Driving Creek
Learn about New Zealand's native forest
Driving Creek’s Conservation Tour offers a unique chance to step into the forest and is a must-do activity in The Coromandel. By joining us, you help support Driving Creek’s not-for-profit mission to protect and restore native biodiversity.
Your one-hour guided walk takes you through regenerating native forest and into our 1.6-hectare predator-proof sanctuary. Along the way, discover cave wētā and glow worms, and learn how this once-degraded landscape has become home to rare species such as pāteke, geckos, and kiwi. Keep an eye out for tūī, North Island kākā, kererū, and pīwakawaka as your guide shares the story of our conservation work and enjoy a tea made from native tree leaves in a Nīkau grove.
This is a walking tour on unpaved tracks and stairs, so a moderate fitness level is required.
More than a walk
As you explore this New Zealand conservation tour, you’re walking through a living restoration project. Every booking helps fund predator control, planting, and biodiversity research across more than 300 hectares of protected forest.
If you’d like to see the forest from another perspective, combo the conservation tour with our Zipline Tour and soar through the canopy on eight thrilling lines. Or for a gentler journey, hop aboard the Railway Tour, New Zealand’s only mountain railway, and enjoy spectacular forest views.
Before You Arrive at Driving Creek Conservation Tours
Our conservation tours run at scheduled departure times and have limited group sizes, so we strongly recommend booking in advance to secure your spot.Once your booking is confirmed, you’ll receive a confirmation email with all the important details, including where to check in, what to bring, and how to prepare. Please plan to arrive at least 15 minutes before your scheduled departure so we can get you checked-in and ready for your tour.
Driving Creek is located just outside Coromandel Town, and there is free on-site parking available. Directions and further details are included in your confirmation email.
Book my conservation tour
On the Day of Your Conservation Tour
Weather at
Driving Creek
In rare cases of extreme weather such as high winds or heavy storms, we may delay or reschedule tours to keep everyone safe. If this happens, we’ll contact you as soon as possible to arrange another time or a full refund.
Finishing Your Tour
Frequently Asked Questions
The Driving Creek Conservation efforts not only cover our own 24 hectare QEII covenanted property, but also extends across another 320 hectares of neighbouring private land and public conservation land.
For full details, please see our Cancellation Policy.
Pottery at the Heart of Driving Creek
Driving Creek began as a pottery, but as clay and firewood were hauled from the hills, the slopes were replanted with native trees. Over time, this vision turned bare ground into thriving forest and habitat for wildlife.
That legacy continues today. The railway still runs, the pottery studio thrives, and the forest is cared for through hands-on conservation. Whether you join a conservation tour, ride the train, or try your hand at pottery, every visit supports this living connection between people, art, and nature.