The BIGGER Big Omaha Trail – updated for 2023
Friday 10 November, 8.30am. Duration: 8 hours.
$47 - includes bus and packed lunch.
Grade 5
Limited to 25

Please note all our walks start and finish at our base at Baxter St, Warkworth. Due to our Health & Safety requirements, we cannot accommodate meeting people at the walk location or dropping people off on the way back.

(Thank you to Ian Macdonald for permission to use his photos.)
The return of the monster! This year we are going south to north and finishing with spectacular views over Pakiri beach and beyond. This is an amazing day’s hike and no-one yet has complained of it being too short. It is adventurous, long (approx. 18-19km), has a steep uphill section at the beginning, and a gentle downhill at the end. You will need to be very fit, in good health and have proper footwear. You will also need plenty of water, hat, layers, snacks and the usual things you would pack for a full-day hike. This is the walk for all of you who have told me that our Grade 5 walks are too easy.

This trail incorporates glorious views and lush bush, and you’ll get to pioneer this trail which could become one of our great walkways/cycleways in the future. It’s going to be hard work but bloody good fun so we look forward to leading you across the Big Omaha Trail.

Big Omaha local, Ian Macdonald, has a vision of this walk forming part of a greater walking/cycling track running from Matakana to Pakiri, and possibly beyond. This walk takes in private land and public roads and ‘paper’ roads.

We start at Quintal Rd and walk north through two private farms to begin with and enjoy views over the Omaha river. The second of these properties belongs to our hosts, Elise and Ian Macdonald, and features kauri groves, large puriri and a host of other natives. We’ll see where the proposed trail will run along their border on the ‘paper’ road and Ian might give us a short presentation about the current status of the Big Omaha Trail.

We then begin our climb up Schollum Rd. There are gorgeous views over Whangateau, Omaha and Matakana, and we’ll take in some local history as we go. At the top of the road, we connect up with the ‘paper road’ that runs steeply uphill from Schollum Rd to Rodney Rd. We follow the trail through foliage that is dense in some places, but it is secluded and beautiful. The fantails love to escort us as we work our way through groves of trees and open, grassy patches with views over Omaha Bay.

Upon reaching the crest of the hill, we need to walk approx. 5km of Rodney Rd, heading north. There is no alternative to using the road, and although we like to get ‘off piste’ as much as possible, the views from the entire length of Rodney Rd are just glorious. You won’t be disappointed and we’ll take time to name the islands and headlands, and enjoy the beauty.

Next we walk to the crest of Pakiri hill, down the paper road and along a section of Pakiri Rd to meet M Greenwood Rd. The crest of Pakiri hill offers more amazing views across the outer Gulf and the site of one of the world’s early experiments using radio astronomy.

At the end of M Greenwood Rd, we briefly enter the public reserve at the southern end of Pakiri beach in order to enjoy the spectacular views. This is your moment to take some photos, rest your weary feet and congratulate yourself on having made it to the end.

The bus will collect us from the end of M Greenwood Rd and, as an addition to the walk, on our way back to Warkworth, we will have a short stop at the Sawmill Brewery to sample their delicious craft beer range and give yourselves a well-deserved reward.