| Wangapeka Track | |
|---|---|
 Karamea River by Helicopter Flat Hut | |
| Length | 59 km (37 mi) |
| Location | Kahurangi National Park |
| Trailheads |
|
| Use | Tramping |
| Elevation gain/loss | 3,206 metres (10,520 ft) gain |
| Highest point | 1,087 m (3,566 ft) |
| Lowest point | 60 m (200 ft) |
| Difficulty | Medium |
| Maintained by | Department of Conservation |
| Trail map | |
 Map of Wangapeka Track | |
The Wangapeka Track is a tramping track in the north-west of the South Island of New Zealand. It is one of the main tramping tracks in the Kahurangi National Park, a protected area managed by the Department of Conservation. The route traverses the southern end of the park from the historic Wangapeka goldfields area west of Tapawera to the coastal plains of the West Coast at Little Wanganui. The route is 59 km (37 mi) long and crosses the Wangapeka and Little Wanganui saddles, each over 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in elevation. The track passes through the valleys of the Wangapeka River, Karamea River, Taipō River and Little Wanganui River. The majority of the track is in river valleys and under forest cover, with small sections in tussock land at Stag Flat and the Little Wanganui Saddle. It typically takes walkers 4–6 days to complete the route.
Track building began in 1861 from the eastern end, following the discovery of gold in the Wangapeka River valley in 1859 and further gold discoveries in the Rolling River in 1861. Early work on the track was funded by the Nelson Provincial Council and employed gold diggers as labourers. In 1868, a proposal was made for a through-route from Wangapeka to Karamea, suitable for horse-drawn vehicles. However, construction proceeded slowly in stages over many years. The track from the east reached the Karamea gorge in 1897. Track-building from the western end began in 1894, and by 1899 there was 4.5 miles (7.2 km) of cart road, a pack track and a roughly cut route from the west that met with the track from the eastern end at Stag Flat near the Little Wanganui Saddle.
There have been many proposals for the construction of a road along the route of the track. Between 1915 and 1924 there were multiple requests for a route to enable movement of livestock between the Nelson and Karamea districts. The benefits of a fully-formed road through the Wangapeka Track were promoted In 1968, 1973, and again in 2015, but without achieving support from government.
The Wangapeka Track was incorporated into the North West Nelson Forest Park in 1970, as part of the amalgamation of eight forest parks in the region, and is now part of the Kahurangi National Park, administered by the Department of Conservation.