Start by following the old logging tramway, built in the 1930s to haul logs from the forest for two early sawmills. Make your way through regenerating forest to join an old pack track, once part of the coastal highway. Go over a lateral moraine to reach the Poerua River and the distinctive whitebaiters’ baches.
Where the river meets the sea, the path across the sand is constantly shifting according to the tides and the weather. Like all West Coast River mouths, this is a treacherous place. Do not attempt to cross.
Return to the carpark the way you came.
Note that due to coastal erosion and flood damage the track down the Wanganui River to the Doughboy and beach is closed and no longer maintained by DOC.
