Waiau River Road
Photo: Michal Klajban, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- 4.5 mi
- round trip
- 2,628 ft
- climb
- 1,154 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
Waiau River Road is an out-and-back trail, 4.5 miles each way (9.0 miles round trip) in West Coast, New Zealand, inside Victoria Forest Park. It runs between about 830 ft and 1,150 ft above sea level, with roughly 1,400 ft of climbing one way. Most of the way is dirt. The nearest town is Reefton, about 3.5 miles east of the trailhead. Peaks within about 3 miles include Inglewood. For camping, Reefton Motor Camp is within about 6 miles. There are 14 other mapped trails within about 3 miles, so you can combine or extend the outing. Distances, elevations and the route shape here come from OpenStreetMap and the Copernicus 90 m elevation model. Trails, access rules and conditions change, so check locally before you go.
Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive
Photo: Mike Dickison, CC BY 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Reefton Walkway
~5 min drive
An out-and-back trail, 0.8 miles each way (1.6 miles round trip) in West Coast, New Zealand.
Lankey Creek Track
~4 min drive
An out-and-back trail, 2.2 miles each way (4.5 miles round trip) in West Coast, New Zealand.
Buckland Peaks Track
~39 min drive
An out-and-back trail, 2.9 miles each way (5.8 miles round trip) in West Coast, New Zealand.
Photo: Michal Klajban, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Capleston to Gannons Rd Track
~6 min drive
An out-and-back trail, 2.1 miles each way (4.3 miles round trip) in West Coast, New Zealand.
Robinson Track
~41 min drive
An out-and-back trail, 19 miles each way (38 miles round trip) in West Coast, New Zealand.
Photo: Michal Klajban, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Montgomerie Hut to Kirwans Track
~7 min drive
An out-and-back trail, 2.6 miles each way (5.3 miles round trip) in West Coast, New Zealand.
Photo: Schwede66, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Maruia Forest Walk
~27 min drive
A 0.5-mile loop in West Coast, New Zealand.
Photo: Michal Klajban, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Lake Daniell track
~39 min drive
An out-and-back trail, 2.5 miles each way (4.9 miles round trip) in West Coast, New Zealand.
Photo: Mike Dickison, CC BY 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Cave Creek Memorial Track
~47 min drive
An out-and-back trail, 0.8 miles each way (1.5 miles round trip) in West Coast, New Zealand.
Photo: (c) Katja Schulz, some rights reserved (CC BY), CC BY 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Punakaiki - Pororari River Loop
~50 min drive
A 9.8-mile point-to-point route in West Coast, New Zealand.
Also worth it near here
Photo: GenesisNZ, CC0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Reefton Motor Camp
~6 min drive
Photo: Michal Klajban, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Montgomerie Hut
~7 min drive
Photo: Michal Klajban, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Kirwans Hill
~8 min drive
Photo: Tournasol7, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Maruia Falls
~42 min drive
Conditions and forecast
Daily highs and lows, wind and the chance of precipitation at Waiau River Road for the next 7 days, from the Open-Meteo model.
Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors
