Over the Mountain Weekend Shuttle Service

Guests: 11

Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari offers a dedicated shuttle service for experienced walkers keen to traverse the maunga via the Wairere Traverse, Te Raki, or Te Tonga tracks.

This pre-booked service departs from the Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari Education Centre carpark at 99 Tari Road (southern side of the maunga) at 7:30am and 9:00am every Saturday and Sunday, with space for up to 11 walkers per shuttle.

Your driver will transport you to Hicks Rd, near the starting point of the Over the Mountain tracks on the northern side of the maunga, sharing local insights and stories of the sanctuary along the way.

About the tracks:

Wairere Traverse: A well-formed 11km track that takes approximately 5 hours one way (or 10 hours return) and requires a high level of fitness. The route climbs through ancient podocarp forest with towering rimu and tawa with birdsong from some of New Zealand's rarest species along with way. The track is steep in places and can be muddy in wet weather - good gear and preparation are essential.

Te Raki and Te Tonga tracks: These follow a historic route to Pukeatua Peak, offering 5-6 hours of walking through lush forest and up to the southern peaks. Expect occasional panoramic views across the Waikato landscape and rich flora and fauna along the way.

These tracks are best suited to confident, well-equipped hikers aged 12 and over, and are not monitored by Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari staff. Toilets are available at Tari Road and Hicks Road, but not along the tracks.

Book Your Seat

Please note:

Tracks not suitable for children under 12.
Minimum 2 passengers to run. Our team will contact you on the Friday afternoon prior to the weekend Shuttle Service to let you know if the minimum has not been met.
Walkers MUST pre-book this service.
Bookings close midday the day prior to departure (Friday and Saturday).
Be prepared: Please bring adequate footwear, food, water, and an extra layer of clothing to ensure your well-being and to prevent potential rescue operations that could endanger others.
Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari retains the right to refuse service should walkers demonstrate a lack of preparedness as above.

Book

We were a group of 8, Sue was our guide. Would so recommend having Sue to guide. We would not have noticed or learnt anything by ourselves, noticed birds and plants with understanding the importance of sanctuary. Will be bringing the grandies next.

Helen Bingham

← 1 / 10 →

The team are still absolutely buzzing about their time at Maungatautari! We all learnt SO much — about Rongoa, about the forest and how different plants can heal our ailments — but also how the forest as a whole can heal our inner-selves too. Everybody took something of great value...

Huka Honey Hive, Taupo

← 2 / 10 →

I wanted to email you and tell you how literally amazing our day was and that we were absolutely blown away by the whole experience. You and your team are fantastic. All of the parents who attended raved about the whole day.

Ohaupo School

← 3 / 10 →

A truly spectacular day for me thank you, and trust me I've done some really cool things before but this was right up there. The passion, the pride, the service beyond self and the truly intergenerational and transformational work you and the team have done and are doing is inspirational...

Simon

← 4 / 10 →

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Because one THANK YOU is not enough! We felt very honoured and privileged to witness the health check and transfer process of two kiwi yesterday. To be so close to our iconic bird was very surreal for many of our team. Many photos were taken and I'm sure...

Nicola Greenwell

← 5 / 10 →

I'm honestly still smiling after my afternoon on the maunga yesterday, so I had to write and thank you SO MUCH. The team is doing extraordinary work with the whole sanctuary, and to see the kiwi team, volunteers, dogs, it was absolutely amazing. It was very moving to see the kiwi close up....

Katy Scoullar

← 6 / 10 →

I've hiked many, many forests around New Zealand, but this one hits differently. You just know you're in as native of an NZ forest as it can get, thanks to the predator-proof fence that takes a lot of work and money to maintain. The forest is alive with the beautiful songs of many...

Meggie Tran

← 7 / 10 →

A beautiful and peaceful place.

Tony Nicholls

← 8 / 10 →

My wife and I live in Miami and visited Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari during a trip to New Zealand a month ago. Our guide was Jenny. We were very impressed with her sincerity as well as your organization and the success of your work.

Anonymous, Miami, USA

← 9 / 10 →

If you want to see New Zealand's nocturnal animals, go here. Of course, there are day tours as well as night tours. I went on a night tour and it was great. I was happy to see glow worms, go up to the observatory, and see many stars in the night sky! This is not a zoo, but a conservation...