Right, people have been known to get lost on the way to the Kawekas (before they even started walking) so here are some directions to assist...
Friday Night camping
We're planning on camping at a place called ANZAC park a bit north of Dannevirke - so from Wellington either go over the Rimutaka Hill and follow SH2 through the Wairarapa, or go up Kapiti and turn off before Levin to go through Shannon, etc and through the Manawatu Gorge. Once here head through Woodville, Dannevirke and then a small town called Norsewood, and ANZAC park is the next road on the left (signposted), see link to google map below.
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Kaweka Hot pools road end
Take Highway 50 to get to Napier. Once in Napier head along Prebensen Drive just past Park Island (sports facility) and turn right onto Puketitiri Road (if not going into Napier you can turn off SH50 at Omahu, just over bridge from Fernhill and head through Puketapu to Puketitiri Road). See map link below...
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Once on Puketitiri Rd follow it for about 45 mins to a town called... you guessed it, Puketitiri! Go through this and a few kms later take a rightish turn onto Pakaututu Rd. Head down this past Balls Clearing reserve and a bit later turn left onto Makahu Rd. Follow this to the end and you're there! (past one ford, two bridges and a couple of hills)
The track from here (tramping now) follows upstream beside and above the Mohaka River for about 2 hours or so to Te Puia lodge. The hot pools are about another 45 minutes up the track from here (following the river, not up the hill!).
All clear? Excellent, most of us should be meeting up in any case so this is just in case you don't :)
Kieran,
Co-Treasurer