Paines Ford Tramline Track
Alerts
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Forecast point: Bark Bay Hut (1m) · 19.5km away
Check the DOC website for current alerts and conditions before you go. This site gets current alert info from DOC, but is not an official source of information.
Walk to some excellent swimming holes on a track that follows an old tramline.
Elevation
Cover mapped summer 2023/24.
Description
The track follows the line of a tramline that operated between the early 1880s and 1905, and was used to take timber from the Tākaka Valley down to Waitapu wharf. It provides access to some excellent swimming holes in the Tākaka River as well as to rock climbing areas.
There is a large picnic area with a toilet beside the highway bridge.
Climbing
With its impressive line of limestone bluffs emerging from a remnant patch of forest, Paines Ford is one of New Zealand's best rock-climbing areas. Climbers come from far and wide to enjoy the challenge of the sheer rock faces - these are definitely not for beginners!
Getting there
Entrance to the Paines Ford Scenic Reserve is at 1886 Tākaka Valley Highway SH60, 3 km south of Tākaka.
Know before you go
- Tākaka River is dangerous when in flood
- No fires
- No camping
History and culture
Paines Ford Scenic Reserve takes its name from the original ford across the flood-prone Tākaka River on the main road into Tākaka. A modern bridge now replaces the ford.
Weather
Forecast at the start of the track