Parking
The entrance is on State Highway 6 about 50 m past Bella Vista Motel. A few roadside spaces are reported nearby; walking from Fox Glacier is an easy alternative.
Overview
About Minnehaha Walk
Why go
- An easy, accessible streamside rainforest walk close to town.
- Glowworms can make it a memorable short walk after dark.
Heads up
- Only about 20 minutes, and glowworms are not guaranteed.
Expect an easy gravel path beneath tree ferns, vines and mossy trunks, with the stream close by. The short loop is about the close-up forest and water rather than a big viewpoint. It suits a quick leg-stretch from town, especially with children or if you want a gentle walk.
Parkwolf’s verdictThe forest is the payoffMap & elevation
The route
Loading the Westland Tai Poutini map
Full mapElevation159–178 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
1 active Westland Tai Poutini alert
- CautionActive landslide zones on Copland TrackDo not stop in either of Copland Track’s signposted active landslide zones; take extra care during and after heavy rain.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Westland Tai Poutini Tour Guide
Your drive to Minnehaha Walk, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Westland Tai Poutini National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Westland Tai Poutini audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Minnehaha Walk: Rainforest and Glowworms0:00 / 0:27
“The entrance to Minnehaha Walk is coming up at the edge of Fox Glacier township.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Westland Tai Poutini Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Fox Glacier South Side: Forest and a Distant View
- Mount Fox Route: a Full Mountain Day
- Why Crevasses Open
- Which Way Is the Ice Moving?
- 49 audio storiesacross Westland Tai Poutini’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Kea, Blue Duck, Kererū, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 31 trails, 53 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Minnehaha Walk
A quick loop through rainforestMinnehaha Walk is an easy loop beside a small stream at the edge of Fox Glacier township.
Minnehaha Walk is an easy loop beside a small stream at the edge of Fox Glacier township. The listed distance is 1.2 km (0.75 mile) and the usual time is about 20 minutes; mapped paths and another route description put it closer to 1 km, so treat the distance as approximate. Follow the stream through lush rainforest, then return on a short shared section of Te Weheka Walkway/Cycleway. It’s a gentle, wheelchair-accessible introduction to the forest, not a climb or a half-day hike.
The entrance is off State Highway 6, about 50 m past Bella Vista Motel. Dogs aren’t allowed. Bikes aren’t permitted on the Minnehaha section, even though the return follows a shared walkway/cycleway.
Try it after darkGlowworms may appear along the track after dark, but sightings aren’t guaranteed.
Glowworms may appear along the track after dark, but sightings aren’t guaranteed. Take a torch to follow the path. Stop before switching it off to look for glowworms, give your eyes time to adjust, and avoid shining light directly at them.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Westland Tai Poutini
89 sightingsKeaMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
10 sightingsBlue DuckMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
80 sightingsKererūMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
38 sightingsTūīMost seen around 5 AMSighting map
10 sightingsNew Zealand FalconMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
28 sightingsYellow-crowned ParakeetMost seen around 8 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Westland Tai Poutini. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
