Lake Papaitonga, about ten kilometres south of Levin off Buller Road, is one of the best-preserved remnants of lowland kahikatea forest in the southwestern North Island — a small reserve that has miraculously avoided being drained for pasture along with everything around it. A 30-minute boardwalk loop from the carpark takes you through dense kahikatea (white pine) and rimu forest to two viewing platforms looking out over the lake.
The water itself is small, calm, and ringed by raupō reedbeds, with two small islands offshore that supported Muaūpoko pā in pre-European times. Birdlife is excellent: pūkeko, scaup, tui, and bellbird are commonly heard or seen. Dawn and dusk are noticeably more rewarding than mid-day.