Mauao (Mount Maunganui) Walks: Current Closure and What to Know

Mauao closure

Mauao is fully closed to the public until further notice. Recent severe weather caused large slips and significantly destabilised the maunga, and there's an ongoing risk of further slips and falling debris.

• All tracks, access points and surrounding areas are closed, including the summit tracks and the base track.
• Fencing, signs and barriers are in place at entry points, and security is monitoring the closure.
• Don't enter Mauao or try to get around the fencing or barriers.

Check Tauranga City Council's Mauao page for reopening updates before you plan a visit.

About Mauao

Mauao, "caught by the dawn", is the sacred tūpuna maunga (ancestral mountain) of the three iwi of Tauranga Moana: Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Pūkenga and Ngāti Ranginui, as well as Te Arawa iwi Waitaha. The Mauao historic reserve was returned to mana whenua in 2007. It's owned by local iwi and jointly managed by the Mauao Trust and Tauranga City Council under the Mauao Joint Administration Board.

Before the closure, around one million people walked up or around Mauao each year.

The tracks (when open)

Mauao has a base track around the foot of the mountain, Te Ara Tūtanga, and several summit tracks: the Oruahine, Motukauri (a 4WD track) and Waikorire (steep steps). These lead to Te Tihi o Mauao, the summit, which has views over Tauranga Harbour, the Bay of Plenty coast and the islands of Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa.

Recent placemaking work added:

• A cultural compass at the summit identifying significant landmarks and islands
• A viewing platform at Te Awaiti, near the channel where the Tākitimu waka landed
• Five kōhatu whakairo (stone carvings) illustrating traditional stories
• Pouwhenua at the Waikorire (Pilot Bay) and Hinekite Takutai (Main Beach) entrances
• More than 12,000 native plants, plus the removal of exotic trees that were damaging archaeological terraces

Nearby alternatives while Mauao is closed

• Pāpāmoa Hills Cultural Heritage Regional Park, about 20 minutes from Tauranga, with a summit trig and ancient pā sites
• Karangahake Gorge Windows Walk, about an hour away
• The Hauraki Rail Trail and other Bay of Plenty walkways

Good to know

When Mauao reopens, please treat it with the respect due to a tūpuna maunga. Stay on formed tracks, leave the archaeological terraces undisturbed, and follow the council's guidance.