Waipoua Forest & Footprints Waipoua
Home for thousands of years to the oldest and largest known
kauri trees in the world.
An absolute MUST SEE for any visitor to Northland is TANE MAHUTA and the other ancient and mighty kauri trees of the Waipoua Forest.
Tane Mahuta dates back to the Birth of Christ and Te Matua Ngahere was a small kauri ricker at the time of bronze age man!
If you find these ages hard to comprehend and seeing is believing, then that’s what a visit to the Waipoua Kauri Forest will do for you!
Tane Mahuta
“Lord of the Forest” and spiritual “God of the Forest” the tree is estimated to be approximately 2000+ years old and is the tallest known kauri tree in the world. This tree stands over 4 metres in diameter and has a girth of 13.77 metres, a trunk height of 17.69 metres, a total height of 51.5 metres with an estimated volume of 244.5 cubic metres.
Te Matua Ngahere
“Father of the Forest” estimated to be more than 3000 years old is the oldest and widest known kauri tree in the world. This tree is over 5 metres in diameter and has a girth greater than Tane Mahuta (16.4 metres) but the trunk is much shorter at only 10.2 metres giving a total height of 29.9 metres and an estimated volume of 208 cubic metres.
Guided Tours from Waipoua Lodge
For Lodge guests, there are two types of guided tour which can be organised by Waipoua Lodge.
If you are staying with us and would like to experience any of these tours, please contact us.
Footprints Waipoua Twilight Tour
The spiritual environment of the Waipoua Forest provides a natural stage for an unforgettable Footprints Waipoua encounter with some of the largest remaining kauri trees in the world. Stepping into our special world you will be walking under the same stars that guided our ancestor Kupe from legendary Hawaiiki to New Zealand. On the paths of the forest, we meet trees that were already giants before his arrival and that were standing before the birth of Christ.
You will experience the affinity that early Maori had with the forest and the deep spiritual respect they hold for the giants still growing there. Learn of the rich birdlife and other fauna that inhabits the forest and witness the transitions of life and the day turning into the night. Your Maori guides will relate stories and legends of the forest, of its gods and other spiritual inhabitants. They will greet the giant trees with spine-tingling waiata (sacred chants). You will learn how Maori used plants for medicinal purposes.
As night falls, the shyest creatures of the forest awaken and begin to go about their work. You may encounter insects like weta, nocturnal birds, eels, freshwater lobsters, or the magnificent but slightly chilling giant carnivorous ‘kauri’ snail. Deep in the forest among the towering trees and surrounded by the sounds of the nocturnal creatures awakening, you will meet Te Matua Ngahere – The Father of the Forest. At over 3,000 years old he is the oldest known kauri tree in the world that has been living since the time of bronze age man! Your guide will greet this giant as an old friend.
The highlight of the tour will be your meeting with The Lord of the Forest – the giant and spiritual ‘God of the Forest’ Tane Mahuta thought to be approximately 2000+ years old! Your guide will formally greet the silent giant and then suddenly you stand dwarfed before his Lordship as the darkness closes in. His gnarled ancient limbs seem to grasp at the stars and the forest is silent but for the dim chatter of its night creatures.
Maori Private Guided Tours
Instead of taking the Footprints Waipoua Twilight Group Tour, a private tour offers an alternative day time Maori experience
with guests being collected from the lodge after breakfast and returning around lunchtime.
Another option is to enjoy The Twilight Tour with your own Private Guide.
The tours can be flexible but usually encompasses meeting the ancient mighty kauri trees of the Waipoua Forest:
Tane Mahuta and Te Matua Ngahere.