Waipoua Forest & Trounson Kauri Park

Home for thousands of years to the oldest and largest known kauri trees in the world.
A 'must see' for any visitor to Northland is Tane Mahuta and Trounson Kauri Park

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.

Trounson Kauri Park

Tane Mahuta

An enchanting walk by day. A magical kiwi, bird & insect kingdom by night

Trounson Kauri Park is a 450 hectare forest reserve restoration project and is open to the public daily. It seeks to restore the former richness of native biodiversity this forest once boasted, allowing people to enjoy a glimpse of what pristine kauri forests were once like. In 1890 when the kauri timber industry threatened to wipe out all significant areas of Northland kauri forest, 3.34 hectares were set aside by the government to create a Scenary Preservation Club and an early settler, James Trounson, added a further 22 hectacres. Trounson then offered a further 364 hectares and the area was officially opened as Trounson Kauri Park in 1921. To this day, Trounson Kauri Park is an enduring example of community and government co-operation. Managed by the Department of Conservation, the park is one of the predator-free mainland islands of New Zealand.

Kiwi Night Walks

Being predator-free means that Trounson Kauri Park is one of the few mainland places where Brown kiwi can be found living in their natural habitat. The night walk into the forest takes guests into the nocturnal environment of approximately 200 kiwi.

Kiwi mate for life and visitors on the night walk can usually hear the repeated squawking call of the male kiwi and the lower more mumbling response from the female bird. Sightings cannot be guaranteed but many guests come back to the lodge

delighted at having glimpsed this very rare and shy flightless bird.

In addition to kiwi, the protected and unspoilt environment of the Trounson Kauri Park is home to many other native

creatures such as kukupa (native wood pigeon) pekapeka (bats), weta (insect) and the kauri snail.

More information on Trounson Kauri Park can be found here:

https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/northland/places/trounson-kauri-park/