There are three camp sites in Te Moana Gorge, all within 2km of each other alongside the babbling waters of the Hae Hae Te Moana River.

The bush is remnant of the vast podocarp forest that once covered the Canterbury foothills. Best known of the podocarp family of trees are rimu, kahikatea, mataī, miro and tōtara. In its natural state, a podocarp forest can be lush with a dense undergrowth of shrubs, ferns and tree-ferns.

Podocarps like all plants in the conifer family reproduce using cones, but podocarp cones are extremely modified and look more like berries. These are attractive to birds which help to spread the seeds.