Ruahine Forest Park

The 'spine' of New Zealand's north island is made up of various small mountain ranges, one of which is the Ruahine Ranges, in Ruahine Forest Park. The park covers 94,000ha and experiences very high rainfall, causing streams that deeply dissect the area, forming a network of significant rivers. Vegetation in the park varies as the altitude changes.

The forests in the north are generally a mix of podocarps, including red beech, rimu, miro, matai and mountain beech, with kahikatea dominating swampy areas. On the wide open tops the forests give way to sub-alpine shrubland, tussock grasslands and summer flowering herbfields.

Further south wet and cloudy conditions favour the dense growth of leatherwood (tupare), forming the largest unbroken expanse in the country. Throughout the park the understory is rich in ferns and small trees and shrubs like horopito, rangiora and mahoe.

The range offers some wonderful forest and alpine walks for those wanting to explore an area away from the standard tourist sites. It lies on an active fault line and is constantly being raised by geological activity. The central and northern parts of the Ruahine Range are a hiker and hunter's delight. Clear rivers, attractive beech forest and alpine tops make for some fascinating walks. You can access the park from Taihape or Mangaweka.