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Waitarere is located on the coastal plain just south of the Manawatu River and north of Levin. The terrain is very flat with the highest point of any portion of the trail not being more than about 30 metres above sea level. For this reason there's not a lot of point in showing an altitude profile.

The absence of significant hills, the generally softer going under foot, and the large area and number of trails available make Waitarere an ideal venue for longer distances than would be feasible at most other WATRC venues. The maps that follow show the January 2007 trail, that was different from the December 2006 trail, although both utilised portions of tracks in common.

Waitarere, located on the coast north of Levin, and south of Foxton and the Manawatu River

Waitarere is a regularly utilised venue and the trail varies from event to event depending upon the needs of the land owners who so generously permit the use of their tracks and facilities. The trails run through both forest and farmland, and depending on the location of stock or the timing of farm chores such as hay making, different routes are utilised to make up the required distance.

Trails have a mixture of surfaces and may be metalled roads or sandy clay tracks, grass or pine-needle softened. There can be stones. The venue is generally considered suitable for bare-foot horses, and there are lots of places where the horses can move at speed. However, riders need to recognise the changes in the surface and ride according to the conditions underfoot at the time.

The January 2007 trails, used for both CTR and Endurance consisted of different combinations of two "loops" characterised as the "Forest Loop" (loop1 - blue - 30 km) and the "Farm Loop" (loop 2 - red - 20 km). There were several portions of "common" trail where riders might join or part company if they were in different classes or in different phases of the event.

Waitarere combined trails

20 km classes (CTR Novice) - Loop 2 only
30 km classes (CTR Warehouse Grain) - Loop 1 only
50 km classes (CTR Intermediate and Open, Endurance Novice) - Loop 1 followed by Loop 2
80 km classes (Endurance Intermediate) - Loop 1, repeat Loop 1, followed by Loop 2
100 km classes (Endurance Open) - Loop 1 followed by Loop 2 and then repeat both loops in the same order

The detailed view of Loop 2 below gives a better indication of the common portions of the trail and the route taken through the farm.

Waitarere Loop 2 detail