Waitakere Ranges

The Waitakere Ranges are a chain of hills (maximum height 474 m) approximately 25 km west of central Auckland, New Zealand. The Ranges form a western coastline with cliffs exceeding 300 m, interspersed infrequently with beaches. The rugged upstanding topography is a product of erosion resistant ancient volcanic conglomerate and lava flows from which the Ranges are formed. The Waitakere Ranges are covered in native bush, most of which is in the process of regeneration since extensive logging and farming in the 1800’s and early 1900’s.

In 1894 Sir Algernon Thomas, the first professor of geology and botany at University of Auckland and a great advocate of preserving the Waitakere Ranges as a bush reserve, led a deputation to the Auckland City Council, asking it to persuade the Government to set aside 3,500 acres (14 km²) in the Nihotupu area. The Government heeded the request and in 1895 vested the land, and several smaller areas of Waitakere Ranges land, in the City Council as "reserves for the conservation of native flora and flora". The Waitakere Ranges Regional Parkland now contains over 6,880 acres (28 km²).

The area is now home to Kauri snails, Glowworms and native Long-tailed bats . Long-tailed and Short-tailed bats are New Zealand’s only native land based mammals. At its Northern end, Otakamiro Point is the site of one of New Zealand’s few mainland Gannet breeding colonies. The main attractions are the four most popular surf beaches, Muriwai, Bethells, Piha and Karekare. These are all black sand beaches, which suffer from a reputation of being dangerous for swimmers due to rips and large swells. An extensive network of well maintained tramping tracks exists, although they are generally underutilized.