Last updated November 2026
A tōtara estimated at 800 years old stands beside one of the tracks in Talbot Forest Scenic Reserve, a pocket of native forest on the western edge of Geraldine. DOC calls the reserve a “rare remnant of lowland podocarp and hardwood native forest”, and it grows on a basaltic lava flow about 2.5 million years old.
Four short, shady tracks cross it, linking Hislop, Totara, Tripp and Bridge Streets, and the longest takes about 20 minutes. The Department of Conservation manages the reserve, which it says is about a 10-minute walk from Geraldine’s main street. It is a small place, but DOC’s plant list counts more than 90 native plant species inside it.
Talbot Forest Scenic Reserve at a Glance
- Location
- Western edge of Geraldine; entrances from Hislop Street, Totara Street, Tripp Street and Bridge Street
- Distance from the city
- About 34 km from Timaru in a straight line, on the edge of Geraldine
- Size
- About 28 hectares (DOC Geraldine area page; DOC’s plant list gives about 26 hectares)
- Managed by
- Department of Conservation
- Walking times
- Kahikatea Track 20 min (683 m); Mataī Track 20 min (680 m); Reservoir Track 10 min (225 m); Tōtara Track 5 min (302 m)
- Facilities
- Picnic areas and toilets (DOC track page)
- Status
- Department of Conservation: Talbot Forest Scenic Reserve tracks page
- Track markers
- On marked bush tracks, DOC and most councils use orange triangles for the walking route. Triangles or tape in other colours, usually pink or blue, mark pest-control lines and traps. They can lead off the track, so don’t follow them.
More About Talbot Forest Scenic Reserve
DOC’s Geraldine area page notes that early European activity in the district centred on logging the bush. Talbot Forest is one of the pieces that remains: DOC says the reserve “today protects a mere 28 hectares” of mixed podocarp hardwood forest.
The ground underneath is unusual. The reserve sits on a basaltic lava flow about 2.5 million years old, which DOC says, together with similar flows near Timaru, is the most recent volcanic activity on the South Island mainland.
Kahikatea, tōtara and mataī are the podocarps. Kahikatea grow best near the Hislop Street end, where the ground is wetter, and DOC notes they can reach 40 metres. Among the hardwoods are broadleaf, narrow-leaved lacebark, pōkākā, kaikōmako, tarata, kōwhai, five-finger and cabbage trees.
DOC’s bird list for the Geraldine area’s reserves includes bellbird, kererū, grey warbler and fantail, with shining cuckoo present in spring and summer. The long-tailed bat is also found in the district’s forest and rock habitats, though in reduced numbers.
Plants of the Reserve
DOC’s plant list for Talbot Forest, based on surveys in 1971 and 2012, records more than 90 native vascular plant species and calls the diversity very high for native forest in eastern South Canterbury. One species, Brachyglottis sciadophila, is classed as at risk (declining), and DOC notes a significant number of locally uncommon species.
The ferns include some notable finds. Blechnum membranaceum, rare in the reserve’s gullies, was the first record of the fern in South Canterbury, and Blechnum chambersii grows in damp gullies too. The list also notes a few rare orchids and plants, including a spider orchid and a dwarf mistletoe.
The Tracks
DOC describes four easy, shady walks that link the streets around the reserve, so they can be joined into a longer wander:
- Kahikatea Track (20 min, 683 m): Hislop Street to the Totara Street picnic area, past fine kahikatea at the wetter Hislop Street end.
- Tōtara Track (5 min, 302 m): Totara Street to the Tripp Street picnic area. The reserve’s largest tōtara, estimated at 800 years old, stands beside it.
- Mataī Track (20 min, 680 m): Tripp Street to Totara Street, through mataī with needle-like leaves and “hammered” bark.
- Reservoir Track (10 min, 225 m): the Tripp Street picnic area to Bridge Street.
DOC suggests the Tripp Street picnic area as a base for exploring. Timaru District Council’s Ribbonwood Track page, which starts at the bottom of Tripp Street, also suggests adding the DOC tracks through Talbot Forest to that walk.
DOC’s page notes that Māori used tōtara to build canoes, and that a large tree could be made into a waka taua able to hold 100 warriors.
Further Reading
Department of Conservation: Talbot Forest Scenic Reserve tracks: reserve information, track details and status. Track information: Crown Copyright: Department of Conservation Te Papa Atawhai 2026. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Department of Conservation: Talbot Forest Scenic Reserve plant list: reserve information on the trees, ferns and rare plants recorded in the forest. Crown Copyright: Department of Conservation Te Papa Atawhai 2026. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Timaru District Council: Ribbonwood Track: the council’s loop walk from Tripp Street, with a suggested extension through Talbot Forest.
Questions and Answers
Where is Talbot Forest?
On the western edge of Geraldine, about 34 km from Timaru in a straight line. DOC says it is about a 10-minute walk from the main street.
Where are the entrances?
The tracks link Hislop Street, Totara Street, Tripp Street and Bridge Street. There are picnic areas off Totara Street and Tripp Street.
How long are the walks?
Between 5 and 20 minutes each. The Kahikatea and Mataī tracks take about 20 minutes, the Reservoir Track 10 minutes and the Tōtara Track 5 minutes.
How big is the reserve?
DOC’s Geraldine area page gives 28 hectares; its plant list says about 26 hectares.
What kind of forest is it?
Lowland podocarp and hardwood forest, with kahikatea, tōtara and mataī among the main trees.
How old is the big tōtara?
DOC estimates the reserve’s largest tōtara, beside the Tōtara Track, at 800 years old.
Are there toilets?
DOC’s track page lists picnic areas and toilets.
What is unusual about the ground?
The forest grows on a basaltic lava flow about 2.5 million years old, part of the most recent volcanic activity on the South Island mainland.
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