Arcus Loop Track
Ōtaki · Wellington · Loop
This walk was suggested by the community and checked against the authority quoted above before it was published. The route line comes from official track data. DOC’s own wording: “Dogs allowed. Keep dog under control at all times. Other pets on conservation land rules. (DOC, Arcus Loop Track page.) A live DOC 1080 caution covers this part of Tararua Forest Park: DOC advises visitors not to take dogs into the area until the caution period ends, around January 2027. See the warning on this page”. Evidence: the rule-setter’s own published wording. How we check dog rules.
Good to know
Dogs are allowed here. Watch for ground-nesting birds and stock, and read the signs at the gate.
About Arcus Loop Track
This moderate-length track follows 3.0 km as a loop, near Ōtaki in Wellington.
An easy 3.5 km loop at Ōtaki Forks, the western road end of Tararua Forest Park, 19 km inland from Ōtaki up Ōtaki Gorge Road. The loop commemorates the Arcus family, who farmed this locality from the 1930s. It begins on Boielle Flat, crosses the Waiotauru River on the footbridge, then works its way across the river terraces and gullies as it climbs to join the Field Track, with good views over the campground and the river on the way round. DOC grades it easy to intermediate and allows about 50 minutes; part of it is shared with Te Araroa. The river crossing is bridged, so there is no wading on a normal day, and the whole loop sits on public conservation land. DOC's dog rule for the track is the good one: dogs allowed, kept under control at all times. Before you plan on it, read the warning box on this page. DOC and OSPRI dropped 1080 cereal bait by helicopter over this part of the Tararuas in March and May 2026, and DOC's own alert on the Arcus Loop page advises visitors not to take dogs into the area until the caution period ends, roughly eight months from the May drop, so around January 2027. 1080 is deadly to dogs, and baits and poisoned carcasses stay dangerous long after the drop. Until DOC lifts the caution, this is a walk to enjoy without the dog, and we will keep the page current as the alert changes. When the caution lifts, it is about as friendly as Tararua walking gets for a dog: a bridged river, a formed loop, and picnic flats at the bottom by the swimming holes on the Waiotauru. Keep the dog close on the terraces regardless, kiwi and other ground birds are the reason DOC asks for control at all times, and note that the neighbouring Fenceline Walk is currently closed by slips, and the Pukeatua Track across the valley has a no-dogs section on private land, so this loop and the Field Track side are the dog-legal ground here.
Expect easy going, with around 100 m of climb, and takes about 46 min to walk.
Dogs are welcome here. This walk is on the map because Kellie & Jack suggested it, and we checked it against the source above.