Grade
HillyDistance
5.6kmWalking
2 - 3 hour circuit
Seasonal restrictions
Seasonal restrictions - the closure period for the lambing season varies with the DoC Walkways (Cooks Cove, Te Kuri Farm, Anaura Bay, and Otoko) being closed each year from 1 August until the start of Labour Weekend (late October), while Te Aratia Walkway and Mapiri Walkway are closed from July and reopen late September.
Te Kuri Farm Walkway is located on a private farm on the northern outskirts of Gisborne. The walkway has a well-defined track suitable for people with average physical fitness. It is a 2-3 hour loop that can be walked in either direction.
The walkway initially passes through areas of flat farmland before steadily climbing 230 metres to the Town Hill lookout point, 290m. Panoramic views can be enjoyed from various points along the route. The view from the lookout of the city, bay and productive Gisborne Flats is well worth the effort. On a clear day, visitors can see as far south as Mahia Peninsula and as far west as Maungapohatu on the eastern fringes of Te Urewera.
The walk includes one notable remnant of semi-coastal forest of a type once common on the foothills of the Gisborne Flats. The bush in the gullies is dominated by puriri, kohekohe and mahoe, while the ridges and slopes are clothed in kanuka forest, Tasmanian blackwood and radiata pine plantations.
The bush provides a home for a number of forest birds such as tui, kereru (native wood pigeon), morepork (ruru), grey warbler (riroriro) and fantails (piwakawaka).
Te Kuri Walkway on DoC website.
Te Kuri Farm Walkway
Te Kuri Farm Walkway
History of the trail
In earlier times there was a great deal of Maori settlement on the coast and inland to the hills around the Tūranganui a Kiwa/Gisborne Flats. Various iwi (tribes) and hapū (sub-tribes) trace their original settlement in the area back to around the 12th century.
The trig on Town Hill - 107 Whataupoko - was established in 1875 as one of the first trig stations in the district. It forms part of Land Information New Zealand's Geodetic Survey Control network. A plaque was placed near the trig in December 1999 in recognition of the region's surveyors.
Tips & Logistics
The walkway is signposted from the Ballance Street/Ormond Road corner, Gisborne City. Visitors can drive straight to the start of the walkway at the end of Shelley Road, where there is a carpark.
The last 1km of Shelley Road is unsealed and this part of the road has been in poor condition, but recently the deep potholes have been filled and driving by car is now much easier and safer.
Wear good quality walking shoes or boots on this trail. After rain, sections can be muddy. Walking clockwise around this circuit is recommended because of a steep section of track under Tasmanian blackwood trees, which can be slippery when walking downhill.
No drinkable water is available on the walkway. No dogs, horses or mountain bikes are permitted.
The track crosses private farmland. Be aware of stock and leave gates as you find them. You may encounter bulls – walk around them, do not disturb or get close to them.