Rangiwahia Scenic Reserve

An absolutely stunning site..a little hard to fund but super rewarding and breathtaking views!

Amazing place and tracks! There are two loops, a small one and a longer one. Took a little more than 2 hours to do the long one despite our numerous stops. Really well marked, and a lot of interesting and amusing signs about the native trees (and when and where to look at them). Stunning views and heaps of birds. Wouldn't recommend to do it during or after recent rainfalls as the path can be steep and really slippery and muddy.

The beautiful section of New Zealand forest is one on the most surreal places I've been in the country. I work in a career where I'm often out in forests and I have never seen a place quite like it anywhere else in the manawatu. Absolutely stunning. Excellently sign posted, and with rope to help you through the potentially slippery areas, we went during the rain today and it was great! A very vocal piwakawaka followed us most of the way, practically sitting on our shoes at some points. Incredible care has been taken to maintain the track but keep the integrity of the forest, it truly seems like someone has worked around the trees instead of against them.

We spent a wonderful day here - what a hidden gem! The forest is first-rate and the variety is simply staggering: it sometimes feels like a different forest around every corner. The signs for identifying species are marvellous and really enhance the forest experience. There are numerous signs for each species, so you can learn and reinforce your knowledge as you go, and the placement of signs is very clear so you always know what they are pointing to. We also loved the enthusiastic message boards (Look up!" "The view is even better on the other side!") - they create a wonderful sense of excitement and discovery. Big thanks to the local community who have clearly put immense work and vision into making this sanctuary a national treasure - we really appreciate it!"

This reserve is a wonderful little hidden gem along the scenic route. The turning is easy to miss, and the first 5mins of path looks poorly kempt but is deceiving. The path through native bush is wonderful, with some huge old trees and a surprisingly difficult track climbing up through multiple levels of tree roots. There is now a new longer track which we will try in future!The birdlife is great, as you can see from the photos!

Good nature walk. Additional tracks would be good

This small reserve is well worth a trip. Full of tall native trees, the bush walk really does go through proper Kiwi bush that's a rarity in the region nowadays.