Ah the Dukes Nose. I had a bit of a love hate relationship with this trail for much of the way, but by the end, it was love. The views from the top of the Dukes Nose are unbelievable. Not just the best view we’ve seen in Northland, but one of the best coastal views in the country.
Reaching them can be done in a couple of different ways but all routes lead to a steep scramble, let’s call it more of a rock climb, assisted by a sturdy metal pole. I found this mildly terrifying but for some it will be the highlight.
Here’s everything you need to know about climbing the Dukes Nose, also known as Kairara Rock.
The Dukes Nose Track (Kairara Rock)
The stats
Distance: 12.4km return, or 2km return if using the water taxi
Elevation: 665m
Difficulty: Moderate - hard
The Dukes Nose Track itself is very short at just under a kilometre each way but unless you are going to use a water taxi to reach it you will also have to walk the Wairakau Stream Track, which adds on an additional 10.4km return (or half that if you want to use the water taxi one way).
The Wairakau Stream Track is pretty easy going in terms of elevation and terrain but for one small issue, the mud. If there’s been heavy rain it will be very muddy for much of the way and a lot of it is the clay like mud which is very slippery.
There are also two stream crossings which are easy unless there has been flooding in which case you’ll need to skip the Wairakau Stream Track and take the water taxi.
The Dukes Nose portion of the walk is uphill all the way but on better, less muddy terrain. The final 10m requires climbing up a rock wall with the use of a very sturdy fixed metal pole.
If you want to make this an overnight adventure you can book a bed in the nearby Lane Cove Hut (16 beds), bookable through DOC (the hut is directly accessible by water taxi).
We’ll separate out the trail notes for both the Wairakau Stream Track and the Dukes Nose below.
The Wairakau Stream Track
Starting the trail: into the forest
The walk begins on a wide gravel path which takes you gently uphill through the forest. After 250m you’ll reach the kauri cleaning station which helps prevent the spread of kauri dieback disease which is sadly killing these beautiful ancient trees.
Just beyond the cleaning station is where things start to get muddy if you’re walking after rain. To put it into context there had been a week’s very heavy rain before our hike so it was probably much worse than it would normally be.
When dry it’s going to be very leisurely as the track is wide and in good condition. If it is muddy go carefully as some sections are extremely slick.
You’re heading uphill but it’s not overly steep and you’ll soon reach a signposted right turn for the Wairakau Stream Track (1.2km into the walk).
This marks the end of the wide trail which is more like a 4WD track.
The track gets wilder
From the turn off you’ll now be following a narrow path and it gets much prettier as you are more immersed in the forest. It’s dry forest at first and you quickly get a peek out between the trees to the Dukes Nose which looks surprisingly far away.
Apart from the very beginning where the forest is dry and two very short sections of glorious gravel, it’s a dirt path all the way and for the most part will be very muddy after rain. It’s slightly less slippery than the earliest part of the track though.
It’s mainly downhill but very gently so you don’t really notice it.
The further you go, the forest gets denser and starters to feel a lot more wild and jungly. It’s absolutely beautiful with tall tree ferns, oodles of cabbage palms and plenty of tangled roots and vines.
In terms of the path, there are a few rocks and tree roots, but it’s actually pretty good, if you’re walking when dry it’s going to be fairly cruisy.
For us it was pretty slow going through the forest as we tried to keep from slipping. Having said that though, we walked back in the dark and were much quicker so there’s probably something to be said in being a bit more gung-ho along this stretch (but not the earlier part of the walk where the mud is clay).
We’d done so many muddy and slippery trails by this point that I was feeling a bit over it, hence the love/hate relationship with the track, but all I can say is I am very glad I persevered.
Crossing the stream
Roughly 3km from the trailhead you’ll reach the first of the stream crossings, and what a stream it is! I can honestly say I had no expectations as I’d never seen any pictures of it and it was breathtakingly beautiful.
The colour is a pale blue which almost looks glacier and it’s surrounded by forest on one side and towering gorge walls on the other. If I’d had my swimsuit (and let’s be honest, it was summertime!) I’d have definitely gone for a swim.
I’d say that even without the Dukes Nose, this swimming hole would be worth a visit in its own right. It really is that special. Just so long as it’s not in flood when crossing - let alone swimming - can be dangerous.
Most of the time you will be able to cross the stream using the log and rocks without having to take your boots off. However, the rocks do wobble a bit so you might want to take your boots off or simply wade if you don’t mind wet boots.
The first crossing
The next stream crossing is just 100m later and is reached via a grassy path. For us this bit was a bog, the kind where you feel warm mud slowly seep into your boots and up your ankles as you squelch your way through.
Hopefully for you it will be dry, but if not my advice would be to take your boots off or you will be fully soaked. On the way back I left my boots on and just walked through the water and mud but it was nice to have dry boots for going up the nose when you still have a fair bit of walking ahead of you.
The second crossing
The second stream crossing has plenty of rocks and if you’ve got good balance you’ll be fine getting across completely dry. To get down into the water requires negotiating a muddy river bank though.
To Lane Cove Hut
The next part of the walk was a lot less muddy and very pretty. You’ll cross a grassy area with a great view straight towards the Dukes Nose.
You’ll then re-enter the forest and it starts to feel even more untamed, with plenty of gnarled tree roots and hanging vines.
There are a couple of tiny, easy stream crossings which you can rock hop over in a couple of steps.
After 300m in the forest you’ll start to get your first views of the inlet and mangroves and it is absolutely stunning. The water shimmers in the sunlight and you’ll also see various dramatic headlands.
This part of the walk is either flat or gently undulating and it’s a nice leisurely section which allows you to fully soak up those views. They are partially obscured by trees but that makes the glimpses that you do get all the more special and an indicator of what’s to come.
After just under a kilometre you leave the views behind and enter the forest again. The terrain is a bit rougher along this stretch with some climbs on dirt path with quite a few tree roots. It does get muddy again and there is some leaf litter, but it wasn’t overly slippery.
After 350m of uphill climbing the track starts to head downhill and you’re standing at the turn off for Lane Cove Hut 500m later. There are toilets you can use but if you haven’t booked a bed at the hut you are asked not to go inside.
Just 120m beyond this turn off you’ll see another left turn marked as Lane Cove Hut but it actually takes you to the day use area and the little mangrove beach. There are benches here and it’s sheltered from the elements.
This marks the end of the Wairakau Stream Track, 5.2km from the car park.
The Dukes Nose (Kairara Rock) Track
The climb begins
The Dukes Nose Track sign says it’s 750m each way, we measured it as just shy of 1km. It’s pretty much uphill all the way but the steepness varies.
It was definitely far less muddy than the Wairakau Stream Track so although dry weather is preferable, I wouldn’t be as worried about if there’s been rain before you tackle the Dukes Nose.
The trail starts climbing up through the forest and there is one pretty steep section but it’s surprisingly grippy. You’ll start to get some incredible views over the bay and up towards the nose. It still looks far away but in reality it’s just 800m away.
The scrambles
Roughly 600m into the track you’ll meet the first of the poled sections. This one is just a few metres long but it’s actually a little slippery, which is not the case on the much longer scramble coming up next.
The good thing is that there are little metal bars that you can use as extra footholds. It’s not hard going up but just needs a little care on the way down due to the slippery rock (which might be dry if you’re walking after a decent spell without rain).
At the top of the first scramble you have a couple of minutes walk to get to the final bit of the trail, the steep rock climb which is again assisted by a sturdy fixed pole.
It used to be chains which would definitely make it a lot more difficult!
This final section is just 10m, but standing at the bottom I found it really intimidating as it is pretty much vertical!
Joe on the other hand found it really fun. so it’s largely going to depend on your head for heights and scrambling, but if I can do it I think most people can!
There are decent hand and foot holds throughout, especially when combined with the metal bars. The pole also feels super sturdy which is reassuring.
There are one or two wide-ish ledges you can wait on too if you want a break. I’d say that in reality the climb up is not hard, it’s more trying to conquer the fear of slipping, but it really doesn’t take long to get up.
I did find it a bit unnerving to meet people halfway up though so I would definitely make sure the coast is fully clear if you do find scrambling a challenge.
I timed how long it took to get up and it was only five minutes and a couple of those were spent letting other people pass.
The way down was a bit more difficult for me as the best way to go down is backwards so you don’t get that same look at all the holds you’re using.
Joe went first and told me where to put my feet if I couldn’t see and that worked really well, so if one of your group finds these things easier it will definitely help.
The top of the Dukes Nose
Let me tell you that the short spurt of accelerated heartbeat for a few minutes up the rock scramble was oh so worth it.
The views from the top absolutely blew me away. It is truly spectacular in every direction and there’s a huge summit area to allow for sitting and relaxing.
There are so many bays and headlands that it almost has a slight Halong Bay feel to it, and real wow factor. It’s a wonderful sunset spot although it does make for a fairly long walk back in the dark!
We ended up staying to watch a little of the sunset, but headed down the steepest sections of the track before it got dark.
All in all, I think these views are hard to beat, they’re definitely the most beautiful we’ve seen in Northland so far and we’ve been lucky enough to do some great hikes.
If you’re ok with the rock scramble then you really need to put the Dukes Nose on your bucket list.
If you are looking for other great things to do in the Kerikeri area, we have you covered in this post.
Getting to the Dukes Nose Track
Assuming you are going to walk the whole way, the parking for the Wairakau Stream Track is on Campbell Road, 17km from Whangaroa. There is no car park as such but room for quite a few cars either side of the road.
If you are going to go via water taxi you can choose both ways or one way and this is the company that can take you there. We tried to call them for a lift back but we were a little too late, so do book in advance. As far as I know it can be affected by the tides so it’s good to plan ahead for that. At time of writing it is $35 per adult one way and $70 return.
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