The easy, short Tahakopa Bay Walk is in the Tahakopa Bay Scenic Reserve in the Catlins. It takes you through a beautiful coastal forest along the edge of the Tahakopa River estuary to the river mouth at the west end of stunning Tahkopa Bay. The 20-minute each-way walk can also be linked with the rougher Tahakopa Bay Possumers Track to form a loop. This takes up to 3 hours to complete. Includes over 2 km on the beach and accesses a podocarp forest full of ancient rimu, kahikatea and tōtara trees, plus the odd rata tree.
Access to the trailhead is immediately on the north side of the Tahakopa River bridge, just before entering Papatowai on the Southern Scenic Route, about 25 km southwest of Owaka. The short walk is also known as the Old Coach Road as it follows the route horse-drawn coaches took to connect with supply boats before the railway line and adequate roads in the 1900s.
Near the beginning of the track, you will see the fork for the Tahakopa Bay Possumers Track. Even if you don’t intend to walk this track, it is worth exploring for a few minutes, with several ancient tōtara and rimu trees a feature.
The Tahakopa Bay Walk is an easy, flat walk. You may even pick out parts of the original coach road amongst the encroaching rainforest. Much of the forest around the track is regenerating, but some ancient trees are near the track's edge. You can push through the ferns and scrub to the estuary's edge at various points. But one of the most interesting features is the whekī-ponga tree ferns. These are the tree ferns where the fronds fail to drop and form a dense brown skirt around the tree. Some have an almost skirt-designer look!
An archaeological site is linked to Māori moa hunters, surrounded by young tōtara before the track ends at the beach. Walk east along the beach for about 2 to 2.5 km (about halfway) to find the orange marker at the edge of the dunes if you want to connect to the Old Possum Track for the return walk.
Be aware that deer hunting is allowed with a permit beyond 100 metres of the walking tracks.
