Paines Ford Tramline Track
Tākaka · Nelson-Tasman · Out & Back
Route and dog-access details for this walk come from the Department of Conservation, licensed CC BY 4.0. DOC’s own wording: “Dogs on a leash only. Other pets on conservation land rules. (Department of Conservation, Paines Ford Tramline Track page, Dog access panel.) The leash is doing real work on this one: the track runs under limestone bluffs that are one of the best rock climbing areas in the country, so there are often people roped up overhead, and it links a run of popular swimming holes on the Tākaka River”. Evidence: a hand-checked correction against the authority. How we check dog rules.
Good to know
Dogs are allowed here. Keep them on the lead, watch for ground-nesting birds and stock, and read the signs at the gate.
About Paines Ford Tramline Track
Near Tākaka in Nelson-Tasman, Paines Ford Tramline Track runs 1.9 km as an out-and-back.
An easy walk in the Tākaka area following an old timber tramline (operated 1880s–1905) beside the Tākaka River at Paines Ford. It passes popular swimming holes, well-known limestone rock-climbing bluffs and a remnant patch of forest. Dogs are welcome and DOC asks for a leash the whole way, which is no hardship here. The track starts at the southern end of the big picnic area beside the highway bridge, where there is a toilet, and follows the old tramline for about 1.9 km, near enough flat the whole way. DOC calls it 30 minutes one way and our line agrees, so it is a good one for an older dog or a short pair of legs. The two things to plan around are the climbers and the river. The bluffs above the track are worked most fine days, so keep your dog in close underneath them, and the Tākaka River is genuinely dangerous when it is in flood, which is worth remembering before a keen swimmer gets near the edge. DOC allows no fires and no camping in the reserve.
Expect easy going, with around 32 m of climb, pitching up to 8 % at its steepest, and takes about 26m to walk.
Dogs are allowed here, on the lead.
