Kaiparoro is a minor peak in the Tararua Range, sitting a little SW of Eketahuna. It's a bit of an outlier with unusual vegetation by the range's standards, dominated by turpentine scrub. It's also notable for the remnants of a 1952 plane crash, when an Airspeed Oxford Mk 1 crashed SE of the summit killing the sole pilot.
The route starts at the end of Kaiparoro Rd. The initial section can be ambiguous, but it starts by heading over the truck bridge, through the gate and then onto the old logging road which rises steeply up the ridge.
The vehicle bridge over the Mākākahi River.
The bottom section of the Kaiparoro Track, the route heads up the dirt road on the centre left.
The route follows the rutted logging road for about 500m, before entering some sparse forest cover to continue the climb. Another kilometre of gradual climbing takes you to a poorly marked track junction, where taking a left leads to a minor drop to a saddle. The forest becomes a bit more scenic beyond here with a rich fern understory, and it doesn't take long before the bushline is breached and views are had. A short bit of travel in high tussocks and scrub leads to the obvious trig.
The trig on Kaiparoro.
The gorgeous colours of the summit scrubfields.
When descending, it pays to take care finding the entrance back into the forest. I spent a few minutes scratching around in high tussock before re-finding it (in 2023), whether it has been cut back in the years since I do not know. When descending, a worthwhile side trip is to drop south at 800m, following markers and a ground trail to the remnants of the plane crash.
The path between the Kaiparoro Track and the crash site.
Debris at the crash site.
More debris at the crash site.
The grave of the pilot, Flying Officer David Mark Leary.
Reclimbing back up the linkage path takes you back to the main track, which is easily descended back to the carpark. It is possible to also return via pt. 656, which is less direct but adds variety. It's a pleasant way to spent 2 - 3 hours on a nice day, with some views and also some sombre history.
Descending the main Kaiparoro Track.
