Balls Clearing Walks
WalkHawke's BayOpen
- Grade
- Easy
- Walking time
- 40 min
- Dogs
- No dogs
Getting there
We have not checked a road end or car park for this place yet, so we do not give driving directions to it. Check how to get there before you go. Some routes cross private land and need the landowner's permission.
How to get there, on doc.govt.nzBalls Clearing Scenic Reserve is located 5 km from Puketitiri, along Pakaututu Road. It is around one hour's drive from Napier and is near Kaweka Forest Park.
Source: DOC Te Papa Atawhai.
Map
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Topo map: LINZ, CC BY 4.0. 39.27103° S, 176.50174° E
About this place
These short walks are the best place in Hawke's Bay to experience a lowland podocarp forest.
The route
Balls Clearing Scenic Reserve is located 5 km from Puketitiri along the Pakaututu Road. This outstanding example of dense virgin podocarp forest is best seen from the network of walking tracks, which vary in time from 10 to 40 minutes. There is a 800 metre stretch of track suitable for people using wheelchairs. These are good walks for families and the reserve entrance has picnic shelters, a large grassed area, toilets and water. Photography, birdwatching and natural history studies are appropriate activities here. It's also a good place to view the New Zealand long-tailed bat.
Source: DOC Te Papa Atawhai.
Nearby stops
Iron Whare
Basic/bivvies • 2 bunks • Hawke's Bay • 6.3 km
Iron Whare is a historic bivvy in Hawke's Bay that is no longer recommended for overnight accommodation. The track to the site is not well marked, making the…
Toilets - non-flush • Water from stream • Water supply
Black Birch Bivouac
Basic/bivvies • 2 bunks • Hawke's Bay • 6.4 km
Black Birch Bivouac is a basic two-bunk hut located in the Hawke's Bay region.
Mattresses
Kaweka Flats Bivvy
Basic/bivvies • 2 bunks • Hawke's Bay • 7.4 km
Kaweka Flats Bivvy is a hut located in the eastern part of Kaweka Forest Park in Hawke's Bay. It is situated one hour from the Makahu carpark.
Mattresses • Toilets - non-flush • Water from stream
Middle Hill Hut
Standard • 6 bunks • Hawke's Bay • 8.2 km
Middle Hill Hut is located in the north eastern part of Kaweka Forest Park in Hawke's Bay. The hut sits on a flat, sheltered site where open manuka and kanuka…
Heating • Mattresses • Toilets - non-flush
Makahu Saddle Hut
Standard • 4 bunks • Hawke's Bay • 8.3 km
Makahu Saddle Hut is located in Hawke's Bay within a mixed forest of red and mountain beech. It sits below the steep eroded scree slopes of the main Kaweka…
Heating • Mattresses • Toilets - non-flush
Walks nearby
Lotkow Road to Little's Clearing
Advanced • 3 - 4 hr one way • 5.92 km away
Ngahere Loop Track
Advanced • 1 hr • 7.21 km away
Middle Hill Track (Makahu Road to Middle Hill Hut)
Advanced • 2-3 hrs • 4.8 km • 8.19 km away
Makahu Road to Makahu Saddle (via Middle Hill Hut and Kaweka Flats)
Advanced • 5.5-7.5 hrs • 12.9 km • 8.25 km away
Matauria Ridge Track (Makahu Saddle to Mackintosh Track Junction)
Advanced • 5.07 km • 8.61 km away
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Sources
- DOC Tracks & Trails · CC BY 4.0Data sourced from the Department of Conservation (DOC), New Zealand.
- DOC Tracks (API) · CC BY 4.0Crown Copyright: Department of Conservation Te Papa Atawhai. Data sourced from the DOC Developer Portal (api.doc.govt.nz).