Twinkling twilight glowworm kayak tour

Paddle a kayak through the Pokaiwhenua Canyon, a side stream on the Waikato River, to see a constellation of titiwai (glowworms). 

Directions: you can embark on this memorable twilight tour with trail partner, Riverside Adventures, based near Lake Karapiro.

Twilight glowworm tour with Riverside Adventures

Soak up the Huihuitaha Wetlands 

Sit back, relax and enjoy the twittering birdlife in the Huihuitaha Wetlands – a fabulous community-focused, long-term restoration project that has seen thousands of trees planted and pest species eradicated in recent years years.

Directions: located near the Little Waipa Reserve on the Karapiro section, you'll know when you're there, as you'll be cycling on 500m of boardwalk winding through the pretty wetlands. 

There's 500m of cycle-friendly boardwalk through the Huihuitaha Wetlands (Jodi Sweetman Photography)

Explore the creepy concrete plant

Tucked into the trees near the Maraetai Dam are the fascinating remnants of the concrete plant used to construct the elegant Maraetai Dam and Power Station in the 1950s. An evocative information panel relays the site's stories of old.

Directions: The old concrete plant is located on the Waipapa section of the Waikato River Trails, just downstream of the Maraetai Dam.

Nature in the process of reclaiming the old concrete plant (Waikato River Trails)

Download the Great Rides App

This awesome (and free) app will help you locate the trail’s hidden secrets, and track your adventure using GPS (no mobile signal required). It also has maps, trail descriptions and info on trail services. 

Download the app from:

 

Find out more about the Waikato River Trails here.