The Katikati Murals Walk is a self-guided art trail in Katikati, New Zealand, featuring over 70 large-scale outdoor murals painted on buildings throughout the town. These artworks depict local history, heritage, and culture, transforming the town into an open-air gallery. The trail celebrates Katikati’s identity as “The Mural Town” and attracts visitors year-round.
Find more walks in this area… Check out the complete collection of Katikati walks to extend your adventure beyond the murals.
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Calling this a “walk” almost feels like a disservice. The Katikati Murals Walk is more like wandering through someone’s carefully curated outdoor art exhibition that just happens to involve a bit of strolling. Unlike traditional bush walks where you’re focused on not tripping over tree roots, here your biggest challenge is avoiding walking into a lamp post because you’re too busy gawking at a three-storey-high painting of a 1920s schoolhouse.
The murals aren’t your typical street art tags either. These are professionally executed pieces commissioned by the town, depicting everything from pre-European Māori settlement to the arrival of European pioneers, the development of the citrus and kiwifruit industries, and local characters who shaped the community. It’s essentially a history lesson that doesn’t require sitting in a stuffy museum.
Your first mission is grabbing a map. The i-SITE visitor information centre on Main Road is your best bet, though many cafes and shops also stock them. The map numbers each mural and provides a suggested route, though honestly you can tackle this in any order you fancy. Some people like the structure of following the numbers; others prefer the chaos of random discovery. Both approaches work perfectly fine.
Parking is surprisingly easy for a popular tourist spot. There’s free street parking along Main Road and several small car parks dotted around the centre. The town isn’t exactly heaving with traffic even on busy days, so you won’t be circling like a shark hunting for a spot.
The walk doesn’t follow a strict linear path but rather meanders through the compact town centre. You’ll be walking actual streets and footpaths rather than a dedicated track, which means you need to stay vaguely aware of traffic (though let’s be honest, Katikati traffic is hardly Auckland CBD level).
Most murals are painted directly onto building walls, ranging from small shopfronts to enormous warehouse-sized canvases. The largest pieces are genuinely impressive, we’re talking 10-15 metres high with extraordinary detail. Bring your camera or phone because you’ll want photos, though capturing the scale of the bigger murals can be tricky without a wide-angle lens.
Key murals to watch for include the iconic steam train (complete with perspective tricks that make it look like it’s coming out of the wall), the Māori waka (canoe) arrival scene, and the massive orchard workers piece that celebrates the region’s horticultural heritage. There’s also a particularly charming one depicting kids swimming at the local river that captures that quintessential Kiwi summer feeling.
Here’s what the locals and repeat visitors know: visit mid-morning or late afternoon if you’re serious about photography. The harsh midday sun creates challenging lighting and harsh shadows on the murals. Early or late light brings out the colours beautifully and reduces glare.
The official map shows most murals but occasionally new ones pop up or older ones get refreshed. Part of the charm is stumbling across pieces that aren’t on your map, consider them bonus content.
While the main street has plenty of cafes for breaks, the side streets are where you’ll find the quieter murals and often the best spots to sit and appreciate them without tourist crowds. Pack a water bottle because while facilities are plentiful, constantly ducking into shops gets old.
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Don’t skip the smaller murals in favour of just the big dramatic ones. Some of the most interesting historical details are captured in the more modest pieces tucked down side alleys. These often show specific local businesses or families and give you that deeper community connection.
If you’re visiting with kids, turn it into a scavenger hunt using the numbered map. Kids who’d normally whinge about “boring walking” suddenly become enthusiastically engaged when they’re hunting for number 37 or spotting specific details in the paintings.
This isn’t challenging in the traditional hiking sense. You won’t need mountaineering skills or survival training. But there are minor annoyances worth mentioning.
The main street footpaths can get quite hot in summer with minimal shade. We’re talking concrete-reflecting-heat-like-a-pizza-oven hot. A hat and sunscreen aren’t optional accessories, they’re essential equipment. Some visitors underestimate this because “it’s just walking around town” but you can easily spend 90 minutes in full sun.
Some murals are positioned where getting a good viewing angle is awkward. You might find yourself standing in someone’s driveway or partially in the street to get the full perspective. Just be respectful of private property and watch for vehicles.
The flat terrain that makes this accessible also means it’s entirely on hard surfaces. If you have dodgy knees or feet, the constant concrete can be harder on joints than a dirt track would be. Good supportive footwear helps enormously.
On rainy days, the murals themselves are still visible but standing around in the wet admiring art loses its appeal quickly. Some murals are under awnings or have partial shelter but most are fully exposed. Save this walk for decent weather if possible.
Any time of year works for the Murals Walk since the art doesn’t change seasonally. However, autumn and spring offer the most comfortable temperatures for wandering around town streets. Summer can be scorching on the exposed footpaths while winter is mild but occasionally drizzly.
Weekday mornings are quietest if you prefer a more contemplative experience. Weekend afternoons see more visitors but the atmosphere is friendly and there’s never the crushing crowds you’d get at major tourist attractions. School holidays bring more families but the town handles it easily.
If you’ve knocked off the Murals Walk and still have energy, Katikati offers several other walking options nearby. The Katikati Haiku Pathway is another unique art walk featuring haiku poems on boulders throughout town, it’s like the literary cousin of the murals.
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Beach lovers should check out Park Road Reserve Beach for coastal views or Tanners Point Beach which offers free park-over options if you’re in a campervan. For a bush walk experience, Thompsons Track Walk delivers native forest and birdlife.
The Katikati i-SITE sells a detailed mural guidebook if you’re interested in the deep-dive stories behind each artwork. It includes information about the artists and the historical events depicted – perfect for history buffs.
Many murals include QR codes you can scan for additional information. Not all of them work perfectly (this is small-town New Zealand, not Silicon Valley) but when they do, you get interesting context about the scene depicted.
If you’re visiting during summer, the Katikati Open Air Art exhibition runs in the main street with additional temporary sculptures. It’s like getting two art trails for the price of none.
Local businesses have embraced the mural theme, so duck into shops and cafes to see smaller artworks and mural-themed merchandise. The bakery does excellent pies if you need fuel mid-walk.
Photography enthusiasts should shoot in RAW format if possible. The murals have impressive colour saturation that sometimes gets compressed in standard JPEG processing. You’ll get better final images with a bit of post-processing flexibility.
Most people complete it in 60-90 minutes, but serious art enthusiasts or photographers can easily spend 2-3 hours. If you’re just ticking boxes and moving quickly you could rush through in 45 minutes, but what’s the point?
Yes, the entire route uses standard town footpaths and is completely accessible. A few viewing angles might be slightly awkward but all murals can be seen without encountering steps or rough terrain.
Absolutely. Dogs on leads are welcome throughout the town. Just remember this is an urban environment with other pedestrians, so keep your dog under control. Pick up after your pet – the town provides disposal bins.
Yes, public toilets are located near the i-SITE visitor centre and at several points around town. Most cafes will also let customers use their facilities.
Nope, the walk itself is completely free. Maps are free from the i-SITE. You’ll only spend money if you choose to buy food, drinks or souvenirs from local businesses.
Light rain won’t hurt anything but your comfort level. The murals are weatherproof (they live outdoors permanently, after all). Heavy rain makes standing around looking at art less enjoyable though, so consider postponing if the weather’s truly miserable.
Some of the main street murals have ambient lighting from street lights, but this isn’t designed as a night-time attraction. You’ll get far more detail and better photos during daylight hours.
Yes, the flat footpaths make this ideal for prams. You won’t encounter any obstacles that require lifting or complicated navigation.
Last weekend I decided to re-do the Katikati Murals Walk after walking this a few years back. I parked near the main street and immediately spotted the first mural, a gorgeous piece depicting early Māori life that really set the tone for what was to come.
What I loved most was how the murals are just integrated into the everyday fabric of the town. You’re walking past the bakery, and boom, there’s this incredible artwork on the side of a building showing pioneer settlers. Then around the corner, there’s another one celebrating the local fruit-growing heritage.
I picked up a free map from the information center, which was helpful because some murals are tucked away down side streets and I’d forgotten where they all were. The whole walk took me about an hour at a leisurely pace, though I definitely stopped longer at some pieces to really take in the details. The one showing the old steam train was particularly well done, the artist had captured such realistic shadows and depth.
Katikati is not big, so the walk is really easy. A few locals nodded hello as I wandered around with my phone taking photos. I grabbed a coffee halfway through and sat on a bench admiring a mural of children playing by the river.
It’s a lovely way to spend a morning if you’re driving through the Bay of Plenty. The murals give you a real sense of the town’s history and community pride. Just wear comfortable shoes and maybe bring a hat, there’s not always much shade on the main street.
