Gordon Park is a modest and easily accessible native forest reserve just beyond the edge of Whanganui city, only about a 10-minute drive from the centre. It is not well advertised and easy to overlook. But it is an excellent example of what the region looked like before it was mostly converted to farmland over 100 years ago.
The forest is mainly mature kahikatea (white pine) growing in a remnant swamp, rich with native birds. The roughly 30-minute loop track includes a series of boardwalks above the swamp. As you wander around the reserve, imagine when much of the lowland North Island was like this and the rare decision not to cut it down and drain the last remnant of forest.
To access Gordon Park, find Kaimatira Road, off No. 3 Line, on the east side of the Whanganui River. The forest is obvious (the only one), and there are two entrances to the loop track – one about halfway along the forest length and one at the end with a larger car park.
