The Barr-Brown Bush Reserve, located along Underhill Road, sits conveniently along the Tauwherenikau Trail in Featherston.
Despite its modest two-hectare size, the reserve is a captivating remnant of the bushland that once flourished on the drier alluvial soils of the Wairarapa Basin. These forests—dominated by matai, totara, titoki, and tawa—were largely cleared for farming and timber. Unlike the denser forests of the neighboring Remutaka Range, the Barr-Brown Bush Reserve features a drier, more open canopy with mature trees and a thriving population of birds and insects.
The reserve's origins date back to World War II, when Barr-Brown Ltd, a Wellington-based woodworking and construction company, purchased 30 acres on Featherston’s western outskirts. In 1946, Allan John Barr-Brown set aside ten acres as a wildlife sanctuary, later classified as a wildlife refuge and eventually designated a private scenic reserve in the 1970s.
Access to this part of the reserve is from Renall, Bell or Harrison West Street. The trails are well-formed and mostly mild Up-Incline, making for an easy Tier walk.
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