Paparoa Track
Paparoa Track is a Great Walk in Paparoa National Park that runs as a shared-use route for walkers and mountain bikers. The full one-way walking line is about 55–56 km and is designed for a multi-day trip with huts rather than camping.
A common south-to-north walking start is Smoke-ho car park near Blackball, finishing at Punakaiki. The standard hut chain is Ces Clark Hut → Moonlight Tops Hut → Pororari Hut, with Pororari Hut sitting above the upper Pororari River valley.
Day 1 from Smoke-ho car park to Ces Clark Hut covers about 10.3 km and is the rougher start section due to its historic mining alignment. The route uses a wire suspension bridge early on, then zigzags up the dividing ridge between Blackball Creek and Roaring Meg catchments before climbing into subalpine forest to Ces Clark Hut at the bushline.
Day 2 continues to Moonlight Tops Hut over about 9.7 km as the track climbs out onto open alpine scrub and tussock along the main Paparoa Range ridgeline system. This is a tops-focused day with exposure in bad weather; it’s the segment most affected by wind on the ridges.
Day 3 from Moonlight Tops Hut to Pororari Hut is the long descent/recession day at about 19.1 km. After leaving the junction area near the escarpment, the route follows along the top with steep cliffs and then descends through ancient podocarp forest, finishing at Pororari Hut above the Pororari River.
The final walking leg is about 16 km from Pororari Hut to the Pororari River car park (or about 17.1 km onward to Waikori Road car park), descending into the upper Pororari River valley and then following the river. The lower section includes a gorge route through beech forest with northern rātā mixed in, before hikers and bikers diverge at the Inland Pack Track junction.
The track was built as part of the Pike River Mine disaster memorial pathway and it opened as a full Great Walk length in March 2020. Expect frequent weather swings in West Coast conditions, with heavy rain, snow/ice, fog, and strong winds possible especially on the exposed ridgeline sections.
For planning: you’ll need to book huts in advance (no campsites on the track) and you should carry winter-warm, waterproof layers. On wet or windy days, the exposed tops and cliff-adjacent sections can be the limiting factor; it’s smart to scout or inspect the day’s conditions before committing to those higher, more exposed parts.
More information: Wikipedia, Hiking the Paparoa Track: 4-Day Great Walk Guide, Paparoa Track | 100% Pure New Zealand