Ica Station
India House
A self-contained three-bedroom cottage with a full kitchen, wood burner, BBQ and secure parking.
Signature experience · Wairarapa
2 Days & 2 NightsSelf-guided
Whareama Coastal Walk
- Private farmland, river valleys and isolated Wairarapa coastline
- Choose approximately 7, 12 or 14 km on Day 1
- Day 2 is around 10 km through bush and back country
- Luggage transported, with fully catered or self-catered options
Operating since 2011, Whareama is a two-day loop through working farms and private land. You follow maps, written directions, marked routes and regular track markers, walking at your own comfortable pace with your own group.
Duration2 days / 2 nights
DistanceUp to 24 km
GradeModerate / energetic
Group size2–10 walkers
SeasonOctober–April
Walk styleSelf-guided
Whareama places
Arrive somewhere that feels distinctly Whareama.
Itinerary
Two days of changing country.
Follow the route day by day, with distances, terrain and overnight details kept easy to scan.
Settle into India House or Ica Whare, meet the rest of your group and receive the pre-walk briefing. Fully catered guests find the first evening meal ready in the accommodation with only minimal finishing needed.
On the route
The walk, through Whareama’s own lens.
Real route photographs show the shift from open coastal country to Wai Ngaio and the green back-country return.
Route finding
Follow the orange triangles.
The walk is self-guided, with maps and written directions backed up by regular route markers. The orange triangles give walkers a clear visual cue as the route crosses private farmland and changing terrain.
Is this walk for me?
A rewarding route for regular walkers.
The route is not technically difficult, but it crosses genuine farm country. Expect bulldozed tracks, grass, narrow stock tracks, uneven ground, creek crossings and hills. Wear sturdy, comfortable, broken-in footwear and do some hill practice before your trip.
Route supportMarked and self-guided
Maps and written directions are supplied, with route markers placed at roughly 200-metre intervals on the established walk.
Group policyMinimum 2 · maximum 10
Lone walkers are not accepted. To have the route exclusively to your group, the current policy is eight walkers or the equivalent price.
Small / self-catered groupsFlexible accommodation logistics
Groups of two or three, and self-catered groups, may be transported back to Whareama for accommodation each night.
Ica Station accommodation
Comfort is part of the route.
Ica Station
Ica Whare
A smaller self-contained cottage with a kitchenette, electric heating, BBQ and secure parking.
What's included
The practical things are covered.
Fully catered
- All dinners, desserts, breakfasts and lunches
- 2 nights accommodation
- Bottom sheet & pillow
- Track access
- Maps & guidebook
- Luggage, sleeping bag and refreshment transport
- Morning & afternoon teas
- Pool / spa access
Self-catered
- 2 nights accommodation
- Same cottage each night
- Tea / coffee provisions
- Bottom sheet & pillow
- Track access
- Maps & guidebook
- Pool / spa access
Short on time?
Walk Whareama in a single day.
River / CoastDay 1 as a single-day walk
Meet around 10:00am, complete registration and receive maps, guidebook, lunch and instructions, then transfer to Parsons Landing for the start. Walk roughly 7 or 12 km with one hill climb, finishing at the coast or lodge for collection.
Bush / Back CountryDay 2 as a single-day walk
Transfer to Wai Ngaio Retreat for the start, then follow a roughly 10 km route with two hill climbs through the Wai Ngaio back block, Waierua and Awanui before finishing at Ica Station Homestead.
One-Day price includes
- Track access
- Picnic lunch provisions
- Maps & guidebook
- Private parking
- Toilets at start & finish
- Transport to / from route as necessary
- End-of-walk pool / spa
When to go
October to April is the main walking season.
The dates beside this are only dates where you can join walkers who are already booked. Whareama’s live calendar shows the wider range of dates that may be available for your own group. Winter walks may also be possible by request, using an alternative route and depending on weather.
Open full availability calendar ↗Join existing walkersThese are not all bookable dates
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