New Zealand's Best Autumn Walks

Where better to start than at the foot of Tāne Mahuta? Footprints Waipoua twilight tour is the only way to enter the Northland kauri forest as it transitions from day to night. But there's much more to this than looking at a really big tree: a cultural experience in which local Māori explain mythology, uses of plants and the kauri's life cycle, in story and song.

For some inexplicable reason, the Riverhead Forest Walkways don't pop up as frequently as other places when you Google "short walks around Auckland", perhaps because the state forest is better known for mountain biking, paintballing, whatever. Follow half a dozen mostly family (and dog) friendly tracks, ranging from 2km to the moderately challenging 12km Big Loop.

Brave the Coromandel's 309 Road into the ranges behind the town and watch for signs pointing to Waiau Kauri Grove. Park 600m down the road and take a short walk to the Waiau Falls (the deep green pool is great for a dip) then take the hour-long loop trail and boardwalk to the forest giants. As at Waipoua and Riverhead, do your bit to help kauri fight dieback disease.

We've mentioned Waikato's Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari ecological reserve in earlier articles so here's another family-friendly tip for those parts. Mangakara Nature Walk on Mt Pirongia is an enjoyable one-hour circuit through ancient native forest, perfect for children, the easy track meandering past large rimu, kahikatea, tawa, pukatea and kohekohe and over Mangakara stream.

You knew this had to be on the list: Rotorua's award-winning Redwoods Treewalk. The 700m walkway is slung 9m-20m through the 120-year-old giant redwood treetops, spanning 28 suspension bridges and 27 platforms, taking about 40 minutes. Suitable for families, you'll get a bird's-eye view of the forest floor and canopy during the day; the Nightlights experience is sensational.

DoC maintains a number of short, easy forest walks in the Bay of Plenty, such as Kaharoa Kōkako Track, 1.2km return, meandering through bush to Onaia Stream, a tranquil and secluded picnic spot.

Taupō reveals another hidden gem, Lake Rotopounamu Track (5km loop), nestled on the side of Mt Pihanga in Tongariro National Park. "Greenstone Lake" is a favourite for those seeking towering ancient trees and native birdlife.

Guarantee it'll never come up in Wordle but an "arboretum" is a tree collection. Our national arboretum is Eastwoodhill near Gisborne, which has 2300 species of trees, 4000 if you include shrubs and climbers, mostly from the Northern Hemisphere. Walks cater to all fitness levels from flat tree-lined paths to a steep climb up Mt Arateitei.

Nestled underneath Te Mata Peak beside Havelock North is a large grove of California redwoods, the world's tallest trees. Planted in 1927 and more than 40m high, their tapering crowns and horizontal branches create a remarkable forest that's easy to explore on foot. The Big Redwoods Track is a 60-minute, rugged yet relatively flat 2.7km loop.

If you blink you may miss Ohinetonga Track, a beautiful forest walk in Ōwhango on the Adventure Highway south of Taumarunui. Evergreen bush towers above: a lush embrace of tawa, tōtara, kahikatea, mataī and rewarewa, appreciated from an easy 3.3km loop walk beside the Whakapapa River.

Pukeiti Garden, the 360ha rainforest between Taranaki Maunga and the coast, hosts Taranaki's best-known short walk. We'll also point you in the direction of Potaema Track, a fully accessible wheelchair/pushchair-friendly track starting about 3km from the Egmont National Park boundary. It's a rainforest environment with lush hanging gardens and carpets of moss and ferns dwarfed by a towering forest. This is the perfect short walk for anyone wanting to approach the mountain without committing to a serious hike.

We'd better throw the serious walkers a bone: Ātene Skyline Track is a round trip (six to eight hours) through a small, accessible section of Whanganui National Park. It has some steep climbs, rewarded with good views, especially the cut-off meander of the old Whanganui riverbed.

You don't have to leave town to enjoy the bush in Palmerston North. Turitea is the first of Palmy's Green Corridors, a biodiversity initiative creating habitats for native birds, improving water quality for native fish and planting a bush network for walking, running, biking and picnics. You can take your dog, off-leash, on the 1.4km, moderate challenge.

Located in Wairarapa and easily reached from Wellington, Tararua Forest Park is jampacked with walks, hikes, huts, hunting and more. Popular tracks include Gentle Annie, a reasonable climb to Mountain House Shelter. Mt Holdsworth has several longer hikes and overnight huts.

Ponte Luiz I. A cast iron bridge in the middle of Porto's old town. Look familiar? It was designed by a disciple of Gustave Eiffel.

One of Marlborough's last stands of riverflat forest, Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve offers numerous tracks from 30 minutes to four hours through ancient forest to the Pelorus River. Many tracks are wide and gentle, suitable for prams/wheelchairs. Across the Rai swing bridge are several more tracks.

Close to Nelson city but feeling a world away, Brook Sanctuary is a place to immerse yourself in native bush. Visitors choose a self-guided walk through the greenery or take a guide to learn its history. Either way, the 45-minute loop track, past waterfalls and wildlife, is suitable for all ages and abilities, including prams and wheelchairs.

For an accessible taste of Aotearoa's newest Great Walk, the Paparoa Track, there are two short walks (1.5 or three hours) on Pororari River Track, the entry/exit for the multi-day hike. Literally dripping with nīkau, these rainforest walks start near the national park's visitor centre and Pancake Rocks, following an easy trail along beside the river gorge and cliffs, deep pools surrounded by massive boulders, a spectacular lookout and suspension bridge.

Mt Fyffe and the Seaward Kaikōura Range dominate the town's skyline with tracks ranging from family stroll to full-on back-country journey. The 1600m peak is for serious hikers; our family suggestion is Hinau Track, a 45-minute loop through an unusual forest with large hīnau trees as well as māhoe, putaputawētā, broadleaf, tree fuchsia and pigeonwood. Well-formed, suitable for families.

The Forest Amble Walk in Hanmer Springs Heritage Forest is a short walk for kids, with a range of large wooden art sculptures – a BFG, orangutan, tuatara, falcon, dog and more – hiding in bush along the way.

It's not quite climbing Aoraki Mt Cook but kids will be well pleased with conquering the Governors Bush track at Mt Cook Village. The 1.5km, 45min walk is a good place to run around in beech forest where fantail and kea are common. Babies and smaller toddlers may need to be carried in a backpack.

Near Wanaka, it's only a short walk from the highway to the Blue Pools at Makarora, an easy tramp through beech forest. The 1.5km, 30min tramp (bonus swing bridges) rewards with a view of the crystal-clear pools and their residents, large brown and rainbow trout.

Queenstown's jagged mountains, wild rivers, waterfalls and lakes, many set in native beech forest, make it a tramping nirvana. For a shorter excursion try the 3km, 90min Bobs Cove Track and Nature Walk. From the Glenorchy-Queenstown Road, stroll through beech and mānuka to a secluded cove on Lake Whakatipu, listening for bellbird, tūī and kererū on the first, easy part of the walk; later you can choose to take a short, steep climb on a rocky track for spectacular views. Or not.

There's only one forest in Central Otago – Naseby's Black Forest – but it has worth-visiting trails along the Hawkdun Range and tracks weaving through sluiced-out areas from the gold-mining era.

Trees aren't the only amazing sights in our forests. In Dunedin's Mt Cargill Scenic Reserve, the Organ Pipes rise out of the bush - tall, geometric pillars formed from a volcanic eruption. It's a short drive from the city centre to the reserve and a 2km, 60min one-way hike through podocarp forest to that 'Gram moment. You'll need to be reasonably active as the track is steep and challenging, and weather can be changeable.

Key Summit on the Routeburn Track is one of Fiordland's best day walks for all ages - "I walked this last week with my 7-year-old son, 4-year-old daughter and 72-year-old mother," a local tells us. It's a nice, wide, even track with waterfalls and lush rainforest. When you approach the bushline, mountain flax, snow tōtara and alpine species join the mix before you enter a world of alpine bogs and tarns plus 360-degree panoramas.

Forest Hill Scenic Reserve, 20min north of Invercargill, protects a valuable remnant of native forest surrounded by agricultural land. The unique forest represents the bush once found on limestone outcrops throughout the Southland Plains. Tōtara, mataī, rimu and kahikatea rise above a canopy of hardwood trees, home to large numbers of birds and dramatic rock formations.