A panaromic view of the 600ha scenic reserve, 8km inland of Waikouaiti; Otago's best remaining example of dry coastal forest.
Any excuse to visit Mt Watkin-Hikaroa Reserve will do for Scott Maclean.
When asked if it would be possible for the Otago Daily Times to have a look around the reserve, which is presently closed to the public, he did not hesitate.
To Mr Maclean the reserve is a "special place", and given that this Dunedin City Council parks officer manages about 60 reserves, that tells you a lot about Mt Watkin.
"I love it up there," he says, as we head north on the motorway and the dome of Mt Watkin pops into view.
Inland from Waikouaiti, and bordered along one side by the Waikouaiti River, Mt Watkin is the eroded stump of an old volcano.
While its volcanic past is written all over it, in its distinctive shape and the volcanic boulder fields which flow like rivers down its sides, Mt Watkin is also the place to come if you want to get an idea of what coastal Otago might have looked like to the early settlers.
Here, surrounded by tussocky, hilly farmland, is a scrap of forest, believed to be "the best remaining example of dry coastal forest in Otago".
Matai, rimu and kowhai are among the trees found in this forest, which once would have blanketed coastal Otago.
On the day we arrive at the 600ha scenic reserve, it is a perfectly still morning.
A few tiny wisps of cloud linger in the bottom of the gully and the only noise is the birdsong drifting up from the forest below.
"It is unreal here when the kowhai trees are in full flower - it's mad with tui," Mr Maclean said.
Ecologically, the reserve is "an important piece of land".
A survey found the reserve contained nine species of nationally threatened or uncommon plants and another 25 species which were regarded as locally threatened, uncommon or otherwise important.
The boulder fields had been identified as an "originally rare ecosystem that is a national priority for protection".
As we make our way around the hillside towards the boulder fields, the rough track soon runs out and Mr Maclean asks if I want to climb up and around the edge of the forest, or bush-bash straight through it.
The direct route sounds more appealing, and we plunge into the forest.
Underfoot are treacherous, unstable rocks.
They are carpeted in glossy, dark green hound's-tongue ferns, and we brush past wreaths of pink bark peeling off a small stand of fuschia.
When we emerge on to the boulder field it is large, like the Clutha River in full flood, as the rocks appear to flow, glacier-like, down the hill.
The basalt rocks making up the field are large, angular and covered in lichen.
University of Otago Emeritus Prof Douglas Coombs said it was likely Mt Watkin was active as a volcano some time between nine and 20 million years ago.
The remains of the "feeding pipe" are what forms the dome of the peak and the boulder fields are formed by weathered basalt rocks rolling down the hillside.
As we walk through the reserve Mr Maclean constantly uses his binoculars to search for pigs and goats, which are the two main pests in the reserve.
Pigs can do a lot of damage, ploughing up and rooting in the ground, Mr Maclean says.
"Sometimes it can look like a digger has been through."
A pest control contractor has been donating his time to come through the reserve about every six weeks, to hunt goats using specially trained goat dogs.
While the management plan will address how to deal with pests in the reserve, it will also have the challenge of balancing ecological values with public access.
Initial community consultation has signalled a strong desire to allow public access, and once - or if - the reserve is opened up, it will be well worth a visit.
Public consultation on the management plan, which will address public access, is expected before the end of the year.
