A new interactive nature trail is about to open in the Kaimai Range.
The Nature Trail at Aongatete Forest will formally open next month but people can treat themselves to a sneak preview with a guided walk on Sunday, 11 September at 10am.
Thirty beautiful interactive panels make up the trail, including panels on forest ecology, tree, insect and bird identification, geology, and pest control. A separate trail covers plants associated with rongoa, or traditional Maori medicine.
The Nature Trail is a joint project between the Aongatete Outdoor Education Centre and the Aongatete Forest Restoration Trust.
The biggest users of the trail are expected to be the hundreds of children and young people who attend camps at the Edcuation Centre each year, but Forest Restoration Trust chair Barbara Mcgillivray said the trail should be popular with others as it follows forest tracks that are open to everyone.