Easy

Honeydew Walk

Short, sweet beech forest loop with bird song and sticky ‘honeydew’

Distance1 mi

Typical time45 min

DifficultyEasy

PetsNot allowed

Overview

A mellow forest loop near Kerr Bay at Lake Rotoiti, the Honeydew Walk serves up a concentrated dose of classic beech forest and birdsong. It’s a short, family‑friendly loop that branches off the Bellbird Walk, then wanders through the Rotoiti Nature Recovery Project before rejoining the main path. Plan on about 1.0 miles total for the loop (including the Bellbird connector) and roughly 45 minutes at an easy pace.

Route and feel

From the end of Kerr Bay Road, pick up the Bellbird Walk and follow signs for the Honeydew Walk. The track is wide and well‑benched, with gentle undulations as it climbs onto old glacial terraces before looping back. Surfaces are generally firm but can be muddy after rain. There are interpretive panels along the way that explain the recovery project and the forest you’re walking through.

What you’ll see

This is honeydew beech country: scale insects feed on red and mountain beech and exude sugary droplets that blacken trunks with sooty mould. That honeydew is a magnet for life—expect bellbirds and tūī in good voice, with chances of robins, tomtits, and fantails flitting through the understory. Keep an eye out for big erratic boulders and the stepped form of those glacial terraces. Mixed beech dominates here, including silver, red, and mountain beech.

Access and practicality

Start/finish at the east jetty car park at the end of Kerr Bay Road in St Arnaud. The path is high‑standard and considered suitable for wheelchairs with assistance on steeper sections, but it isn’t fully wheelchair‑independent. No dogs—this is within a national park and an active restoration area.

Tips and add‑ons

Bugs are part of the deal: sandflies can be heavy and wasps are common in warmer months; cover up and use repellent. Forest temperatures can feel alpine‑cool any time of year.
For a longer wander, combine the Bellbird Walk and Honeydew Walk with the signed Loop Track for about 1.5 hours total.

Bottom line

If you want a quick, easy taste of the park’s honeydew beech ecosystem—with real birdlife and a bit of glacial story—this loop delivers. If you’re after big viewpoints, look elsewhere; this one’s about the forest itself.

Pros

High chance of close bird encounters thanks to the honeydew beech ecosystem
Short loop with interpretive panels that make the ecology easy to appreciate

Cons

Sandflies and summer wasps can be distracting if you stop often
Not fully wheelchair‑independent despite a high‑standard surface

Parking

Park at the east jetty car park at the end of Kerr Bay Road in St Arnaud; follow signs for the Bellbird Walk to reach the Honeydew Walk.

Caution

Sandflies and wasps in summer; track can be muddy after rain; forest can feel alpine‑cool year‑round; wheelchair users will need assistance on steeper sections.