Te Whaiti Road is a sealed 20-kilometre section of the 220-kilometre road that runs from Rotorua through Te Urewera and Waikaremoana to Wairoa on the East Coast. This short section connects Murupara on the eastern edge of Kaingaroa Forest to the hamlet of Te Whaiti, where you can turn off to Minginui and the main access to Whirinaki Te Pua-a-Tāne Conservation Park.
From Murupara, there is a short, flat section along the wide valley where the Whirinaki and Rangitaiki Rivers converge. The road then climbs and winds into the steep, 500+ meter-high Korongohukore Hills, mostly through exotic pine forests. It enters Whirinaki Forest about halfway to Te Whaiti, with mostly stunning mature native forest on both sides of the road. There are several places where you can safely stop for pictures. As you approach Te Whaiti, there are more exotic pines as the road follows, then crosses over Whirinaki River just before the turnoff at Te Whaiti.
At the turnoff to Minginui, there is a shelter with an information panel explaining the people of Ngāti Whare's relationship to Whirinaki, surrounded by several colourful pou. The local school and marae are a short distance along Minginui Road.
