Shedwood Bush Track, Tapawera
Shedwood Bush Track is a short hike in a hillside conservation area on the eastern edge of Tapawera, Tasman District, South Island. The high point is a lookout at around 400m. Scenically, this was an unimpressive hike. But it was worth it for the photo of the pīwakawaka (fantail) in flight. Scroll down and check it out!
Screenshots of the NZ topographic map are licensed as CC BY 4.0 by Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand (LINZ).
Time
DOC estimates that the round-trip takes 2 hours.
Including breaks, it took me around 2 hours 30 minutes, of which around 75 minutes was the hike to the lookout.
Route
DOC reports that the round-trip is 6.3km.
The trailhead is on Matai Crescent, near the corner with Rata Avenue. The house next to the trailhead had some sort of ungulate skull - perhaps a sheep or a doe - resting on its fence, which one can interpret in various ways.
The first, flat portion of the track is non-forested and very overgrown. I recommend wearing gaiters for this alone. The track improves on the forested hillside, where there is a loop. The upper track is around 300 meters (10 minutes) longer, and also has rougher terrain. I took it on the way up, then continued along the single track to the lookout over the Motueka and Tadmor River Valleys. On the descent, I took the lower loop track.
I think taking the upper loop first is a good idea, because it saves the rougher ground for the ascent, and because it escapes the humid lowland faster.
If 1 is an easy track, and 4 is using hands and feet on exposed rocks, I give this track a 2 at worst. It is mostly a 1.
