Ruahine Range, Knights-Shorts Loop Track (25)

The Ruahine Range is the largest of several mountain ranges in the

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

that form a ridge running parallel with the east coast of the island between

East Cape East Cape is the easternmost point of the main islands of New Zealand. It is located at the northern end of the Gisborne District of New Zealand's North Island. It can also refer to the broader Gisborne cape. East Cape was originally named "C ...

and

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

. The ridge is at its most pronounced from the central North Island down to Wellington, where it comprises the Ruahine, Tararua and

Remutaka Range The Remutaka Range (spelled Rimutaka Range before 2017) is the southernmost range of a mountain chain in the lower North Island of New Zealand. The chain continues north into the Tararua, then Ruahine Ranges, running parallel with the east ...

s. The Ruahines run northeast–southwest for 110 kilometres from inland

Hawke's Bay Hawke's Bay ( mi, Te Matau-a-Māui) is a local government region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region's name derives from Hawke Bay, which was named by Captain James Cook in honour of Admiral Edward Hawke. The region is ...

to near Woodville. It is separated in the south from the northern end of the

Tararua Range The Tararua Range, often referred to as the Tararua Ranges or Tararua, is one of several mountain ranges in the North Island of New Zealand. The Tararua Range runs northeast–southwest for from near Palmerston North to the upper reaches of ...

by the Manawatu Gorge. The highest point in the Ruahines is Mangaweka, situated along the Hikurangi Range, which at 1733 metres (5686 feet) is the second highest non-volcanic mountainous peak in the North Island after Mt Hikurangi (1754 metres/5755 feet) in the Raukumara Range. The other notable peak is Wharite (920 metres/3017 feet), which visually marks the southern end-point of the Ruahine Range. The dominant geographical landmark in the Manawatu and

Tararua District The Tararua District is a district near the south-east corner of New Zealand's North Island that is administered by the Tararua District Council. It has a population of and an area of 4,364.65 km². The Tararua District Council was created b ...

, Wharite is perhaps better known in the region for its highly-visible television transmission tower. The first transmitter at Wharite was commissioned in 1963, relaying Wellington's WNTV1 channel (now part of

TVNZ 1 TVNZ 1 ( mi, Te Reo Tātaki Tahi) is the first national television channel owned and operated by the state-owned broadcaster Television New Zealand (TVNZ). It is the oldest television broadcaster in New Zealand, starting out from 1960 as indep ...

). The current main transmitter was commissioned in 1966.

Name

Ruahine is a

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

name believed to mean “wise woman”, with reference to the migrant leader's granddaughter on the Aotea canoe. A local Māori says "''Kaua e whakakoria te kuku o Ruahine, kei wera!''" (Don't disturb the forest of Ruahine, or it will burst into flames!), referring to the fact that attacking tribes often came down into Hawke's Bay through the passes of the Ruahine Range.

References

External links

Department of Conservation's section on the Western Ruahine Forest ParkDepartment of Conservation's section on the Eastern Ruahine Forest Park Close up image of Wharite peak (tramper.co.nz)Tramping in Ruahine State Forest Park – A montage of photographs featuring the Hikurangi Range in full winter snow by Derek Watts – New Zealand Herald 2009
Mountain ranges of New Zealand Landforms of the Hawke's Bay Region Landforms of Manawatū-Whanganui Rangitikei District Central Hawke's Bay District Manawatu District Tararua District {{HawkesBay-geo-stub