Tararua Forest Park
Encyclopedia
Tararua Forest Park is a protected area
in the Wellington region
of New Zealand
. Its area is 116,535 ha (around 450 mi2), and its highest point, a peak called Mitre
, is at 1571 m above sea level. It was established in 1954, as New Zealand's first Forest Park
, and is managed by the Department of Conservation (DOC) under the Conservation Act. Tararua Forest Park includes more than three-quarters of the Tararua Range
, and its boundaries extend north from New Zealand State Highway 2
.
and kereru
.
, to the east of the main range, this stays within the Tararua Forest Park but involves much less ascent and avoids bad weather on the mountaintops.
Protected area
Protected areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognised natural, ecological and/or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the enabling laws of each country or the regulations of the international...
in the Wellington region
Wellington Region
The Wellington region of New Zealand occupies the southern end of the North Island.-Governance:The official Wellington Region, as administered by the Wellington Regional Council covers the conurbation around the capital city, Wellington, and the cities of Lower Hutt, Porirua, and Upper Hutt, each...
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...
. Its area is 116,535 ha (around 450 mi2), and its highest point, a peak called Mitre
Mitre, New Zealand
Mitre is the highest mountain of the Tararua Range, situated in the lower North Island of New Zealand. It has a total height of .The mountain was named after its double peak that resembles a bishop's mitre.-References:...
, is at 1571 m above sea level. It was established in 1954, as New Zealand's first Forest Park
Forest parks of New Zealand
The Forest Parks of New Zealand are on public land administered by the Department of Conservation.Forest parks have a less stringent level of protection than National Parks and they are used for a wide variety of recreational and commercial activities....
, and is managed by the Department of Conservation (DOC) under the Conservation Act. Tararua Forest Park includes more than three-quarters of the Tararua Range
Tararua Range
The Tararua Range is one of several mountain ranges in the North Island of New Zealand which form a ridge running parallel with the east coast of the island between East Cape and Wellington....
, and its boundaries extend north from New Zealand State Highway 2
New Zealand State Highway 2
State Highway 2 is one of New Zealand's eight national highways. With the exception of State Highway 1, which runs the length of both of the country's main islands, SH 2 is the longest highway in the North Island...
.
Project Kaka
A DOC project launched in 2010, named Project Kaka aims to reduce numbers of rats, stoats and possums over 22,000 ha of the park. The pests will be controlled by aerial drops of 1080 poision with the goal of restoring native plant, insects and birds including kaka, kakarikiKakariki
The three species of Kākāriki or New Zealand parakeets are the most common species of parakeet in the genus Cyanoramphus, family Psittacidae. The birds' Māori name, which is the most commonly used, means "small parrot"....
and kereru
Kereru
The New Zealand Pigeon or kererū is a bird endemic to New Zealand. Māori call it Kererū in most of the country but kūkupa and kūkū in some parts of the North Island, particularly in Northland...
.
Shorman's-Kaitoke
Shorman's-Kaitoke is a tramping route within the Tararua Forest Park. It starts at Putara in the north-east, near a farm or track previously called Shorman and finishes at Kaitoke in the south. The classic route follows the tops of almost the entire Tararua main range, it is approximately 80 km long with 7000 to 8000 metres of ascent and descent. There is virtually no level ground or straight sections of track and the whole route is very exposed to the frequent storms that sweep across the Tararuas. An unofficially recognised challenge amongst Wellington trampers is to complete this route in less than two days either supported or self-sufficient. An alternative route follows valleys along a faultline, the surface trace of the Tararua section of the Wellington FaultWellington Fault
The Wellington Fault is an active seismic fault in the southern part of the North Island of New Zealand. It is a dextral strike-slip fault with variable amounts of vertical movement causing uplift to the northwest, as expressed by a series of ranges...
, to the east of the main range, this stays within the Tararua Forest Park but involves much less ascent and avoids bad weather on the mountaintops.