Tag Archives: Papamoa Drainage Reserve

Te Ara O Wairakei, Papamoa East

Te Ara O Wairakei in Papamoa, also known as the Papamoa Drainage Reserve or Papamoa Stormwater Reserve, is a collection of reserves in Papamoa running parallel with the oceanfront, with cycleways/walkways running through them. Currently Te Ara O Wairakei is divided into two completely separate parts. The longer part runs for about 6 km from near Parton Road to Pacific View Road. The shorter part in Papamoa East runs for about 1.5 km from near Mandalay Key to Gibson Place.

The part from Parton Road to Pacific View Road has been described in two previous posts – Papamoa Beach, Wairakei, Topaz Drive Reserves and Papamoa Drainage Reserve – Domain Rd to Pacific View Rd before the name change to Te Ara O Wairakei. This post describes the separate part of Te Ara O Wairakei in Papamoa East.

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Papamoa Drainage Reserve – Domain Rd to Pacific View Rd

The reserves previously known as Papamoa Drainage Reserve or Papamoa Stormwater Reserve is now known as Te Ara O Wairakei, with name signs at the street entrances. A later post describes the separate part of Te Ara O Wairakei in Papamoa East.

The walkway and cycleway through Wairakei and Topaz Drive Reserves, described in the previous post, continues through the Papamoa drainage reserve (now known as Te Ara O Wairakei) from Domain Road for about 3.3 km, crossing over several streets, and ending at Pacific View Road. There are side tracks leading to various streets bounding onto the reserve. The track can be walked as part of a loop including Papamoa Beach, or returning to Domain Rd by Papamoa Beach Rd, or as in the walk described here returning by the same route through the reserve.

There are various parking options at the shopping centre on Domain Rd, on Domain Rd itself, or on nearby streets. There are toilets in the Papamoa Plaza and in other locations within the shopping centre. On the one-way walk, but including the longer side track to Oriental Parade walked in both directions, the total time from Domain Rd to Pacific View Rd was about 45 minutes, with a distance of 4 km. Without the side track the distance was 3.3 km, with a time of about 40 minutes.

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Papamoa Beach, Wairakei, Topaz Drive Reserves

Walkways and cycleways run through stormwater drainage reserves between Parton Road the Pacific View Road in Papamoa. They cross various streets along the way, and there are side tracks leading to streets adjacent to the reserves. This walk was done starting at Parton Rd,  through the reserves to Domain Rd, along Domain Rd to Papamoa Domain, along the sand dunes through Papamoa Beach Reserve (or Papamoa Coastal Reserve), and back to Parton Rd. A total distance of about 7.7 km.

Tauranga City Council publishes a small brochure, Tauranga Walkways and Cycleways, with descriptions of various walking and cycling tracks within the city. A previous version of this brochure contained the loop walk described here, whereas the current (undated) brochure describes only the part through the drainage reserves.

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