Mount Pirongia
Encyclopedia
Mount Pirongia is an extinct volcano located in the Waikato
region of New Zealand
's North Island
. It rises to 959 metres and is the highest peak in the Waikato region. It was active in the late Pliocene
and early Pleistocene
times. Pirongia's many peaks are basaltic cones created by successive volcanic eruptions about 2.5 million years ago .
Maori people have a strong connection to Mount Pirongia. It was first named "Pirongia te aroaro o Kahu" the scented pathway of Kahu by a Tohunga of the Tainui canoe to honour his wife. To preserve the heritage of Mount Pirongia Pirongia Te Aroaro o Kahu Restoration Society Inc was formed in 2002 as a result of deep-seated community interest in its ecological restoration.
Mount Pirongia is located 22 kilometres to the west of Te Awamutu
and eight kilometres from the small settlement of Pirongia
, and lies in a forest park. It is clearly visible from the Tasman Sea
, being just 25 kilometres from the coast at Aotea Harbour
.
Mt Pirongia forest park is a popular place for hunters from Hamilton seeking a quick day trip hunt, holding several feral goat herds on its bush clad slopes, rumours abound about small numbers of red deer
released by farmers after an earlier deer farming boom went bust. This forest park is administered by the Waikato DOC office in Hamilton.
Among variety of plants and wildlife, Wood Rose or Dactylanthus taylorii, a rare and endangered parasitic flowering plant, can be found on the ridges of Mount Pirongia. Variety of podocarps are found at lower altitudes: rimu, totara, tawa and tree ferns. At higher altitudes the forest changes. Hardy plants like horopito and kamahi grow on exposed ridges and near the summit there are mountain flax, coprosmas and ferns. Common birds are: fantails, kingfishers, kereru, tui, kereru, New Zealand falcons.
Botanically, Mount Pirongia is also interesting area as it marks the transition between the warm-loving kauri forest of the north and the beech and podocarp-beech forest on the south. The park's latitude is the naturally occurring southern limit for species such as kauri and mangeao
.
There are numerous tracks to the summit . Mahaukura - Tirohanga Circuit (8–11 hours) is a longer distance but with a gradual climb. This track is well signposted with bright orange plastic markers, but considered difficult. It leads through many steep sections but gives excellent views from Wharauroa lookout, Mahaukura peak (899 m) and Tirohanga peak. In winter and after rain the track becomes muddy and slippery. There are many narrow sections with a tangle of tree roots and rocks. There is a lookout platform on Pirongia summit from where it is possible to spot Mount Taranaki
summit and Mount Ruapehu
summit on a clear day. On the west side there are Kawhia and Raglan harbours.
Waikato
The Waikato Region is a local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato, Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, the northern King Country, much of the Taupo District, and parts of Rotorua District...
region of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
's North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
. It rises to 959 metres and is the highest peak in the Waikato region. It was active in the late Pliocene
Pliocene
The Pliocene Epoch is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5.332 million to 2.588 million years before present. It is the second and youngest epoch of the Neogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Pliocene follows the Miocene Epoch and is followed by the Pleistocene Epoch...
and early Pleistocene
Early Pleistocene
Calabrian is a subdivision of the Pleistocene Epoch of the Geologic time scale. ~1.8 Ma.—781,000 years ago ± 5,000 years, a period of ~.The end of the stage is defined by the last magnetic pole reversal and plunge in to an ice age and global drying possibly colder and drier than the late Miocene ...
times. Pirongia's many peaks are basaltic cones created by successive volcanic eruptions about 2.5 million years ago .
Maori people have a strong connection to Mount Pirongia. It was first named "Pirongia te aroaro o Kahu" the scented pathway of Kahu by a Tohunga of the Tainui canoe to honour his wife. To preserve the heritage of Mount Pirongia Pirongia Te Aroaro o Kahu Restoration Society Inc was formed in 2002 as a result of deep-seated community interest in its ecological restoration.
Mount Pirongia is located 22 kilometres to the west of Te Awamutu
Te Awamutu
Te Awamutu is a town in the Waikato in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the council seat of the Waipa District and serves as a service town for the farming communities which surround it...
and eight kilometres from the small settlement of Pirongia
Pirongia
Pirongia is a small town in the Waipa District of the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island.It is 12 kilometres to the west of Te Awamutu, on the banks of the Waipa River, close to the foot of the 962 metre Mount Pirongia, which lies in a forest park to the west of the town.Pirongia was...
, and lies in a forest park. It is clearly visible from the Tasman Sea
Tasman Sea
The Tasman Sea is the large body of water between Australia and New Zealand, approximately across. It extends 2,800 km from north to south. It is a south-western segment of the South Pacific Ocean. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, the first recorded European...
, being just 25 kilometres from the coast at Aotea Harbour
Aotea Harbour
Aotea Harbour is one of three large natural inlets in the Tasman Sea coast of the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located between Raglan Harbour to the north and Kawhia Harbour to the south, 30 kilometres southwest of Hamilton....
.
Mt Pirongia forest park is a popular place for hunters from Hamilton seeking a quick day trip hunt, holding several feral goat herds on its bush clad slopes, rumours abound about small numbers of red deer
Red Deer
The red deer is one of the largest deer species. Depending on taxonomy, the red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Asia Minor, parts of western Asia, and central Asia. It also inhabits the Atlas Mountains region between Morocco and Tunisia in northwestern Africa, being...
released by farmers after an earlier deer farming boom went bust. This forest park is administered by the Waikato DOC office in Hamilton.
Among variety of plants and wildlife, Wood Rose or Dactylanthus taylorii, a rare and endangered parasitic flowering plant, can be found on the ridges of Mount Pirongia. Variety of podocarps are found at lower altitudes: rimu, totara, tawa and tree ferns. At higher altitudes the forest changes. Hardy plants like horopito and kamahi grow on exposed ridges and near the summit there are mountain flax, coprosmas and ferns. Common birds are: fantails, kingfishers, kereru, tui, kereru, New Zealand falcons.
Botanically, Mount Pirongia is also interesting area as it marks the transition between the warm-loving kauri forest of the north and the beech and podocarp-beech forest on the south. The park's latitude is the naturally occurring southern limit for species such as kauri and mangeao
Mangeao
Mangeao is an evergreen tree endemic to the North Island of New Zealand, occurring in lowland forest from near North Cape south to about 38°S...
.
There are numerous tracks to the summit . Mahaukura - Tirohanga Circuit (8–11 hours) is a longer distance but with a gradual climb. This track is well signposted with bright orange plastic markers, but considered difficult. It leads through many steep sections but gives excellent views from Wharauroa lookout, Mahaukura peak (899 m) and Tirohanga peak. In winter and after rain the track becomes muddy and slippery. There are many narrow sections with a tangle of tree roots and rocks. There is a lookout platform on Pirongia summit from where it is possible to spot Mount Taranaki
Mount Taranaki
Mount Taranaki, or Mount Egmont, is an active but quiescent stratovolcano in the Taranaki region on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island. Although the mountain is more commonly referred to as Taranaki, it has two official names under the alternative names policy of the New Zealand...
summit and Mount Ruapehu
Mount Ruapehu
Mount Ruapehu, or just Ruapehu, is an active stratovolcano at the southern end of the Taupo Volcanic Zone in New Zealand. It is 23 kilometres northeast of Ohakune and 40 kilometres southwest of the southern shore of Lake Taupo, within Tongariro National Park...
summit on a clear day. On the west side there are Kawhia and Raglan harbours.