Chook's Tracks
Reservoir Road Paeroa to Waitekauri & Farelly Road Waikino
From the end of Reservoir Road the track passes the water supply dam and follows upstream beside the lake and onto the Old Coach Road which is followed for most of the time to the Waitekauri Valley Road.
Ten minutes up from the dam the track crosses the Tarariki Stream and turns slightly left and starts to climb. (The track which goes straight ahead and upstream at this point goes to the old 1875 coal mine).
There are a few good viewing points on the way up to the lake which is to come after passing through some pine trees and an old garden hedge, a reminder of the home which once stood near by when a forty eight acre block was farmed here. Some of the post and rail fencing is still standing in the secondary growth.
Once through the hedge follow any tracks to the left which pass over the lake outlet to pass through flax and two Mai Mai's beside the lake, before travelling along a small depression to a bank over which is a small stream.
At this point turn right and go into light bush to some pine trees and turn downhill to pass an iron hut and cross the small stream which is followed downstream for a few minutes before climbing to the left to come around and join the original track which is buried in gorse and blackberry from this point back to the hut.
Turning right, one soon crosses a small stream and starts to climb up to the corner boundary of Douglas's Komata Reefs Road farm.
If you wish to continue, it is necessary to climb the fence to follow the road up through the farm to a wooden gate on a hillside where the track passes into bush and through another gateway to enter grassland and a very old row of pine trees which are followed down to another boundary into bushland.
Downhill through this bush takes you to van Woerden's farm boundary gate after which there is an option of turning right down past the strawberry trees, "Cornus Capitatus Dogwood Nth India," Maoriland Mines and the turnoff to the right and steeply down to the Maoriland Battery site or continuing on.
Straight ahead down the ridge is the shorter route to the Waitekauri Road.
The Farrelly Road Connection
Looking up from the Paeroa end of Douglas farm boundary to the top right hand corner and before heading up to the gateway on the hill, there is a spot not far from this corner of the fence where young Rimus can be seen on a ridge in the bush.
It is on this small ridge that the unmarked track takes off through the fence to join the old pack track to Farrelly Road, Waikino passing on its last stages through the tip of van Woerden's Waitekauri Farm.
After crossing the Mangakara Stream it then passes through Wilson's farm to a boundary fence gate which must be kept shut at all times into Campbell's farm and out to the Old Waitekauri Road, a distance of two and a half kilometres from the gate.