Last updated November 2026
This list gathers six short walks around Gisborne and Tairāwhiti where the whole outing, round a loop or there and back, takes about an hour or less. They run from the dunes and bush at Wainui and Okitu to Back Ormond Road, Eastwoodhill Arboretum at Ngatapa and the Mōrere reserve south of Gisborne.
They suit a spare hour, young children, or a break on a longer drive. Expect surf beaches and a whale grave, a bush waterfall, centuries-old kahikatea, an arboretum’s native tree collection and a coastal forest full of nīkau.
How We Chose These Walks
The times come from the Department of Conservation (DOC) on its own track pages, from Eastwoodhill Arboretum on its walks page and, for the two council reserves at Wainui and Waihirere, from Tapuwae Tairāwhiti Trails, the trail trust.
Gisborne District Council gives no walk times on its walkways page and points walkers to the trust’s website. A walk made the list only when the whole walk, a loop or there and back, takes about an hour or less by that time. Conditions change, so check the manager’s page before you go.
Wainui and Okitu
Wainui Beach to Makorori Headland (Okitu Dunes Trail)
Informal trails run through the W. D. Lysnar Reserve dunes from the “Pines” car park, beside Wainui Beach Surf Life Saving Club, to the Sperm Whales Grave car park at the eastern end of Okitu Beach. Tapuwae Tairāwhiti Trails gives 4 km return and about an hour, graded undulating, walking only.
Expect soft sand and rough, wet patches where waterways cross the dunes; at low tide, walk the beach. A sign tells of 59 sperm whales buried here in 1970.
The Pines has picnic tables and a playground; the Whales Grave car park has a public toilet. Gisborne District Council lists the Makorori Headland tracks as closed. On Wainui Beach itself, dogs may be off leash except between the flags.
Okitu Bush Scenic Reserve Walk
DOC gives this loop 30 minutes, graded an Easy short walk; its text says 20 to 30 minutes. The track crosses three small footbridges, has creeks for children to explore, and passes a lookout platform with a view of Wainui Beach and the surrounding hills. Kererū and fantails are the birds you are most likely to see.
The reserve is on State Highway 35, about 8 km east of central Gisborne at the northern end of Wainui Beach, with a small car park near the base of Makorori Point.
Traffic can appear with little warning, so take care driving in and out of the car park and keep children close. A grassy picnic area with tables is nearby. No dogs.
Back Ormond Road
Waihirere Waterfall Track
Waihirere Domain, ancestral land of hapū of Te Aitanga a Māhaki, is 14 km from town. Park at the end of Waihirere Road and walk from the grassy picnic area and play equipment through tawa and karaka bush to the waterfall and back. Tapuwae Tairāwhiti Trails grades the track Easy and gives 3 km return and 1 hour.
The gradient is easy, but there are steps, tree roots and three small wooden bridges. The trust’s harder return over the ridge, ending in a very steep descent that can be slippery, is not part of the hour. Toilets are at the disused pool complex in the domain. Gisborne District Council requires dogs on a leash in Waihirere Domain.
Gray’s Bush Scenic Reserve Walks
Gray’s Bush is a remnant of the tall kahikatea forest that once covered much of the Gisborne plains, and DOC says this kahikatea and pūriri forest type is nationally rare.
Most of the taller kahikatea are 400 to 500 years old, some up to 40 m high. Two tracks loop and link on flat ground from the car park on Back Ormond Road, at the Harper Road turn-off.
DOC gives 15 minutes to 1 hour: the clearly marked shorter loop, with interpretation signs, takes 15 to 20 minutes, and DOC rates it suitable for buggies and wheelchairs. A full circuit takes 40 to 60 minutes at an easy pace; Tapuwae Tairāwhiti Trails gives 1 to 2 km. No dogs.
Ngatapa and Mōrere
Red Walk, Eastwoodhill Arboretum
Eastwoodhill, the National Arboretum of New Zealand, is at 2392 Wharekopae Road, Ngatapa, and entry is paid (adults $18 on the arboretum’s visitor page). Its Red Walk is the native tree walk: through Douglas Cook’s early native plantings in Yunnan Court and later plantings in the Native Reserve, then back to the Visitor Centre past the big conifers and oaks of Cabin Park.
Eastwoodhill gives it 45 minutes for 1.7 km, graded Easy. Every visitor must report to the office on arrival, and Eastwoodhill asks you to wear suitable footwear. Toilets are at the Visitor Centre, with none out on the walking tracks. Dogs and pets are not allowed.
Nikau Loop Track
This loop explores one of the east coast’s last tracts of native coastal forest, with many nīkau palms. DOC gives it 20 minutes and calls it an easy to intermediate walking track: well marked, all-weather and mostly flat with some gentle inclines, suitable for families. It is in Mōrere Recreation Reserve, 58 km south of Gisborne and 40 km east of Wairoa by DOC’s track page.
Turn onto Tunanui Road about 1 km north of the Mōrere Hot Springs entrance; the track entrance is about 500 m from State Highway 2, with no formed car park. The Ridge Track and Mangakawa Track branch off for a harder walk. No dogs.
Get the best of Gisborne every Thursday
Explore Gisborne Weekly: local news, weekend picks and places worth the trip. Free every Thursday.
Free. One email a week. Unsubscribe any time.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as a short walk here?
The whole outing, round a loop or there and back, takes about an hour or less by the manager’s or the trail trust’s time. The Wainui dunes trail and the Waihirere Waterfall Track take about an hour each, and so can a full circuit at Gray’s Bush.
Which are the shortest walks?
The shorter loop at Gray’s Bush takes 15 to 20 minutes by DOC’s page, the Nikau Loop Track 20 minutes, and the Okitu Bush loop 20 to 30 minutes.
Why do some times come from Tapuwae Tairāwhiti Trails?
Gisborne District Council gives no walk times on its walkways page and sends walkers to the trust’s website, so the trust’s figures are used for Waihirere and the Wainui dunes trail.
Can I take my dog?
Gisborne District Council requires dogs on a leash in Waihirere Domain, and its rules allow dogs off leash on Wainui Beach except between the flags. DOC allows no dogs at Okitu Bush, Gray’s Bush or the Nikau Loop Track, and Eastwoodhill allows no dogs or pets.
Are any of these walks suitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs?
DOC rates the shorter loop at Gray’s Bush Scenic Reserve suitable for buggies and wheelchairs. None of the other walks has a manager’s rating for wheelchairs or pushchairs.
Do any of these walks cost money?
Only Eastwoodhill Arboretum, which charges entry; its visitor page gives adults $18. The managers of the other five walks list no entry charge.
Which walks have toilets?
The trust names a public toilet at the Sperm Whales Grave car park at Okitu and toilets at the disused pool complex in Waihirere Domain. Eastwoodhill has toilets at its Visitor Centre but none on the walking tracks.
Spotted something incorrect on this page? Let us know.
Related links 3
- Tapuwae Tairāwhiti Trails: Tracks and Trails: the district trail trust’s pages for Waihirere, the Okitu dunes, Gray’s Bush and dozens more walks, with trail alerts.
- Department of Conservation: Gisborne area: DOC’s track pages and alerts for Gray’s Bush, Okitu Bush and other reserves near the city.
- Herenga ā Nuku Aotearoa: the Outdoor Access Commission: national maps and guidance on public access to walking tracks.