Kauri Bushmens Memorial Walk
10 minutes return
 
ACCESS:  6 km from Paparoa on SH 12, turn right into Sterling Road.  1.7km down Sterling Road, the walk is signposted on the left by a small parking bay.
The track is even with a slight gradient.  It performs a loop through the forest.
At the entrance to the track is a log hauler, used to transport logs carried by teams of bullocks on primitive bush roads.
The reserve was purchased in 1954 as a memorial to the pre-First World War kauri bushmen.  Although the industry is remembered as one of destruction and flagrant demolition of a majestic species of tree (the kauri), it was also a time of high human endeavour.  Bushmen living in harsh conditions and in rugged country developed kinship and camaraderie, not to mention an affection for their environment (despite it’s plunder).
Observe forested ridges as you pass through an area of former kauri forest.  There will often be a solitary large tree still occupying the ridge, left by the bushmen for the continuation of the species.
The dense stand of kauri on the hilltop has a regenerating understory of kohekohe, red matipo  and a carpet of hound’s tongue fern.

Lion's Walkway to Historic Pa Site
Park at the Village Green, opposite the cafe on SH12

The Lions Club of Paparoa have been caretakers and developers of the Paparoa Bush Walk since the Pow and Roach families formally protected the bush areas by covenanting them with the Queen Elizabeth II Trust in 1989.  Recent developments include identifying and naming some of the native trees with the help of Lisa Forester, Botanist with Northland Regional Council.
Maintenance of the track is an ongoing conern for the Lions Club, as is the eradication of possum and rodents.  There are signs of kiwi habitation, and bird life is increasing as pests are being eradicated.  The goats no longer graze the area and luxuriant undergrowth is evident once again.
The walk is accessed from the Village Green.  After crossing the river at the Green, the walk follows the river to the bushed area where a second bridge spans a small inlet, and the track then climbs at a moderate grade up to the Pa site.  The Pa is an extensive, well-preserved site on a bush-covered hill adjacent to the Paparoa Creek.  The steep hill slopes provided natural defences, and ditch and bank fortifications across each of the spurs that run down from the flat summit can still be identified.  Open pits, still clearly visible, include those which would have been dug for food storage.  The  presence of at least 60 pits indicates that large gardens were situated nearby producing kumara, taro, yams and gourds, and that this fortification served to protect both people and their food supplies.  To enjoy this walk, allow at least an hour.  Please stay on the defined track and do NOT take dogs on the properties.