Explore one of the world's last prehistoric forests, with ancient trees, gushing rivers and unique wildlife.
Botanist Dr David Bellamy refers to the Whirinaki Te Pua a Tāne conservation park as a Dinosaur Park "a living cathedral that dates back 200 million years”. With a rich array of ancient podocarps such as rimu, tōtara, kahikatea, mataī and miro, this forest is a spectacular remnant of New Zealand's past. The park is also home to many rare native birds and New Zealand's only land mammals the shy long-tailed and short-tailed bats.
With short and multi day walks on offer, the park the perfect place to experience New Zealand's native forest the way it was meant to be seen. Visitor facilities and huts are available for overnight stays.
For mountain biking enthusiasts, dual-purpose MTB tracks are a great way to journey through this remarkable forest.
Ngati Whare te tangata whenua, co-manage Whirinaki Te Pua a Tāne with DOC and continue to work on initiatives to preserve the forest.