Little's Loop Track

Located in Kaweka Forest Park in the Hawke’s Bay region

A picnic area and an easy loop walk through beech forest

Four kilometres before Makahu Saddle, a short road turns off Kaweka Road and leads to Littles Clearing. Here there is a picnic area and a 30 minute loop walk through beech forest. The clearing itself is red tussock.

Kaweka Road is located 65 km north-west of Napier. From Napier follow Puketitiri Road for 36 km before turning left into Whittle Road. 

Whittle Road passes partly through farmland, to the park entrance (please leave all gates as found). This road may be closed at times due to snow and ice.

Kaweka Road is the first road on the right. Turn onto Kaweka road, then turn off onto a side road 4 km before Makahu Saddle. This is signposted for Littles Clearing.

Kaweka Forest Park access conditions

We recommend 4WD vehicles to reduce wear on the road and safe travel.

  • Lotkow Road: The river crossings are regularly changing, check before crossing.
  • Lakes carpark is accessible via Kuripapango road. The previous access Castle Rock road is now closed due to ongoing forestry operations.
  • Lawrence Carpark access road: The last 600 m of the road is steep and not recommended for 2WD vehicles - a parking space is available before the descent. The Lawrence swing bridge has been removed.
  • Mackintosh car park is currently closed due to ongoing forestry operations. A new parking location can be located at a skid site near the closed gate (end of Kuripapango Road), this will add on 500 m walking to reach the start of the track.
  • Whittle Road: Be aware of trucks using the quarry. Give them right of way where possible. 

Mistletoe

When Augustus Hamilton explored the Kaweka range in 1882, he found masses of mistletoes in the forests. That was before the deer arrived. Seventy years later hunters could still see shows of the red or yellow flowers but only above the head height of a browsing deer. That was before the possums arrived. Within a decade of possums becoming established mistletoes were hard to find.

That was until 1991. A search was made for surviving mistletoe and netting cages were built around the plants. At the same time a comprehensive possum programme was put in place. It took only five years to see a spectacular recovery.

There are four mistletoe species in the Puketitiri-Eastern Kaweka area: yellow mistletoe and red mistletoe which grow only on beech trees, common mistletoe and green mistletoe which are found on a variety of smaller trees and shrubs.