Whirinaki Forest Park
Encyclopedia
Whirinaki Forest Park is a publicly accessible forest park in the North Island
of New Zealand
. The park is centered around the town of Minginui
and part of the eastern boundary flanks the Urewera National Park.
The Department of Conservation is responsible for administering the park. Tramping is a popular recreation in the park and there is a network of tracks and huts that are now 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. Today, large parts of the park remain covered in native podocarp forest featuring rimu, totara, kahikatea, matai and miro. Some higher parts contain beech forest. The forest supports a wide range of birds, some of which are endangered.
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...
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...
. The park is centered around the town of Minginui
Minginui
Minginui is a town in the Bay of Plenty Region in the North Island of New Zealand. The Whirinaki Forest Park is in the vicinity of the town. The Statistics New Zealand 2006 census gives a population for the area of 1464, a reduction of 300 since 1996....
and part of the eastern boundary flanks the Urewera National Park.
The Department of Conservation is responsible for administering the park. Tramping is a popular recreation in the park and there is a network of tracks and huts that are now 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
Growling Grass Frog
The Growling Grass Frog , also commonly known as the Southern Bell Frog, Warty Swamp Frog and erroneously as the Green Frog is a species of ground dwelling tree frog is native to South eastern Australia; ranging from southern South Australia along the Murray River though Victoria to New South...
. 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. Today, large parts of the park remain covered in native podocarp forest featuring rimu, totara, kahikatea, matai and miro. Some higher parts contain beech forest. The forest supports a wide range of birds, some of which are endangered.
External links
- Department of Conservation - Whirinaki Forest Park
- Department of Conservation - Whirinaki Forest Park teaching resource
- Whirinaki Forest - Ngati Whare
- NZ On Screen - "Moa's Ark : Stamp of the Giants" (1990 television series) includes Whirinaki Forest Park