at Blue Bluff that has closed the road, and notes that the road will be reopened sometime in 2025.

Note: (updated 18 December 2024)

  • As at July 2022 there is a KCDC formed walking track directly over the Blue Bluff slip. To get to this track simply continue along the road past the orange triangle and sign directing you through the gate. This is well used in spite of warning signs and saves a very significant amount of time and effort over the DOC route. Here is a video of the Blue Bluff track

  • At May 2024 Kapiti Coast District Council made a decision to reopen the road, at a cost of $7.5 million subject to available finance. In December 2024 KCDC approved the finance for the work which should start late January 2025 and take between 4 and 6 months to complete.

  • This means that during the construction phase the Blue Bluff track will not be available and a temporary higher-level walking access track will again be necessary – possibly this existing one but DOC is yet to confirm the route.

  • But sometime about June 2025 vehicle access to Ōtaki Forks should be fully restored. Great for all the Ōtaki Forks visitors – trampers, holiday campers, picnickers, day-walkers, paddlers – and those living past the slip.


As of 21 December 2020 DOC has opened an Ōtaki Forks temporary walking access track. This is good news for trampers wanting to use the Field or Waitewaewae Tracks given the road is unlikely to be open for some time. So where does the track go?

Otaki Forks Temporary Walking Track Map
Ōtaki Forks Temporary Walking Track Map

Park your car near the locked gate on the Ōtaki Forks Road just past Shields Flat. Then walk 350 m along the road to an orange triangle directing you to another gate on your right signed as the emergency track. You follow a short section of 4WD road before a rough track heads parallel to the road through some scrub for about 250 m. Then the serious business begins—the track heads directly up a spur beneath the pines. And it is quite steep. But there are plenty of orange triangles to mark the way and a ground trail is gradually being formed.

Otaki Forks Temporary Access Track Marker
350 m past locked gate (photo updated 18/12/24)
Otaki Forks temporary walking access gate
Gate to start of track (photo updated 18/12/24)
Otaki Forks temporary walking access track marker
Rough track to pines
Otaki Forks temporary track under the pines
Heading up the spur
Otaki Forks temporary track steep climb
It’s quite steep

About 30 minutes of solid climbing ends on an open ridge and a 5 minute gentle 4WD track to the old logging skid of the 2016 temporary track.

From here the track follows the 2016 track down through pleasant native bush to the old 4WD road that led to the failed hydro dam, and then finally down to the Ōtaki Forks Road again. Another approximately 2 km along the road and you are at the Forks.

Otaki Forks temporary access track native forest
Heading into the native forest on the 2016 temporary track

Compared to the 2016 temporary track the new one is shorter but steeper so the times from the carpark to the Forks will likely be about the same—somewhere between 2 to 2½  hours each way.

For more Tararua Range photos go to www.tararuaphotos.com

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