Mt Messenger is named after Colonel William Messenger,a redoubt commander in 1870s
Quick Facts about this walk
- Location: North Island NZ
- Distance: 12 kms
- Time needed: A good 5 Hours without stops
- Difficulty: Medium
- Wheelchair Access: No
- Route: One Way
- Elevation: 323m
- Wet Feet: No
- Toilets: No
- Dogs: No
- Mobile Coverage: No
- Last Updated: November, 2019
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Summary points about this walk
Points of interest along the walk
Point 1: Start of Mt Messenger Track
Driving north on H/W 3 up to the Mt Messenger tunnel look for the only parking spot on the right hand side of the road as you crawl up the hill. The car park is on a very sharp left hand bend
There is a DOC sign to mark the start of the Kiwi Rd Mt Messenger Forest. there time for the walk is 6hr 30min.
Point 2: The Kiwi Messenger climb
From the car park follow the track down to the creek. just as well there is a board walk to get you across the wet area. take it easy when you walk out on to the small clearing. look to the right for the orange markers and the up hill climb
Point 3: 300 Mt
there is not a lot to talk about this walk. the bush is quite thick and not a lot to see. about 10 minutes in to the climb It was a good excuse to talk a break. you look back and see cars and trucks crawling up Mt Messenger, at the second highest point 300m you can just look down the valley and see farmland, really exciting stuff. the track markers are very minimal, three time I had to drop my pack and spend a few minutes walking around trying find the track
Point 4: Turn off to Rerekapa
At the high of 325m, the native bush on the Kiwi, Mt messenger track was very old and quite open, it was quite pleasant walk even in the rain. This is were I lost a few years off my life. With my head down and pounding along the track in the poring rain thinking about a hot cup of coffee and a thick slice of rich fruit cake when I get back to the truck, I was brought back to life when a wild pig just miters form me snorted at me then took off down the ridge. from that moment on I was looking behind every tree look for the next Pig, goat or deer, I saw nothing.
As you have been walking down hill for a few 30 minutes you should see a track running off to the right. this track goes out to Rerekapa Station, I quicker walk in the rain.
Point 5: Rerakapa Station
Putting up with 3 Hours and 30 minutes of rain I decided to take the track out to the station and on to Kiwi Road.
I did a lot of hunting on this station back in 2000. If you follow the bush track down hill you will end up at the same place but it will be all bush walking bar the last 15 minutes.
If you Take the Rerekapa station turn off you will walk out on to a 6 foot track in about 5 minutes, turn left walk down hill to the first gate. now look up to the horizon and you should just make out the house, that is Kiwi Road, It’s just 3Km as the crow flies, head for the house. follow the farm track down in to a creek then around and over the next ridge. form that ridge top you will see the air strip, hay shed and the road.
