Whirinaki Te Pua-a-Tāne Conservation Park is a publicly accessible conservation park in the North Island of New Zealand. The park is centered on the town of

Minginui Minginui is a town in Whakatāne District and Bay of Plenty Region on New Zealand's North Island. The Whirinaki Te Pua-a-Tāne Conservation Park is located near the town. In 1978, there was confrontation between the local community and conservat ...

and part of the eastern boundary flanks

Te Urewera Te Urewera is an area of mostly forested, sparsely populated rugged hill country in the North Island of New Zealand, a large part of which is within a protected area designated in 2014, that was formerly Te Urewera National Park. Te Urewera is ...

. The Whirinaki Forest is one of the world's last prehistoric rainforests. The Department of Conservation is responsible for administering the park jointly with the local iwi, Ngāti Whare. Tramping is a popular recreation in the park and there is a network of 175 km of tracks and 9 huts that are used for this purpose. The unsealed River Road provides access to a carpark and the starting point of many walks. Short walks lead through native bush to Waiatiu Falls, Arohaki Lagoon, Te Whaiti-Nui-A-Toi Canyon, and Whirinaki Falls, respectively. The rain-fed Arohaki Lagoon is often alive with Southern Bell Frogs. Longer tramping tracks connect several huts and two other access roads. The forests were a focus of protests over logging in the 1970s and 80s. Large parts of the park remain covered in native

podocarp Podocarpaceae is a large family of mainly Southern Hemisphere conifers, known in English as podocarps, comprising about 156 species of evergreen trees and shrubs.James E. Eckenwalder. 2009. ''Conifers of the World''. Portland, Oregon: Timber Pr ...

forest featuring

rimu ''Dacrydium cupressinum'', commonly known as rimu, is a large evergreen coniferous tree endemic to the forests of New Zealand. It is a member of the southern conifer group, the podocarps. The Māori name ''rimu'' comes from the Polynesian ...

totara ''Podocarpus totara'' (; from the Maori-language ; the spelling "totara" is also common in English) is a species of podocarp tree endemic to New Zealand. It grows throughout the North Island and northeastern South Island in lowland, montane a ...

kahikatea ''Dacrycarpus dacrydioides'', commonly known as kahikatea (from Māori) and white pine, is a coniferous tree endemic to New Zealand. A podocarp, it is New Zealand's tallest tree, gaining heights of 60 m and a life span of 600 years. It was fi ...

, matai (

Prumnopitys taxifolia ''Prumnopitys taxifolia'', the mataī ( mi, mataī) or black pine, is an endemic New Zealand coniferous tree that grows on the North Island and South Island. It also occurs on Stewart Island/Rakiura (47 °S) but is uncommon there. It grows u ...

), and miro. Some higher parts contain beech forest. The forest supports a wide range of birds, some of which are endangered. Whirinaki is the location of Nga Hua a Tane, a radical place based research program on rainforests and the

ecosystem services Ecosystem services are the many and varied benefits to humans provided by the natural environment and healthy ecosystems. Such ecosystems include, for example, agroecosystems, forest ecosystem, grassland ecosystems, and aquatic ecosystems. ...

they provide to support life on our planet, led by the local school, Te Kura Toitu o Te Whaiti Nui-a-Toi and its community. In 2010, a co-governance agreement was signed with Ngati Whare as part of a treaty settlement. As part of the settlement, the New Zealand government apologised for past injustices and acknowledged the park was integral to Ngati Whare's cultural identity and wellbeing. The settlement provided for a joint Ngati Whare and Crown regeneration project, which aimed to regenerate 640ha of exotic pine adjacent to the park back to indigenous podocarp forest, with

David Bellamy David James Bellamy (18 January 1933 – 11 December 2019) was an English botanist, television presenter, author and environmental campaigner. Early and personal life Bellamy was born in London to parents Winifred May (née Green) and Thoma ...

as patron. The park's name was changed from Whirinaki Forest Park to Whirinaki Te Pua-a-Tāne Conservation Park. Whirinaki Te Pua-a-Tāne means the abundance of

Tāne In Māori mythology, Tāne (also called Tāne-mahuta, Tāne-nui-a-Rangi, and several other names) is the god of forests and of birds, and the son of Ranginui and Papatūānuku, the sky father and the earth mother, who used to lie in a tight em ...

Moerangi Mountain Bike Track

The Moerangi Track is a dual purpose track for mountain bikers and trampers located in the Whirinaki Te Pu-a-Tane Conservation Park. The track is 35 km of Grade 3 (intermediate) mountain bike track and takes around 5 to 6 hours to complete for someone with medium to high level of fitness. Situated along the track are three huts, Skips, Rogers and Moerangi. All three spots are a good stopping point for riders or a place to stay on an overnight ride.

References

External links

Whirinaki Forest information – Ngati WhareWhirinaki Forest information – Department of ConservationConservation Management Plan – Whirinaki Te Pua-a-Tāne Conservation Park (2017)NZ On Screen
– "Moa's Ark : Stamp of the Giants" (1990 television series) includes Whirinaki Forest Park
Nga Hua a Tane – rainforest research program
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whirinaki Te Pua-a-Tane Conservation Park Taupō District Conservation parks of New Zealand Protected areas of the Bay of Plenty Region Ngāti Whare

Moerangi Mountain Bike Track

See also

Further reading

References

External links