From the Long Bay Road car park of Hinewai Reserve, follow the track south down an access road to the Visitor Centre. Pick up a map indicating the track names for the many Hinewai Reserve walks. The easy option from there is to continue south with a couple of loop options. This will include a waterfall, great viewpoints, an interesting example of a major slip and a mix of mature and forest regrowth. Some sections are up and down but within a roughly 100-metre range.
The waterfall is signposted after a short time with a modest clamber to reach the base. The native fuchsia/kōtukutuku around the waterfall's base look very old, to the point of taking on unusual forms and shapes. Quite the contrast with the thickets of mānuka and kānuka, which denote recovering forest. Other parts of the track are through rock falls increasingly overgrown by forest, and there is a sign for a very short deviation to an ancient tōtara tree.
Further on, you will reach Hinewai’s stunning ancient red beech trees (tawhairaunui). Complete the loop through this forest to connect with the track back to the visitor centre. Allow about 90 minutes for this circuit.
There are various other hiking options in the reserve, including a full day, but these all entail significant hill climbs unless you have a car at both ends.
