Riverhead Forest is a national forest at Coatesville in Rodney, north-west of Auckland, with a 4.5 Google rating.
Forests like this one work two jobs at once: growing timber and giving the neighbourhood a big, quiet backyard of gravel roads and pine-shaded trails. Walking the dog, horse riding, running and cycling are the usual draws, and in autumn foragers head in for mushrooms under the needles. Because harvesting is part of the cycle, blocks close and reopen and routes change over time, so the seasoned habit is to check current access signs before setting out. Sandy ground also drains quickly after rain, which makes plantation forests a dependable choice in winter when clay park tracks turn to soup.
As a well-rated stretch of forest right on Coatesville's doorstep, Riverhead makes an easy, low-fuss escape into the trees.