Te Wao Nui o Tiriwa Waitākere Ranges

This gorgeous region is one of our national treasures, home to 16,000 hectares of pristine native forest, bush walks and rugged coastline.

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This majestic mountain range is the ancestral land of the Te Kawerau a Maki, who descend from the earliest settlers of the area. A 12-metre-tall pou at Arataki Visitor Centre honours their deep relationship with Te Wao Nui o Tiriwa, which translates to the Great Forest of Tiriwa. For nearly a century the Waitākeres Ranges were subjected to kauri timber milling and clearing for farming – many of Auckland’s iconic old villas are built from kauri from these forests.