Whakarewarewa Forest operations
Tawa Road harvest
Logging is taking place at the top of Tawa Road.
The contractor will move into Tawa Road on 5 January 2026. Operational hours for the logging crew will be 5:00am – 4:00pm, Monday – Friday. View the operational area in the map below.
Several mountain bike trails will be impacted by this operation with the following trails being casualties of the logging:
Upper DH Lines – Te Rua (top) – EvS (top) – Under-Billy – Frontal Lobotomy.
Access will be limited to other trails while the crew are operating. Due to Tawa Road having restricted access, the trails in the native above Tawa Road will be off limits during operations. Te Putake o Tawa walking trail will also be closed during operations.
We ask forest users to please use caution in the area, obey all signage, instructions, restrictions and respect the traffic controllers – they are there for your safety.
Trucking operations
Loadout of logs from the associated skids is underway. The operational site has a traffic control team, who will adapt with the location of activities.
- Operational hours: 6:00am – 3:30pm Monday - Friday
- Route: All logging trucks will use: 8-Mile Gate Road in @ Hill Road - Nice Road – Pipeline Road – Hill Road – Moerangi Road – Tawa Road, as marked on the map below.
- A one-way loop is still in place for Hill Road - Nice Road – Pipeline Road – Hill Road.
Roading & earthworks operations
Minor roading work is underway in Whakarewarewa Forest from 25 February.
Operations will take place Monday to Friday between the hours of 6:00am and 4:00pm on Nursery Road, The Wash and Red Tank Road.
The following moutainbiking trails may be closed:
- Be Rude Not To
- Dragon's Tail
Please use caution in the area, obey all signage, instructions, restricted areas and respect the machinery.