Last updated October 2026
Five taonga greet riders at Te Pūtake o Tawa, the second mountain bike hub in Whakarewarewa Forest, on the road to Lake Tikitapu. It gives more direct access to some of the forest’s higher trails and to the Lake Tikitapu section of the Whakarewarewa Forest Loop, and Ngā Haerenga recommends it as one of two places to start the Loop.
The hub has food and drink, a bike wash, bike hire, toilets and showers. Ngā Haerenga notes that the food and drink may not be open midweek or in winter.
Practical Information
- Location
- On the road to Tikitapu, Whakarewarewa Forest
- Opened
- 2020
- Facilities
- Food and drink (may be closed in winter or midweek; the camp store at Tikitapu is always open), bike wash, bike hire, toilets (including an accessible toilet) and showers
- Forest Loop links
- Te Pūtake o Tawa to Te Ara Ahi: 14 km, grade 2 to 3, 1 to 2.5 hours. Waipa car park to Te Pūtake o Tawa: 10.5 km, grade 2, 1 to 2 hours
- Access
- Free entry to Whakarewarewa Forest and its tracks
- Mana whenua
- Tūhourangi
- Status
- Check the Rotorua Trails Trust closures page for current felling closures before you ride
About Te Pūtake o Tawa
Te Pūtake o Tawa was developed and opened in 2020 as the forest’s second hub, six years after new facilities opened at Waipā. RotoruaNZ describes it as giving more direct access to some of the higher trails.
What sets it apart is its taonga. Ngā Haerenga explains that the five pieces share the stories of ancestors important to Tūhourangi, the mana whenua, and were made by local artists who are direct descendants of the ancestors shown.
Umukaria is the ancestor watching over the start, and Hinemoa and Tūtānekai, two of the five, appear near the end of the Loop.
The hub is also the gateway to the Lake Tikitapu side of the Whakarewarewa Forest Loop. From here the Loop runs 14 km to Te Ara Ahi at grade 2 to 3, or 10.5 km at grade 2 the other way to the Waipa car park.
Riding from Te Pūtake o Tawa
Ngā Haerenga names Te Pūtake o Tawa car park and the Waipā hub as the two recommended starts for the Forest Loop, a mostly grade 2 ride with short grade 3 sections that takes three to five hours.
RotoruaNZ describes Eagle vs Shark as an intermediate downhill ride back to the car park on this side of the forest. Check the trust’s closures page before you plan a loop that finishes here.
Where to Learn More
Ngā Haerenga New Zealand Cycle Trails: Whakarewarewa Forest Loop: hub facilities, the taonga and the Loop’s sections.
Rotorua Trails Trust: Trail closures: current felling closures and road notices.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Te Pūtake o Tawa?
In Whakarewarewa Forest, on the road to Lake Tikitapu.
When did it open?
In 2020, as the forest’s second mountain bike hub.
Is there food and drink?
Yes, but Ngā Haerenga says it may be closed in winter or midweek. The camp store at Tikitapu is always open.
Can I hire or wash a bike?
Yes. There is bike hire and a bike wash, plus toilets and showers.
Why start here rather than Waipā?
It gives more direct access to some of the higher trails and to the Lake Tikitapu section of the Forest Loop.
What are the taonga at the hub?
Five taonga telling the stories of Tūhourangi ancestors, made by local artists who are their direct descendants.
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