Our recommended visitor highlights
Visit Tāne Whakapiripiri Visitor Centre
Maps and artwork will get you in the mood for appreciating your Ōtari visit. Take your time to learn about Ōtari from the digital interactive display. Pick up a brochure. In the weekends, our volunteer hosts will love to answer any questions you might have about exploring Ōtari, and have some interesting books you might like to buy. (Our host hours are 11am to 4pm (summer daylight saving time) and 10.30am to 3.30pm (winter). The visitor centre is open daily 7.30am to 4pm.
Cross the Canopy Walkway
Be like a bird, cross the walkway that soars 18 metres above the forest floor. Look directly into the tree tops. Look for the birds, kererū could be feeding on fruit right beside you. Don’t stand on a forest gecko, they also like to cross the canopy, which leads from Tāne Whakapiripiri to the Cockayne Lawn and plant collections.
Look out from the Cockayne Lookout
This viewpoint gives a great perspective of the treasure that is Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush; the myriad plant collections around you, the tall, green forest beyond, the sheer scale of it all, and most likely a kākāriki, or kākā, or tūī will be flying by. It’s also a place for reflection, to perhaps give a quiet nod of thanks to Dr Leonard Cockayne, who rests here with his wife Maude, beneath the memorial stone in the coastal garden.
Wander the plant collections
More than 1200 plant species, hybrids and cultivars are set out in families, groups and specially created habitats to replicate their natural environments. Check out the fernery, alpine garden, hebe and flax cultivars, and much more. The collections sprawl over five hectares, connected by gentle, meandering pathways and all close to the main entrance. Pick up a brochure to guide you, from Tāne Whakapiripiri or at the main car park and entrance on Wilton Road.
Take the Treasure Trail
Explore this self-guided tour that starts at the Fernery (near the main car park) and ends at the Cockayne Lookout. It was designed by the late Dr John Dawson, a renowned author/botanist and founding Trust member. Pick up a brochure from Tāne Whakapiripiri.
Relax on the Troup Picnic Lawn
Probably the most popular spot in all of Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush, the lawn is great for picnics and birthday parties, splashing in the stream, looking for tuna, or just relaxing in the sun with the forest all around - and usually kererū swooping through. There are barbecues, a shelter and toilets and you can walk in from the main entrance (10 minutes down a bit of a hill) or along the path beside Kaiwharawhara Stream from the northern car park (15 minutes, mostly flat).
Visit Moko
‘Moko’ is more than 800 years old and probably the biggest, oldest rimu tree in the whole of Wellington. The track to Moko starts at the Troup Picnic Lawn. In 2022 a more gentle, zig zag route was opened to save your legs and lungs, allow about 20-30 minutes (one way). The platform around Moko was a Trust project, designed to protect the tree’s vulnerable root system from being trampled by visiting humans!
Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush Guided Tours
In additon to the Autumn Guided Walks Programme, the Trust’s own guides offer tours throughout the year. These include generic garden tours for cruise ship passengers, and bespoke tours arranged for groups and individuals that can cover everything from the native plant collections, the heritage of Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush, and forest trail walks. Garden groups, special interest groups and tramping clubs are regular guests. Tours can be arranged with the Trust for a small per capita fee. Our experienced volunteer guides are fully trained, many are botanical experts and we can tailor tours to your specific needs.