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One of North Waikato’s hidden gems is Harker’s Reserve near Onewhero.
The reserve features a 3km walking and riding track through native bush and farmland, with views, streams, and a waterfall.
My family stumbled across this walk during Covid when we yearned for fresh scenery where we could also walk the dog. If you are bringing your faithful hound, don’t forget to keep your dog leashed.
The main track follows the Halfway Gulley Road, which, many years ago, was the access road to Onewhero. The track is well graded for easy walking, but can be muddy in wet weather. Keep an eye out for horses that are also allowed on this track.
A side track leads to Vivian Falls/Te Wai Heke A Maoa – a landmark in local Maori history.
According to the Onewhero website, the 12-metre falls are named after Maoa, who in the 1700s, would test the courage of his warriors by ordering them to dam the falls at the top and then lie in the stream below. Once they were positioned, he would release the water to pour over them, and if the warriors held their position, he took it as a sign they would be successful in battle.
Apart from the track along the old road line, all of the Harker Reserve is private land. The Harker family protected 25 hectares of bush on the northern side of the track under a Queen Elizabeth II covenant in 1982, and further areas on the southern side and at the waterfall to the west have been protected by the landowners since.
Keep to the track as the country is steep with hidden drops. Open areas adjoining the track are private farmland – leave gates as you find them and keep dogs on lead and under control at all times. In the bush areas, the track is easy to walk, and there are benches and picnic tables.
Pest control is helping to protect the diversity of the trees, plants, and bird life in the Harker Reserve, which is a designated Key Ecological Site.
Access
There is parking at the entrances at either end of the track: on the Onewhero-Tuakau Bridge Road, 1km up the hill from the Tuakau Bridge, and off the end of Miller Road, at Kaipo Flats, near Onewhero.
Conservation group
The Harker Reserve and track are looked after by a group of local volunteers, with funding and support from the Waikato Regional Council and Waikato District Council, and the Queen
Elizabeth II Trust. If you would like to help, contact Ross Galbreath at onewhero@ps.gen.nz or phone 09 232 8113.
More info: www.onewhero.co.nz.
