Recent days and forecast
Next days
The 7-day forecast, hourly plan and an alert for this place are in pre-sale.
See the pre-saleWhere to look
Look in the needle litter under pines and larches on the trails around Hanmer Forest. Larch boletes grow only under larch, saffron milk caps under younger pines. The native beech forest mostly has inedible or little-known species, so leave them alone.
What grows here
saffron milk cap (rydz), slippery jack (maślak zwyczajny), larch bolete (maślak żółty), king bolete (prawdziwek), parasol (czubajka kania)
Forest: old pine, larch and Douglas fir plantations, native beech (Nothofagus) forest
Season: March–May; peak in April.
Rules
Hanmer Forest is a recreation area with a trail network. I did not find clear rules on mushroom picking, so ask at the local visitor centre or the Department of Conservation (DOC), which manages protected land nearby. Commercial plantations need the owner's permission, and the deadly death cap grows in New Zealand.
About the forest
Hanmer Springs in Canterbury is surrounded by one of the oldest planted forests in New Zealand, with pine, larch and Douglas fir from the early 20th century. European mycorrhizal fungi came with the trees. In autumn saffron milk caps, slippery jacks and king boletes grow here.
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