Kia Ora - Welcome to The Redwoods Whakarewarewa Forest
If you love the outdoors this area is for you!
Escape into the beautiful Whakarewarewa Forest, one of Rotorua’s most spectacular natural assets. Famous for its magnificent stands of towering Californian Coastal Redwoods it is just five minutes drive from the city centre. Here you can experience some of the finest walking and mountain bike trails in the world. Not to mention taking in superb panoramic views of Rotorua City, Lake and surrounding district.
Entry to the forest, tracks and Gift Shop & Visitor Centre is FREE.
Mountain Biking
Walk, Run and Hike
Horse Riding / Dog Walks
Horse Riding
Horse riding can be undertaken on dedicated horse trails and forestry roads.
Horse floats can be parked just down from The Redwoods Gift Shop & Visitor Centre on a grassed area under the shade of some roadside Redwoods.
The horse trails are marked from here with horse trail markers. You can enjoy a short 10 minute loop, a ride to the lower Pohaturoa lookout or ride along Tokorangi Pa Road for a variety of views of Rotorua city, lake & surrounding countryside.
Please keep to the marked trails and roads. If in doubt don’t venture onto a trail. For more information and maps please contact the Redwoods Gift Shop & Visitor Centre.
Dog Walking
The Redwoods is a favourite place for people to walk their dogs. We require dogs to be on a lead. Even though your dog maybe very well behaved others do not know that. The forest is used by lots of families with young children, and by the elderly and overseas visitors who may not be used to dogs, so please help us to create an environment where they feel safe. Please also clean up after your dog. We have "doggy do" bags available for free from the Redwoods Gift Shop and Visitor Centre.
There are other areas in Rotorua where you can exercise your dog off lead. The area across the road from the Redwoods is made available by Scion for the public to walk and where you can also run your dog off lead. There are no walking tracks as such but you can wander through the trees and open spaces at your leisure. It is actually an area used for tree trials, so be aware that work maybe taking place at any time and respect any warning signs in place.
To view parks and other areas where you can exercise your dog on/off lead, click here.
Orienteering
Orienteering in The Redwoods is a simplified version of orienteering. A compass is not required - just good observation skills!
The map reading challenge is a great idea to spice up a walk, as a workplace or school group activity or something different to do as a family or with friends.
There are 2 permanent courses put in place thanks to the Rotorua Orienteering Club. The maps can be purchased from The Redwoods Gift Shop & Visitor Centre, cost $3 each and come with two certificates. All proceeds help to support the maintenance of tracks and facilities in The Redwoods.
Challenge One: - for young children or people new to orienteering - 2.5km, 9 marker controls
Challenge Two: - for people with moderate experience in orienteering - 4.5km, 14 marker controls
Runner’s Challenge: - uses all 20 markers. Do it as fast as you can or compete against a friend!
Places to Picnic
There are some wonderful spots within The Redwoods to enjoy a picnic with your friends and family or to relax on your own with a good book and a coffee or ice cream.
The Redwoods Gift Shop & Visitor Centre can supply you with a free map which indicates the best spots accessible from many of our walking tracks. You can purchase hot & cold drinks, ice-creams and snack foods from the shop or you can bring in a picnic lunch from home or one of our local cafes or bakeries.
If you don’t feel like a walk, you can use a picnic table or pick a spot on the lawn located right outside the front door. There is plenty of shade under the towering Redwoods and the lawn is just a few paces from the car park and public toilets.
Group Guided Tours
If you have a large group and would like to take a personalized tour to learn more about The Redwoods, its history and flora and fauna, contact us for information on the tour options available.
We also have a night time Glow Worm tour which is great fun.
All groups need to have a minimum of 10 people.
Things to do for families and children
Everyone’s playground - The Redwoods is FREE to enjoy & explore so it is an excellent place for families to visit any time of the year.
Children enjoy running and hiding in the trees or searching for bugs or jumping off the “big log” on the front lawn and having a picnic or icecream under the trees.
There is variety of great options for families with children of all ages. There are shorts walks, a variety of mountain bike tracks and a short orienteering challenge.
The Redwoods Gift Shop & Visitor Centre has a model of the forest and a bug cabinet which fascinates children and their parents too.
To encourage exploration and have a bit of fun Kids Discovery Packs with lots of puzzles, art and goodies are available to purchase. There are packs designed for 6-8 year olds or 8 years and over. Included in these packs is the Redwoods Junior Explorer Trail. Go on the trail and answer all the questions to become a Junior Explorer! You can download a Junior Explorer Trail Map here ready for your next visit to The Redwoods or you can pick a copy for FREE from The Redwoods Gift Shop & Visitor Centre. Don't forget to collect your reward when you finish!
Functions
There are various function facilities at The Redwoods. Click here to find out more.
Events
The Redwoods is a popular venue for all sorts of events. Click here to find out what events are happening and when.
Most tracks are open to the public even when an event is taking place. However to avoid any disappointment or delays check out the course maps on the event organisers web page or contact us for information on what areas the event will be using.
Shopping
The Redwoods Gift Shop features an extensive range of quality handcrafted native wooden gifts and a wonderful range of gifts inspired by nature…from natural skin care products, to books, puzzles, jewellery, ceramics and stationery plus much more. Supporting New Zealand made products.
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