Paparoa Track

The Paparoa Track opened in 2019, the first new Great Walk in decades, and it exists because of the Pike River mine disaster of 2010, in which twenty-nine men died underground. Families of the men pushed for a lasting memorial and the track, with the Pike29 Memorial Track branching from it, was the result. It runs about fifty-five kilometres from Blackball to Punakaiki, climbing out of beech forest onto the Paparoa Range tops with long exposed sections along the escarpment before descending the Pororari River gorge to the coast. It is dual-use: walked in three days or ridden in two, which makes it unusual among Great Walks. The tops are genuinely alpine in character and fully exposed to West Coast weather, so this is not a soft option. Huts at Ces Clark, Moonlight Tops and Pororari must be booked, and demand is high in summer.

What you actually see

• The escarpment tops - long exposed ridge sections above the bushline.
• The Pororari gorge - the limestone descent to the coast.
• The Pike29 branch - the memorial track to the mine site.
• The dual use - walked in three days or biked in two.

When to go

November to April. Book huts well ahead - they fill for the summer months. Shuttles between the two ends need arranging. Check the forecast: the tops are exposed.

Honest expectations

The tops carry real weather and there is no shelter between huts. Bikers and walkers share the track. Huts are booked and not cheap. It commemorates a disaster in which twenty-nine men died - the memorial sections are treated accordingly.

Nearby

Punakaiki and the Pancake Rocks are at the western end; Blackball and Greymouth are east.