The western access to the Manawatū Gorge Track starts where the old highway enters the gorge, about 14 km northeast of Palmerston North. It follows the edge of the road and then climbs up to the top of the face of the gorge, about 200 meters or so above the river.
You can walk the entire length, allow about 3 to 4 hours each way, or do the Tawa Loop Track, which takes about 2 hours at the most. The loop is mostly a native forest walk with two good viewpoints. Where the Manawatū Gorge Track starts, there is a cool statue of Whatonga, a famous 12th-century Māori navigator. He sailed his ocean-going canoe Kurahaupo (meaning halo around the moon) to New Zealand, eventually setting near Wellington.
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