Leslie-Karamea Track

The Leslie-Karamea Track is a tramping track. It is marked but not benched, and quite rough in places. Many of the streams along the track are not bridged and flood-prone. It is a 3–4 day link through the earthquake-torn Karamea Valley, between Flora Car Park and the Wangapeka Track; 6–9 days are needed to get from road end to road end. Mountain biking is allowed from Flora Saddle to Barron Flat. View Flora Saddle to Barron Flat Track . On this page:

Leslie-Karamea Track description

Time: 3 hr 30 min

13.2 km From the car park at the road end (36 km from Motueka), the track leads over Flora Saddle, past Flora Hut and up to Salisbury Lodge on the Tablelands. Just beyond the lodge is the sign where the Leslie-Karamea track itself begins. km From the Leslie-Karamea Track sign, a line of poles runs to the bush edge at the top of Leslie Hill and begins descending to the Leslie River. After about one hour downhill, Splugeons Rock Shelter is reached. Beyond the shelter the track drops steeply to the Leslie River, crossing via a swingbridge. It then follows the true left bank down to Karamea Bend Hut. 9.7 km The track heads up the Karamea River on the true right bank, crossing Slippery Creek and a clearing, the Little Backwash and the Big Backwash. Just over the Crow River swingbridge is Crow Hut. When the Karamea River is low, it is possible to follow the riverbed from Karamea Bend almost to the Crow. 5.9 km The track continues on the true right bank for about one hour to a bridge across the Karamea River. Across on the left bank the track sometimes scrambles around the riverside but mostly stays on forested terraces alongside the river to Venus Hut. 5.7 km This section follows the river terraces, sometimes merging with the riverside and riverbed. Mercury Creek, about 30 minutes above Venus Hut, is a major side stream spanned by a swingbridge. Near Atlas Creek the track hugs the cliffs above the river and is fairly narrow. Thor Hut is just across Thor Creek, on the edge of a slip caused by the 1929 Murchison Earthquake. 9.5 km Upriver from Thor Hut the track climbs and makes a long sidle, crossing several earthquake-triggered slips where care is needed. One of these slips, which came down Apollo Creek from Mt Kendall (1762m), dammed the Karamea River forming Moonstone Lake. The lake backs up for almost three kilometres and some of the trees drowned during its formation still stand as naked trunks. At the head of the lake continue on the true left of the Karamea River to Kendall Creek, which divides into several streams near its mouth and is dangerous when in flood. The track rounds a granite spur and crosses a grassy flat to the old Trevor Carter Hut site (hut removed in 2003). Cross the swingbridge onto the true right of the Karamea River and walk downstream for 15 minutes to Trevor Carter Hut. When the Karamea River is running low, an alternative track is signposted to Trevor Carter Hut on the main track before reaching Kendall Creek.

Leslie-Karamea Track to Wangapeka Track

Time: 5 hr

There are several options to get from the Leslie-Karamea Track to the Wangapeka Track, depending on the weather, river levels and fitness. The usual, and most direct, are from Trevor Carter Hut up Lost Valley Creek or the Karamea River itself. Wangapeka Track more information . Follow Lost Valley Creek up to a saddle and then drop back down to the Karamea River, crossing it to Helicopter Flat Hut. Follows the true right of the Karamea River, crossing below Saxon Falls and climbing to the Wangapeka Track at Tabernacle Lookout. It is possible to join the Wangapeka Track at the Taipo swingbridge by following the true left bank of the Karamea River after crossing the swinbridge 15 min from Trevor Carter Hut. In flood conditions this may be the only option. A marked route leads from Trevor Carter Hut over Biggs Tops, joining the Wangapeka Track at Wangapeka Saddle.

Exit to the east

Time: 2 days

Follow the Karamea River upstream, past Helicopter Flat Hut (standard, 10 bunk) to Wangapeka Saddle (1010 m). The section between Helicopter Hut and Stone Hut (standard, 10 bunk) can become impassable after heavy rain. From Wangapeka Saddle follow the Wangapeka River all the way to the road end.

Exit to the west

Time: 2 days

Head down the Karamea River to Tabernacle Lookout and around a ridge to the Taipo swingbridge. The track goes up the true left of the Taipo River to just above Taipo Hut, where it crosses the river and climbs steeply (past an emergency shelter) to Little Wanganui Saddle (1110 m). Over the saddle the track drops into the Little Wanganui, following it to the road end.

Other entry points

Time: 8 hr

From the head of the Cobb Reservoir a track climbs up to Cobb Ridge and then heads on to Lake Peel, Balloon Hut (serviced, 14 bunk) and Salisbury Lodge (serviced, 22 bunk). A tramping track follows the Baton River upstream for three hours to Flanagans Hut (standard, 8 bunk), from where a marked route climbs to Baton Saddle (1370 m). On the Leslie side a tramping track descends to Wilkinson Creek and follows it to the Leslie River, down to the Karamea Bend Hut (standard, 22 bunk).