Mt Parihaka Lookout

A PANORAMIC VIEW OVER WHANGAREI CITY

15 SEPTEMBER 2022

The view from the lookout

To Walk Or Not To Walk

We had heard that a great way to see Whangarei is to head on up to the Mount Parihaka Lookout and Memorial and we're so glad we did. We had been waiting for a nice day to head up because of course, the view is never as good on a crappy day, like when we went up Mt Victoria in Wellington. If it had been a mint day, I'm sure we would have been even more wowed.

The Scenic Reserve was once thought to be the site of the largest pā in New Zealand. You can still see remains of a settlement including 3 pā sites, storage pits and houses.

You can either walk up the windy road from the bottom of the mountain, with no footpath to walk on, or you can just drive straight up to the carpark. We chose to drive up because we didn't have too much time to spend there because we had food shopping ready to pick up in less than an hour. Excuses, excuses I know....

Just a 5-minute drive from the bottom of Memorial Drive, you'll be there in no time. When we arrived, there were designated parking spaces depending on what type of vehicle you drive. We had our car so there is a little carpark for cars, there is even carparks for coaches as well. As we pulled up, we noticed the main carpark for cars was locked by a big steel gate, so we had to park a little bit further back (only a few meters away) in the carpark where the coaches park. There were also public toilets which had a beautiful mural painted on it which was a nice touch.

The motorhome carpark we had to park at

Very fancy toilets at the carpark (well, on the outside anyway!)

Around 300 old kumara pits have been found on Mt Parihaka

Yet another place to scrub your shoes

Just A Quick Flight Of Stairs To The Lookout

It really is a quick walk to the lookout. The girls thought we were going on one of our 4-hour hikes again, so they felt like they weren't prepared for one, but lucky for them it was a 1-minute walk. We would them up a bit about it, until we got to the top of the stairs hehe.

Once you pass the toilets, the flat is path then there's one set of stairs, a memorial, some information boards and then you're at the look out. Easy peasy!

Sienna heading towards the memorial

A short flight of stairs to the memorial

World War 2 Memorial

Just a few short minutes' walk up some concrete stairs, we arrived right at the feet of Mount Parihaka's World War II Memorial. The huge memorial was constructed 1956 in remembrance of New Zealanders who served in the war and those who died in WWII, those who are buried overseas and those who have no known grave.

You can see the memorial from most places in Whangarei City, especially at night when it's lit up red.

The memorial stands tall

"We shall remember them"

The memorial statue at the lookout

The Viewing Platform

When we stepped out onto the lookout, it definitely wowed us. The views were incredible and they swept across Whangarei as far as the eye could see, which is not surprising because the lookout is 241 meters high!

We were actually really surprised at how many mountains there were surrounding Whangarei and we tried to spot any we had climbed before but we couldn't see any. Along the handrails, there are pictures and names of all the mountains you can see from the look out which is pretty cool!

There aren't any chairs to sit on and the platform isn't huge and we can imagine it could get pretty busy in peak times.

You will be rewarded with fantastic views

Views of Whangarei City

The viewing platform gives views of heaps of maungas (mountains)

Te Korowai o Papatuanuku

This special kohatu signifies life essence on the mountain, inspiring a sense of gravity and significance. It is a commemorative stone called Te Korowai o Papatuanuku (Cloak of Mother Earth). It was unveiled on the 20 February 2016 by Kaumatua and Rangatira and it was set up to commemorate the return of Manaia's ancestral name on 4 September 2005.

"He maunga tapu
This sacred mountain
Tūtei i te au
stands sentinel,
Tūtei i te pō
By day and by night"

Te Korowai o Papatuanuku

This beautiful piece has been created in stone

Cloak of Mother Earth

A Place With A History Of War Which Is Now A Place Of Peace

Mount Parihaka Scenic Reserve is a Green Flag award-winning park (which recognises the best international open spaces in the world) and is deeply rooted in such a significant part of Maori history. Now a dormant volcano, Mount Parihaka once was a fortified pā, built by local iwi and was once said to be the largest pā in New Zealand. This place was a place of many battles through the 1700's.

The information boards are just a few meters before the lookout

Parihaka - A place of war

Mountain Bike and Walking Tracks

As we worked our way back to the car, we noticed someone on the opposite end of the carpark hoping over a small step and over a fence. We wanted to take a look as we could see a bit of a nice view in the distance. To our surprise it was actually a series of mountain biking trails which is super cool!

We were greeted with an old water tank with graffiti all over it and two chairs in front.... great place to relax if you like rusty chairs and wasps! The view was really beautiful on this side too and there's a map of the biking trails, if you can see it through all the graffiti.

There are a number of tracks that lead you to the lookout, throughout the 143-hectare native bush reserve on Mt Parihaka:
Dobbie Track to Mair Park Bridge via Hokianga Track - 50 minutes
Dobbie Track to Mair Park Bridge via Ponga Track - 1 hour
Drummond Track to Mair Park Bridge - 40 minutes
There is even an old goldmine that you can explore, along Ross Track and you might even see some glow worms if you are there at night

We didn't have time to go on any of these tracks but if they are like all the other walks in Whangarei, they will be spectacular!

The start of the mountain bike tracks

An interesting place to hang out

View from the start of the mountain bike track

Know Before You Go

No dogs are allowed on any of the tracks to the summit
It's just a quick 1-minute walk to the look out
There aren't any chairs at the lookout and there isn't enough room to set up for a picnic
There are toilets located beside the carpark
There are parking spaces for motorhomes, cars and coaches

Mappy McMap Face

Getting There

The Mt Parihaka Lookout is a quick 10-minute drive from central Whangarei. Turn off Riverside Drive into Memorial Drive and head straight to the top. It is well sign posted so you know where to go.

Conclusion

Add the Mt Parihaka Scenic Reserve to your list of things to do while visiting Whangarei. We recommend you go on a nice day to make the most out of the views. If you have time, it's totally worth doing some of the walking tracks and checking out the old goldmine!