The Waitākere Ranges is a mountain range in New Zealand. Located in
West Auckland between metropolitan
Auckland
Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
and the
Tasman Sea
The Tasman Sea is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, who in 1642 wa ...
, the ranges and its foothills and coasts comprise some of public and private land. The area, traditionally known to
Māori as ''Te Wao Nui o Tiriwa'' (The Great Forest of Tiriwa), is of local, regional, and national significance.
The Waitākere Ranges includes a chain of hills in the
Auckland Region
Auckland () is one of the 16 regions of New Zealand, which takes its name from the eponymous urban areas of New Zealand, urban area. The region encompasses the Auckland, Auckland metropolitan area, smaller towns, rural areas, and the islands o ...
, generally running approximately from north to south, 25 km west of central Auckland. The ranges are part of the Waitākere Ranges Regional Park.
From 1 May 2018 the forested areas of the Waitākere Ranges Regional Park were closed, with some exceptions, while
Auckland Council
Auckland Council () is the local government council for the Auckland Region in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority that also has the responsibilities, duties and powers of a regional council and so is a unitary authority, according to t ...
upgraded the tracks to dry foot standard protect the roots and to prevent the spread of
kauri dieback
''Agathis'', commonly known as kauri or dammara, is a genus of evergreen coniferous trees, native to Australasia and Southeast Asia. It is one of three extant genera in the family Araucariaceae, alongside ''Wollemia'' and ''Araucaria'' (being ...
,
oomycete organisms that affect kauri trees and prevents them from getting nutrients, effectively killing them. There is no cure. But
Etymology
The name ''Wai-tākere'' originally came from a rock located in Waitākere Bay near Te Henga (Bethells Beach).
In
Māori the name Te Wao Nui a Tiriwa ("The Great Forest of Tiriwa"), referred to all of the forested areas south from
Muriwai and the
Kaipara Harbour portage to the
Manukau Harbour, while the name Hikurangi referred to the central and Western Waitākere Ranges, south of the
Waitākere River.
Geology
The rugged upstanding topography is formed from erosion-resistant ancient volcanic
conglomerate and lava flows laid down in eruptions from the large
Waitākere volcano to the west 12–25 million years ago.
The Waitākere Ranges and land south from
Muriwai are the eastern slopes of the volcano, which were uplifted from the sea floor between 3 and 5 million years ago.
Much of the rock that forms the ranges, such as the Piha Formation and Nihotupu Formation, are volcanic and marine conglomerate rocks.
Many of the features of the ranges, such as
Karekare,
Te Toka-Tapu-a-Kupe / Ninepin Rock and
Pukematekeo, are remnants of volcanic vents and plugs.
Geography
The western coastline of the ranges consists of cliffs exceeding , interspersed infrequently with beaches. The ranges are covered in native forest, most of which is in the process of regeneration since extensive logging and farming in the mid–late 19th and early 20th centuries. The highest point in the Waitākere Ranges, at , is
Te Toiokawharu, in the southern part of the ranges, about north-east of
Huia. The
Scenic Drive follows a ridge of high points along the eastern ranges, connecting the communities of
Titirangi,
Waiatarua and
Swanson. Along this ridge are some of the more notable peaks of the ranges, including
Ruaotuwhenua, known for its
radome and adjacent television mast, and
Pukematekeo, the northernmost of the ranges which looks out over metropolitan Auckland.
Biodiversity
In the
Holocene
The Holocene () is the current geologic time scale, geological epoch, beginning approximately 11,700 years ago. It follows the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene to ...
prior to human settlement, the Waitākere Ranges was a densely forested podocarp-broadleaf forest,
dominated by
kauri
''Agathis'', commonly known as kauri or dammara, is a genus of evergreen coniferous trees, native to Australasia and Southeast Asia. It is one of three extant genera in the family Araucariaceae, alongside '' Wollemia'' and ''Araucaria'' (being ...
,
northern rātā and
rimu. The ranges are home to one endemic species, ''
Veronica bishopiana'', the Waitākere rock koromiko, and additionally some species which are rare outside of coastal West Auckland, including ''
Sophora fulvida'', the west coast
kōwhai and ''
Veronica obtusata'', the coastal hebe. The Waitākere Ranges are known for the wide variety of fern species (over 110),
as well as native orchids, many of which self-established from seeds carried by winds from the east coast of
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
.
The Waitākere Ranges are home to many native species of bird, the
New Zealand long-tailed bat and
Hochstetter's frog, which have been impacted by introduced predatory species including
rodent
Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the Order (biology), order Rodentia ( ), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and Mandible, lower jaws. About 40% of all mammal specie ...
s,
stoats,
weasels,
possums
Possum may refer to:
Animals
* Didelphimorphia, or (o)possums, an order of marsupials native to the Americas
** Didelphis, a genus of marsupials within Didelphimorphia
*** Common opossum, native to Central and South America
*** Virginia opossum, ...
and cats.
At the northern end of the ranges, Otakamiro Point is the site of one of New Zealand's few mainland
gannet breeding colonies. In the bush are many indigenous
invertebrate
Invertebrates are animals that neither develop nor retain a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''spine'' or ''backbone''), which evolved from the notochord. It is a paraphyletic grouping including all animals excluding the chordata, chordate s ...
s, including kauri snail,
wētā
Wētā (also spelled weta in English) is the common name for a group of about 100 insect species in the families Anostostomatidae and Rhaphidophoridae endemism, endemic to New Zealand. They are giant wingless insect, flightless cricket (insect ...
and oviparous
velvet worms with 14 pairs of legs, and ovoviviparous species of 15 and 16 pairs of legs in the genus ''
Peripatoides''.
History
Māori history
A number of
Tāmaki Māori are associated with the early settlement of the Waitākere Ranges. In the creation legend of the
Auckland volcanic field, the Waitākere Ranges was home to a tribe of supernatural beings known as Tahurangi (called
patupaiarehe in other traditions), who battled with the patupaiarehe of the Hunua Ranges.
The Māori language name of the Waitākere Ranges, Te Wao Nui a Tiriwa, refers to Tiriwa, a chief of the Tūrehu patupaiarehe.
The coastline of the ranges and the
Manukau Harbour is traditionally thought to be guarded by the
taniwha Paikea, while the
Waitākere River and northern ranges were the home to Te Mokoroa, a malevolent taniwha.
The ranges were visited by
Rakatāura, the senior
tohunga
In the culture of the Māori people, Māori of New Zealand, a tohunga (tōhuka in Southern Māori dialect) is an expert practitioner of any skill or art, either religious or otherwise. Tohunga include expert priests, healers, navigators, carvers, ...
(priest/navigator) of the
''Tainui'' migratory canoe, who named many of the locations along the west coast.
The area is within the traditional
rohe of the
iwi
Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori, roughly means or , and is often translated as "tribe". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, and is typically pluralised as such in English.
...
Te Kawerau ā Maki, whose most intensive settlements were traditionally around the
Waitākere River and
Te Henga / Bethells Beach being major focal points for settlement.
Much of the coastline and river valleys were settled due to the resource-rich forests and coastline, with over 550 recorded archaeological sites recorded in the area.
The warm, sheltered valleys of the west coast streams were well suited for growing crops such as
kūmara,
taro
Taro (; ''Colocasia esculenta'') is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, stems and Petiole (botany), petioles. Taro corms are a ...
,
hue (calabash) and
aruhe (bracken fern), and were the cause of many early wars in the area.
Te Kawerau ā Maki benefited from the abundant seafood found on the coast, as well as resources found deeper within the Waitākere Ranges, such as
moa, seasonal berries, eels, crayfish and other birds.
Over 50
pā
The word pā (; often spelled pa in English) can refer to any Māori people, Māori village or defensive settlement, but often refers to hillforts – fortified settlements with palisades and defensive :wikt:terrace, terraces – and also to fo ...
were located around the Waitākere Ranges, and many caves and rock shelters were used as refuges during times of war between the 16th and 18th centuries, including
Lion Rock
Lion Rock, or less formally Lion Rock Hill, is a List of mountains, peaks and hills in Hong Kong, mountain in Hong Kong. It is located in Sha Tin District, between Kowloon Tong of Kowloon and Tai Wai of the New Territories, and is high. The ...
at
Piha, which was the location of Whakaari pā, and the caves in
Whatipu.
The Waitākere Ranges sites have a large number of wood and fibre artefacts due to the weather conditions of the area.
Surveys in the early 1900s uncovered
traditional textile fragments such as fishing nets, baskets, cloak fragments, from locations such as
Anawhata, Piha, Takatu Point,
Karekare and Whatipu.
In 1853 and 1854, the New Zealand government acquired around 100,000 acres of Te Kawerau ā Maki land, purchased from other iwi without consultation of Te Kawerau ā Maki.
Reserves were created at Piha and Te Henga (Bethells Beach), however by the 1950s almost all Te Kawerau ā Maki land in the Waitākere Ranges had been partitioned and sold.
Kauri logging industry
In the 18th century, significant areas of the Waitākere Ranges were forested with
kauri
''Agathis'', commonly known as kauri or dammara, is a genus of evergreen coniferous trees, native to Australasia and Southeast Asia. It is one of three extant genera in the family Araucariaceae, alongside '' Wollemia'' and ''Araucaria'' (being ...
.
Tāmaki Māori tribes had traditionally felled
kauri
''Agathis'', commonly known as kauri or dammara, is a genus of evergreen coniferous trees, native to Australasia and Southeast Asia. It is one of three extant genera in the family Araucariaceae, alongside '' Wollemia'' and ''Araucaria'' (being ...
wood to construct
waka, and early European visitors in the 1790s likely began harvesting young kauri trees for sailing ship spars.
During the early colonial era, the Waitākere Ranges were a major source for kauri wood. Kauri trees near the Manukau Harbour were first felled in the 1830s.
Between 1840 and 1940, 23 timber mills worked the Waitākere Ranges.
Approximately 70 dams were constructed along the waterways of the Waitākere Ranges, which loggers would break in order for kauri to be sent downstream with the flood of water.
A major sawmill was constructed at
Whatipu, and in the latter 19th century a wharf was constructed on the north-east side of
Paratutae Island for the industry.
A tramway was constructed along the west coast gradually between the 1870s and 1914 linking to the sawmill and wharf, eventually being extended as far as
Anawhata.
The wharf was used until 1921, and was demolished in 1950.
The 1920s signalled the end of the kauri logging industry, as there was little kauri forest left in the Waitākeres.
An estimated 120,000 trees were felled by the kauri logging industry,
many of which were damaged and unable to be turned into timber, due inefficient logging techniques.
Water reservoirs

By the late 19th century,
Auckland
Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
was plagued with seasonal droughts. A number of options were considered to counter this, including the construction of water reservoirs in the Waitākere Ranges. The first of these projects was the
Waitākere Dam in the north-eastern Waitākere Ranges, which was completed in 1910.
The Waitākere Dam was constructed overtop of the Waitākere Falls, which was a major tourist attraction in Auckland in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The construction of the Waitākere Dam permanently reduced the flow of the Waitākere River, greatly impacting the Te Kawerau ā Maki community at Te Henga / Bethells Beach. Between the 1910s and 1950s, most members of Te Kawerau ā Maki moved away from their traditional rohe, in search of employment or community with other Māori.
Further reservoirs were constructed along the different river catchments in the Waitākere Ranges: the
Upper Nihotupu Reservoir in 1923; the
Huia Reservoir in 1929; and the
Lower Nihotupu Reservoir in 1948.
The five reservoirs continue to operate today, supplying water.
Combined, the reservoirs supply approximately 26% of Auckland's potable water demand. The ranges receive an average of over 2,000 mm (78.75 inches) of rainfall annually while the corresponding rate in the city is less than half that. As weather systems approach across the
Tasman Sea
The Tasman Sea is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about across and about from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, who in 1642 wa ...
, their path is blocked by the ranges causing a small uplift sufficient to trigger
orographic rainfall.
Regional Park
By the late 19th century, the Waitākere Ranges area became popular for sightseers, notably the Waitākere Falls and the Gap at Piha.
In 1894 a group led by Sir Algernon Thomas (the first professor of natural sciences at Auckland University College, now the
University of Auckland) persuaded the Auckland City Council to preserve 3,500 acres (14 km
2) in the Nihotupu area of the ranges as a bush reserve. In 1895 the national Government vested the land, and several other smaller areas of the ranges, in the City Council as "reserves for the conservation of native flora and fauna".
After the construction of the dams in the 1920s, the Nihotupu and Huia areas reforested in native bush. This forest left a strong impression on residents who lived in these communities, and was one of the major factors that sparked the campaign for the Waitākere Ranges to become a nature reserve. The Auckland Centennial Memorial Park opened in 1940, commemorating 100 years since the establishment of Auckland.
It was formed from various pockets of land that had been reserved by the
Auckland City Council starting in 1895.
Titirangi resident Arthur Mead, the principal engineer who created the Waitākere Ranges dams, lobbied the city council and negotiated with landowners to expand the park. Owing to the efforts of Mead, the park had tripled in size by 1964, when it became the Waitākere Ranges Regional Park. By 1992, the area had reached a size of , and was formally consolidated into a single regional park.
By this point, the park had become one of the
regional parks in New Zealand, alongside the
Hunua Ranges.
Conservation and kauri dieback
Ark in the Park is a collaborative project between
Forest and Bird and the Auckland Council. First established in 2002 by volunteers, the project began with a gated area of within the Waitākere Ranges Regional Park that was regularly trapped by volunteers. By 2019, this area had grown to , and led to reintroductions of New Zealand bird species, including the
whitehead (),
North Island robin () and
North Island kōkako; the latter having last been seen in the ranges in the 1950s. In 2008, the ''Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area Act'' was produced, as formal legislation to ensure the protection of the park. The Waitākere Ranges Regional Park covers about 60% of the area protected by the ''Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area Act'' of 2008. The act protects approximately 27,700 ha of both public (the Waitākere Ranges Regional Park) and privately owned land.
In March 2006, entomologist
Peter Maddison noticed many mature kauri in the Waitākere Ranges had been infected with a distinct
oomycete disease.
[Beever, R.E., Ramsfield, T.D., Dick, M.A., Park, D., Fletcher, M.., Horner, I.J. (2006) Molecular characterisation of New Zealand isolates of the fungus ''Phytophthora''. MAF Operational Research Report MBS304: 35pp.] After the disease had begun to increasingly impact kauri in the ranges, Te Kawerau ā Maki announced a
rāhui in 2017, asking for members of the public to not enter the ranges as a measure to protect the trees against
kauri dieback
''Agathis'', commonly known as kauri or dammara, is a genus of evergreen coniferous trees, native to Australasia and Southeast Asia. It is one of three extant genera in the family Araucariaceae, alongside ''Wollemia'' and ''Araucaria'' (being ...
.
This was followed by a formal vote by
Auckland Council
Auckland Council () is the local government council for the Auckland Region in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority that also has the responsibilities, duties and powers of a regional council and so is a unitary authority, according to t ...
to restrict access to the Waitākere Ranges a year later.
Tracks in the ranges have slowly begun to be reopened, after extensive work on tracks to incorporate boardwalks and gravel as protective measures for kauri.
Attractions

Some of the ranges' main attractions are: the four popular surf beaches,
Piha,
Muriwai,
Te Henga (Bethells Beach),
Karekare; an extensive network of bush walks and tracks;
and panoramic views of the east and west coasts and the city. A road, aptly named
Scenic Drive, runs a good portion of the length of the ranges from
Titirangi to Swanson. Auckland City Council operates an information centre on Scenic Drive, called
Arataki Visitor Centre.
The beaches are typical of west coast beaches north of
Taranaki
Taranaki is a regions of New Zealand, region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano Mount Taranaki, Taranaki Maunga, formerly known as Mount Egmont.
The main centre is the ...
in that they are all
black sand beaches. They have a reputation of being dangerous for swimmers due to
rips and large swells. Surf Life Saving Clubs patrol designated areas of the four most popular beaches during the summer months.
Piha Surf Life Saving Club is the oldest of these, being founded in 1934.
On 11 January 2010, the
Auckland Regional Council
The Auckland Regional Council (ARC) was the regional council (one of the former local government authorities) of the Auckland Region. Its predecessor the Auckland Regional Authority (ARA) was formed in 1963 and became the ARC in 1989. The ARC ...
opened the Hillary Trail, a 77 km trail running roughly south–north from the Arataki Visitor Centre to Muriwai through the Waitākere Ranges, named in honour of the New Zealand mountaineer Sir
Edmund Hillary
Sir Edmund Percival Hillary (20 July 1919 – 11 January 2008) was a New Zealand mountaineering, mountaineer, explorer, and philanthropist. On 29 May 1953, Hillary and Sherpa people, Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the Timeline of M ...
. The Hilary Trail is regarded as one of or maybe the best multi day hike in the north of the country.
Demographics
The statistical areas making up Waitākere Ranges, which include the populated areas of
Huia and
Karekare but not
Piha or
Te Henga / Bethells Beach, cover
and had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km
2.
Waitākere Ranges had a population of 2,409 in the
2023 New Zealand census
The 2023 New Zealand census, which took place on 7 March 2023, was the thirty-fifth national census in New Zealand. It implemented measures that aimed to increase the Census' effectiveness in response to the issues faced with the 2018 census, i ...
, an increase of 24 people (1.0%) since the
2018 census, and an increase of 258 people (12.0%) since the
2013 census. There were 1,221 males, 1,170 females and 21 people of
other genders in 876 dwellings.
3.7% of people identified as
LGBTIQ+. There were 432 people (17.9%) aged under 15 years, 333 (13.8%) aged 15 to 29, 1,248 (51.8%) aged 30 to 64, and 396 (16.4%) aged 65 or older.
People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 92.0%
European (
Pākehā
''Pākehā'' (or ''Pakeha''; ; ) is a Māori language, Māori-language word used in English, particularly in New Zealand. It generally means a non-Polynesians, Polynesian New Zealanders, New Zealander or more specifically a European New Zeala ...
); 14.1%
Māori; 5.6%
Pasifika; 4.7%
Asian; 1.0% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 1.6% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 97.4%, Māori language by 2.7%, Samoan by 0.4%, and other languages by 10.8%. No language could be spoken by 1.9% (e.g. too young to talk).
New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.5%. The percentage of people born overseas was 21.7, compared with 28.8% nationally.
Religious affiliations were 17.7%
Christian
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
, 0.7%
Hindu
Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
, 0.1%
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
, 0.2%
Māori religious beliefs, 0.9%
Buddhist
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
, 1.4%
New Age
New Age is a range of Spirituality, spiritual or Religion, religious practices and beliefs that rapidly grew in Western world, Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclecticism, eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise d ...
, 0.1%
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
, and 2.1% other religions. People who answered that they had
no religion were 69.7%, and 7.6% of people did not answer the census question.
Of those at least 15 years old, 489 (24.7%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 1,020 (51.6%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 318 (16.1%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. 306 people (15.5%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 1,008 (51.0%) people were employed full-time, 345 (17.5%) were part-time, and 54 (2.7%) were unemployed.
List of peaks
List of named peaks (either officially gazetted, informal or traditional) within the Waitākere Ranges, and major unnamed peaks over 400 metres in height.
References
Bibliography
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External links
Waitakere Ranges Protection SocietyWaitākere Rangesat the
Auckland Council
Auckland Council () is the local government council for the Auckland Region in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority that also has the responsibilities, duties and powers of a regional council and so is a unitary authority, according to t ...
Ark in the ParkHillary Trail – Waitākere Ranges*
{{Protected areas of New Zealand
Waitākere Ranges Local Board Area
Mountain ranges of New Zealand
Tourist attractions in the Auckland Region
Mountains of the Auckland Region
Regional parks of the Auckland Region
West Auckland, New Zealand