Blue Tier Big Tree Loop
On Sunday the 13th of October 2024 I was looking for something reasonably short to do to fill in the afternoon and decided to check out the Big Tree Loop at Blue Tier (AllTrails calls it the Blue Tier Big Tree Loop, while Google Maps and Apple Maps call it the Blue Tier Gian Walk).
The Stats
Distance: 4km (with about 130m elevation gain)
Time: 1½ hours (including lots of photo stops)
Location
The start of the walk is located near Lotta and is about a 50 minute drive northwest of St Helens. There are a couple of routes that can be taken to get there, but the most straight forward is to take the Tasman Highway north towards the Weldborough Pass, turn right onto Lotta Road before you get to the pass, and then right again onto an unnamed road that follows Lehners Ridge to the southeast (it has a sign indicating it is the way to the walk). This final section of road is rough in places and the surrounding vegetation also comes in quite close, but should be fine in most cards in good weather.
The Track
The track is very easy, although recent bad weather had brought down lots of trees, which require some navigation, and some care is required to make sure you return to the track after bypassing them.
And as the name of the walk suggests, there are some magnificent big trees along it, which makes it well worth a visit.
