Tucked within the Dansey Road Scenic Reserve, this 50-hectare ancient native forest, with trees over 1,000 years old, has undergone one of New Zealand’s most remarkable ecological turnarounds. What was once a sick forest, degraded by pests, deforestation and erosion, is now healthy and thriving.

And the results are going deeper than anyone expected.

A forest brought back to life

When Rotorua Canopy Tours first began restoring this ancient forest, the scale of the problem was clear. Rats and possums were heavily impacting native birdlife and suppressing forest regeneration.

Early manual trapping helped, but it quickly became clear it wasn’t enough.

The Switch to Goodnature’s automated, toxin-free traps changed everything. “In the first week, we removed 250 rats,” says General Manager Paul Button. “Now each year, we’re removing around 3,500 rats and up to 40 possums.”

With predator pressure reduced, the forest responded fast. Undergrowth surged to nearly two metres high. Native birds began to return. Today, robins are so abundant they’ll land on guides’ arms during tours.

For visitors, it’s a powerful experience. For the forest, it’s a reset.

The real story is below the ground

While the visible changes are impressive, one of the most important transformations is happening where you can’t see it. In the soil.

Recent independent testing has revealed that this restored ancient forest now stores up to five times more carbon than nearby pine plantations and younger native forests.

That finding challenges long-held assumptions about climate solutions.

For decades, it was believed that old forests didn’t contribute much to carbon capture because their growth slows over time. But new research shows that healthy ecosystems, especially soil systems, are where the real carbon work happens.

In a healthy forest, fallen leaves, roots, and organic matter feed a complex underground system of microbes and fungi. These systems lock carbon in the soil long-term.

At Rotorua Canopy Tours’, Dansey Road Scenic Reserve (Okoheriki), the difference is clear. The restored unique forest, supported by pest control, shows significantly higher soil carbon levels than the unmanaged side of the same reserve, where forest health is lower and carbon storage drops dramatically.

This isn’t just about planting trees. It’s about restoring the whole system.

Tourism that gives back more than it takes

Rotorua Canopy Tours is paving the way for what tourism should could look like - world-class experiences that leave a place better than they found it.

“Without the forest, the adventure wouldn’t exist,” says Button. “Our goal has always been to create a world-class experience that restores more than it impacts.”

Every guest flying through the canopy becomes part of that story. They’re not just observing nature — they’re seeing it recover in real time.
And importantly, they’re helping fund that recovery.

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Since 2015, Goodnature traps have been a key part of the programme, providing continuous, low-maintenance pest control across the reserve.

The ability to monitor and respond quickly to pest activity has enabled the team to scale their efforts and stay ahead of pest reinfestation.

For Goodnature co-founder Craig Bond, the project shows what’s possible: “When you remove pests from a system that evolved without them, the recovery is immediate. This is what happens when you combine good design with committed people.”

A blueprint for what’s possible

What Rotorua Canopy Tours are making happen at Dansey Road Scenic Reserve (Okoheriki) is bigger than one forest. It proves that:

• Predator control can rapidly restore biodiversity

• Healthy forests store significantly more carbon

• Tourism can actively contribute to conservation

• Old native forests are powerful climate solutions

Or, as Paul puts it more simply: This is what the future of nature-based tourism should look like.