Recently I moved from Wellington to Southland, and now that I’ve settled-in in the deep south, I’ve started to explore this beautiful part of New Zealand. One of the places recommended to me by a couple of my Facebook followers was Piano Flat, and it is a place I’ll now also be recommending to others too. About an hour north of Gore, Piano Flat has several bush walks in Waikaia Forest, from a short 30 minute loop track to a 7 hour hike. My partner and I started on the short loop (Ngahere Ara track), which is a moss-lined bush walk which also has an old gold mining waterway alongside much of it, and some old mining shafts too. We were greeted by a friendly Fantail only a few minutes into our walk, and then about mid-way round, a South Island Robin! We also briefly saw a Tomtit, but it was much shyer and flew away before I was able to get a photo. The walk was quite easy (albeit with a bit of incline) and enjoyable, especially as we were stopping regularly for photos and to enjoy the scenery, such as the moss beds, the creek, the birds, and the mine shafts.
From there we took a look around the flat area, which has a river, kids’ park, and a camp site (it’s only $8/adult/night if you’re interested), and then onto another area to explore. We went over a slightly scary, swaying swing bridge to the Waikaia River track and did a short out-and-back walk to check out the other side of the river, which we were greeted by more fantails along the way.
We only had an afternoon at Piano Flat, but loved it and will definitely be back again to do some of the longer walks and explore deeper into the forest.
Hannah
Recommendations:
Footwear: The tracks aren’t lined/gravel, so can be muddy, so I’d recommend good footwear if it’s been wet.
Clothing: Dress warm in winter, as it can be cold in the bush.
Food: There’s no shops out there, so take your food and drink in with you. We had lunch and picked up some snacks in Waikaia, which is a cute little town about 25 minutes south of Piano Flat.
Safety: There’s no cell reception, so make sure someone knows your plans before you get there, and ideally go in a pair/group.
Other: There were some sand flies by the river, so if you’re planning on camping or having a picnic there, be sure to pack some bug spray.
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