Waikato River Trail | Karāpiro to Arapuni & Jones Landing | Time Out 2021-22 Waikato

The Waikato River Trails were 104km of continuous trail from Karāpiro (near Cambridge) to Atiamuri (near Tokoroa) but a permanent trail closure in 2020 means there is now one road section. I decided to avoid the tarmac and just do the four trail sections as a series of day rides.

First up was the Green (on map above) Pokiawhenua Bridge (Karāpiro) to Arapuni trail plus a short return extension to Jones Landing (TO2122-60).

Had a minor disaster while packing the car, a great start. Filled a backpack water bladder which I rarely use and found out, by stupidly lying it on the couch next to other gear while getting ready, that it leaked a bit when horizontal. Thankfully, it was only plain water (no additives) and dried without leaving a mark!

I drove from Cambridge, about 25km, to the Pokiawhenua Bridge Carpark. Was the first 'back to work' week for many, so the carpark was quite empty, and overcast weather meant yesterday's heat wasn’t a factor. Those scattered rocks, presume to discourage use as a skidpan, would feature later in the day!

The Grade 2-3 (easy-intermediate) trail runs from Pokiawhenua Stream, seen joining the Waikato River below, heading upstream to Arapuni.

There are views to the rowing facilities on the western shore of Lake Karāpiro.

You also see quite a few flash, and otherwise private, riverside homes on the bank opposite. This one had its own runway in the front garden.

There is quite a big campground at Little Waipa Reserve and this river view is near the boat ramp.

Next feature is the Huihuitaha Wetland Boardwalk. About 500m long, it spans a wetland area with lots of birdlife.

There is some nice art along the trail including these signs in a variety of forms.

This metal Tui sculpture is beautiful, so much detail in the plumes.

Arapuni, the must stop!

The trail runs into a reserve at Arapuni but before crossing the impressive suspension bridge head up the hill to Arapuni Village. It was near enough to lunchtime and I stopped at the, much recommended, Rhubarb Café. Plenty of bike stands make cyclists feel welcome and although quite busy they were implementing the COVID requirements (scanning, masks, distancing) well. I ordered a BLT and Iced Coffee and ate in the covered outdoor area. The food was lovely, and I recommend stopping if in the area. Chatted to a few other cyclists, all on ebikes, who were doing similar day rides.

Heading back to the reserve I noted the public toilets, on Arapuni Rd, had a dedicated drinking water bottle refill tap alongside. It was good to see and turned out to be quite rare on many other trails I would be riding.

The descent to the bridge gets a little tight, I walked some as met the pedestrians seen below climbing, but the bridge itself is wide and stable enough to ride. It has impressive views of the upstream powerhouse, remote from the actual dam, and river downstream. It was originally built for worker access to the dam and powerhouse but has become an impressive feature of the cycle trail.

You ride Powerhouse Road, closed to other than service vehicles, for about 1km upstream to Arapuni Dam (below). From here to Waipapa Dam the route follows country roads due to a permanent trail closure. On the east bank there’s a 4km return technical shared trail (MTB Grade 4 Advanced) to Jones’ Landing Reserve.

There are some nice views from the trail (above) but about midway a short, very steep, side trail leads up to the Jones’ Landing Lookout. I abandoned my bike near the bottom and walked up. It is not far, would have been a push up and the slippery trail would have made a challenging descent.

The main trail has its own challenges, including steep’ish gradients and tight turns, but is fun to ride. A mountain bike (hardtail or full suspension) is needed to really enjoy this section, but I know some touring riders have done it with lots more pushing.

I had a snack stop at Jones’ Landing, watched people swimming while avian eyes watched me.

Leaving Jones’ Landing looking towards Arapuni and the lookout peak.

The overcast was slowly clearing, it was starting to warm up again.

On the return trip, before the repeat suspension bridge crossing, I rode further down Powerhouse Rd to look back upstream at the bridge and powerhouse. It's an impressive sight.

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Returned to the carpark and this unfortunate sight. Spoke to them before they left, with a friend, to get some retrieval assistance. The car rode up the unsighted, quite ramp shaped, rock and once on it wasn’t going to come off as easily. Was glad they left as I stupidly put my car into first and bumped into another f'ing low rock I'd forgotten was in front of my car! Thankfully it was so slow apart from a bit of black on a number plate letter, easily touched up, the Bravo was unscarred!

I set out towards Waipapa Dam, thought about doing the 10km Mangarewa Suspension Bridge return ride. Looking at the GPS ETA I decided it would be too late so headed back to Cambridge, time for a shower and dinner. It was quite late by the time I went out in search of food and there wasn't much open. I was still keen to avoid eating indoors and ended up taking KFC back to the motel. That's a rare thing for me but figure once every few years, and after all the cycling, is allowed!

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