Hinewai Reserve

Hinewai is about 1,250 hectares on the southern side of Banks Peninsula, run since 1987 by the botanist Hugh Wilson for a private trust, and it is known for a decision that made him locally unpopular for years: rather than clear the gorse choking the hillsides, he left it. Gorse is a fast-growing invasive shrub, but it also fixes nitrogen, shelters seedlings and - crucially - is shade-intolerant, so native forest seeded beneath it eventually grows through and kills it off. Thirty-odd years on, large areas that were gorse are now young native forest, and the approach has been widely studied. Wilson has run the place without a car, cycling instead, which is the other detail people remember. Around forty kilometres of public tracks cross the reserve, free to walk, leading to waterfalls and out to the coast, and the birdlife has recovered accordingly.

What you actually see

• Gorse turning into forest - the succession the reserve is known for.
• The track network - about forty kilometres, free and open.
• The waterfalls - on the streams running down to the coast.
• The recovered birdlife - bellbird, tui and fantail through the regrowth.

When to go

October to April. Allow time on the narrow winding road from Akaroa. The reserve is open year round; some tracks are muddy in winter.

Honest expectations

It is a working private reserve, not a manicured park - tracks are rough in places and signage is basic. The access road is narrow and steep. There are no facilities beyond a shelter; carry water.

Nearby

Akaroa and its harbour are north; the Banks Peninsula Track runs nearby.