In the FMC Bulletin 204 (June 2016, page 44-45) we featured an article by Dennis Brown (Auckland TC) on the Needle Block in the northern Kaimanawa Mountains. This is “a tract of covenanted private land broadly delimited by the Waipakihi River to the north, the Upper Waikato Stream to the west, Defence Force land to the south and to the east by a line running south from Karikaringa (1694 metres). It’s an untracked land of rolling tops, accessible high points and varied vegetation and topography, with views to die for. In short, classic North Island tops country, but an area seldom visited by trampers.” The block is served by two hunters’ huts, Cathedral and Patutu.

Access to the Needle Block, like to many other parts of the Kaimanawa Mountains, is across private land and by permit only.

In 2018, Helisika obtained a lease on the Needle Block. As a result, the contact details for access have changed. Like for other blocks leased by Helisika, contact

Tony Orr
Chief Pilot and Operations Manager
Phone: 07 384 2816
Fax: 07 384 2826
Mobile:  0274 543 916
Email: info@helisika.co.nz or tony@helisika.co.nz

Auckland Tramping Club’s Terry Chubb informs us that twice this year ATC has obtained permits to tramp this block, and that the area is very much worth a visit.

Photo at top: Climbing to Pt 1718m, Needles Block, Kaimanawa Mountains. (c) Terry Chubb, Auckland TC.