Hiking the Onawe Pa Track, Banks Peninsula

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The short walk to the end of Onawe Pa / Peninsula is a fun thing to do when exploring Banks Peninsula. It’s close to Akaroa (in the small town of Duvachelle) and the views are great — keep reading to find out more!

The Onawe Pa Track

The track starts at a small car park on Onawe Flat Road — it’s easy to find but in summer (especially weekends) there may not be room to park. You can always park in Duvachelle near the hotel, which will require an extra 10 minutes or so of walking (each way). You’ll notice a small hill above the car park — climb it for a nice view of where you’re about to walk.

Onawe Pa Track, Banks Peninsula, New ZealandOnawe Peninsula, Banks Peninsula, New Zealand

From there head along the beach for a short distance. You’ll notice an interestingly textured and coloured section of rocks / cliffs and a fairly rough beach. You’ll have to do it at low tide (or a couple of hours either side) if you don’t want to get wet!

Cool rocks at Onawe Pa, Banks Peninsula, New Zealand

Soon you’ll be climbing up the hill where the views start to reveal themselves. It’s an easy track and before long you’ll reach the “summit”. There are some big rocks at the top (which make for a good foreground for photos) and 360-degree views of the harbour and Banks Peninsula. I especially liked the view towards the southern side of Banks Peninsula, with its large number of boats just offshore. A pa is an Maori fortified village / fortification and while there is no real evidence of it left you can imagine this being a good place to defend!

Hiking the Onawe Pa Track, Banks Peninsula, New ZealandStunning view towards Akaroa from the Onawe Pa Track, New Zealand

There’s a short loop track at the end of the peninsula, which goes through the bush at one point (it gets slippery and muddy in there). You’ll soon arrive back at the main track and from there it’s an easy downhill stroll to the car park. The Onawe Pa track took me around an hour and I’d describe it as easy (despite a bit of uphill walking).

A forest track on Banks Peninsula, New ZealandThe calm blue waters surrounding Banks Peninsula, New Zealand

Getting There

Most people that visit Onawe Pa will be on their way to or from Akaroa. It’s an easy detour off the main road (turn onto Onawe Flat Road near the Duvachelle Hotel). You can get a good view of Onawe Pa from the above at Hilltop Tavern. There are also some old boat houses on the road leading to the start of the track as well as a photogenic pier.

Nice view of Banks Peninsula from above, New ZealandA pier in Duvachelle, Banks Peninsula, New Zealand

Are you planning on driving to Akaroa from Christchurch? Check out Tumbledown Bay — it’s one of my favourite spots on Banks Peninsula!

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Jon Algie

I'm a South Island local -- born in Timaru and raised in Dunedin. I left the island in 2006 and returned 10 years later. Having seen a good chunk of the world I realised how special this place is -- the most beautiful island in the world! Seven years (and almost 400 posts) later I'm still helping locals and tourists alike plan their trips around the South Island.