Day trip to Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari (February, 2024)

We stumbled upon Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari without prior knowledge, simply spotting its imposing presence on the map not far from Auckland. A roughly two-hour drive brought us to the Tari Road car park, where we anticipated completing a leisurely roundtrip to the Rocky Outcrop and Pukeatua peaks within 3-4 hours. However, our expectations fell short in a couple of ways.

Firstly, Maungatautari isn't just an impressive mountain; it's also a bird sanctuary. Spending a day here with a camera and telephoto lens is highly rewarding, particularly in the privately managed Southern Enclosure. We will need to come again equipped with a camera and sufficient time.

Secondly, the ascent starts easy but gradually transforms into a slow, root-climbing exercise nearing the summit. Despite a modest total elevation gain of only 500 meters, navigating these challenging sections required caution to ensure our safe return.

Setting off from the car park, we followed the well-maintained gravel road known as Wairere Traverse, often used by rangers in their pickup trucks to traverse the mountain. We then veered onto the Te Tonga Track, a faint forest trail along the ridge with sporadic markings. This path leads to a steep climb where tree roots serve as natural ladders. Trekking poles became redundant, stowed in our backpacks.

The first Rocky Outcrop peak offers breathtaking vistas of farms and hills to the northwest (above photo is taken from the point). Upon descending from this peak, the forest trail connects with Wairere Traverse road, where a welcoming bench provides a brief respite. The trail re-enters the forest and ascends toward Pukeatua peak. Although the summit lacks panoramic views, reaching it provided a sense of accomplishment. We retraced our steps from Pukeatua peak to the bench before choosing to follow Wairere Traverse back to the car park.

Throughout the trek, we encountered numerous poison stations and traps, with signs urging visitors to stay on the designated track. This conservation effort has proven successful, allowing native bird populations to thrive. Despite our familiarity with local bird songs, we heard new melodies and spotted their authors, including the remarkable Tieke (North Island saddleback), whose songs mimic cheerful laughter. Sadly, we learned that the bird is endangered, and there are not many of them left in sanctuaries. We also had a close encounter with a Toutouwai (North Island robin), which was just 1 meter away. It seemed as if it were attempting to establish a telepathic connection through eye contact, comfortably perched on a low-hanging branch.

Even though it was a Saturday, we encountered no other hikers on the trail. It seems that most people who parked their cars opted to see the birds in the Southern Enclosure. This observation suggests that the southern mountain trail may not be as popular for some reason. Perhaps hikers prefer to start from the northern side, accessible via Hicks Road. We'll have to explore that option next time.