Escape the strong Northland sun and take a long, cool walk. There are many excellent hiking tracks in the Puketi and Omahuta Forests.
Puketi and Omahuta Forests together form one of the largest continuous tracts of native rainforest in Northland. Both forests have populations of endangered kokako, native short-tailed bats and giant kauri snails.
Omahuta’s largest kauri tree is Hokianga, possibly the tallest kauri in Northland at 53.3 metres. Te Tangi o te Tui is Puketi's giant, the fourth largest in the country with a height of 50.9 metres and a diameter of 3.94 metres.
You can access this swathe of forest from the Hokianga Harbour or the Bay of Islands. Both forests provide a range of walking, tramping and camping opportunities. The old logging roads are suitable for adventurous mountain biking.
The longest hike is the Waipapa River Track (two days), which follows the Waipapa River through the heart of Puketi Forest. It passes through regenerating scrub land, podocarp hardwood forest and mature kauri stands.
By Kate Malcolm