The forest was an old NZFS trial plantation where they tried a variety of different tree types to see which was most suitable for commercial forestry. Pinus Radiata was the final choice...it had the best combination of features and was subsequently planted right through the country.
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There are wooden object d'arte in Hanmer Forest Park
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It is still a working forest but the area between Jollies Pass Road, Fowlers Lane and Dog Stream is now protected due to its historic value. There are a number of tracks through this area all of which are worth while and they range from 20 minutes right up to 2 hours in length.
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| Hanmer Forest Park is owned by Raynoier, Matariki and Ngai Tahu Forestry |
I really love Hanmer Forest Park and I like to come for a walk in the forest every time I visit the area...
On the Forest Journey Track, Hanmer Forest:
There are a number of tracks on either side of the Jollies Pass Road entrance to Hanmer Forest Park many of which I have previously covered on this site.
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| Start of the track network in Hanmer Forest Park |
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| Hanmer Forest Park: Map of the track network |
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The forest Journey starts alongside Jollies Pass Road
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We decided to walk the Forest Journey track which is approximately 3 kilometers long and takes from 1.5 to 2 hours to complete. It is the longest track in the forest and basically follows the outer edge of the plantation on a series of tracks, forestry roads, MTB tracks and lanes.
All of the tracks on the southern side of the road start at the same place and from here you can choose the length of track you would like to walk and head off along them for as long as you want. You start by walking beside Jollies Pass Road before heading deeper into the forest.
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| On the Forest Amble in Hanmer Forest Park |
There is an ongoing art exhibit in the forest...a series of carved wooden animals, plants and characters scattered along the course of the Forest Amble the shortest of the tracks through the forest. You will see birds, dogs, flora and mythical creatures and they are well executed, interesting and lovely to see.
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| Hanmer Forest Park: carving of a Fantail |
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| Hanmer Forest Park: the tracks are wide and well maintained... |
The forest has many different types of trees including Beech, Willows, Adler, Larch, Pine (various types), Spruce, Firs, Redwood Trees, Macrocarpa, Oak and massive Ponderosa Pine over 30 meters tall. Most were planted between 1900 and the early 1930s so all of them are massive and imposing.
There are interesting and informative signs everywhere with detail about what type of tree they are, where they are from and when they were planted. They have also started to post signs about the history of the area and the significance of features in the forest.
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| Hanmer Forest Park: there are a lot of information panels... |
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| Hanmer Forest Park: carving of a Possum... |
The tracks are well maintained and easy to follow with a lot of signs along the way but do take care as several people have got lost in this forest before. While the tracks are easy to follow the forest floor is full of dense undergrowth which could easily confuse you...stay on the formed tracks!!!
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| On the Forest Walk in Hanmer Forest Park |
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| The trees in Hanmer Forest Park are mature... |
The three main tracks flow into each other...the Forest Amble becomes the Forest Walk and then becomes the Forest Journey. Keep an eye on the signs to ensure you dont go further than you expected.
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| The tracks are easy to follow and well sign posted in Hanmer Forest Park |
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| Rougher track along the Forest Journey, Hanmer Forest Park |
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The forestry roads are utilized by MTB riders...
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The Forest Journey follows a series of tracks down the western side of the forest...it gets progressively wilder the further you go as it is intended as a more natural and challenging route. We saw very few people in the forest and those we saw tended to be at the front end...this is not unusual as I have seldom seen people when walking the Forest Journey in the past.
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The Forest Walk turns down a forestry road...
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The Forest journey continues deeper into the forest...
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There are two decent picnic areas in the forest the first is about half way around the Forest Journey in the center of Hanmer Forest Park. It used to be the location of a hut for the forestry workers but is now cleared and has a couple of picnic tables, some benches and a flat grass area to sit in. It is a lovely sunny clearing and would make a nice lunch stop.
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| Karen walking on the Forest Journey, Hanmer Forest Park |
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| Hanmer Forest Park: arriving at the first picnic area... |
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| First picnic area, Hanmer Forest Park |
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The Forest Journey Track skirts the picnic area...
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We continued on the track as we were going to stop at the second picnic area another 10 minutes down the track. On the way you pass through a grove of Macrocarpa trees at least 25 meters tall. When I think of Macrocarpa I imagine a knurled mess of branches and thick foliage but it is actually an excellent timber tree.
These ones have been carefully managed and the lower branches removed so they are tall, straight, graceful trees and very attractive to look at...
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| Hanmer Forest Park: the forest is crisscrossed with roads |
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| An area of large Macrocarpa in Hanmer Forest Park |
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The Macrocarpa were planted in 1929...
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The second picnic area is just past the Macrocarpa Trees and is a single picnic table set in a small sunny clearing. It is next to a trial planting of Cypress Trees so the smell of the trees is strong in the area.
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| Approaching the second picnic area, Hanmer Forest Park |
For lunch we had a bit of a spread...some filled rolls from the Hanmer Bakery (excellent by the way...great selection and well made products), dried fruit, chips and some cookies. We had stopped at the British food shop in Rangiora on the way out of town so we had some Irish Tayto chips to eat. They are super cheap potato crisps (99p on the packet) but they tasted bloody marvelous...cheese and onion...yum!!!
Karen brought some nice tea from T2 with her so we had a couple of mugs of it to wash down our repast...
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| Hanmer Forest Park: our lunch spread.... |
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We enjoyed some Tayto chips for lunch....
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After about 20 minutes for lunch we set off through the Cypress plantation with a variety of Cypress from all over the world growing here. There is a nice memorial bench along this lane dedicated to one of the people who pioneered the forest tracks as a recreational asset for tourists to Hanmer.
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| Hanmer Forest Park: in the Cypress trial planting |
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Information about the Dawson Drive Cypress trial planting...
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| A memorial bench in the Cypress grove, Hanmer Forest Park |
I had picked up a walking stick near the beginning of the track..an off cut branch from one of the trees and carried it with me around the full length of the track. I left it for someone else to use when we got to the end of the track...
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| A walking stick I picked up in Hanmer Forest Park |
We headed down one of the forestry roads and then along a path through a stand of magnificent Ponderosa Pine trees. Some of these are monsters and over 120 years old which is still infancy for these trees which can live for 1000 years. They are already awe inspiring to stand beneath...I can only imagine how huge they will be in a couple of hundred years time...
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| Hanmer Forest Park: looking south down Philips Lane... |
The tallest tree in Hanmer Forest Park is one of these Ponderosa Pines and it is more than 50 meters tall and 2 meters around the trunk. There are several others over 40 meters tall in this same planting...
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| In an area of Ponderosa Pine, Hanmer Forest Park |
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| Hanmer Forest Park: information about the Ponderosa Pine |
The Forest Journey finishes with a section inside the forest and running alongside Jollies Pass Road. You have an excellent view of Mt Isobel and the hills around Jollies Pass from along here. It was very blustery with a strong wind blowing over the top of the mountains and across Hanmer Plain.
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| Mt Isobel from Jollies Pass Road, Hanmer Forest Park |
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The hills around Jollies Pass, Hanmer
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On the Forest Journey Track heading to the carpark...
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There is a sign in a grove of Black Pine halfway along the track..the trees were planted by local school children on Arbor Day back in 1964. This is significant as 1964 was the first international celebration of Arbor Day and other school children around the world planted trees on the very same day.
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| Historic planting on the first Arbor Day in 1964, Hanmer Forest Park |
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| Hanmer Forest Park...the Jollies Road carpark appears.. |
We arrived back at the track entrance after walking for just over two hours...it was really lovely in the forest and as always well worth the visit. I love Hanmer Forest and hope that it continues to provide a place to walk amongst magnificent trees for many decades to come.
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| Back at the Jollies Pass Road carpark for Hanmer Forest Park |
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