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The Waitakere Ranges are a chain of hills in the Auckland metropolitan area, generally running approximately 25 km (15.5 mi) from north to south, 25 km west of central Auckland, New Zealand. The maximum elevation within the ranges is 474 m (1555 ft). The ranges and surrounding areas were traditionally known to local Māori as Te Wao Nui a Tiriwa (The Great Forest of Tiriwa).^[1]

Forest in the Waitakere Ranges

The western coastline of the ranges consists of cliffs exceeding 300 m (984 ft), interspersed infrequently with beaches. The rugged upstanding topography is formed from erosion resistant ancient volcanic conglomerate and lava flows laid down in eruptions 12–25 million years ago. The ranges are covered in native forest, most of which is in the process of regeneration since extensive logging and farming in the mid–late 19th and early 20th centuries.

In 1894 a group led by Sir Algernon Thomas (the first professor of natural sciences at Auckland University College, now the University of Auckland) persuaded the Auckland City Council to preserve 3,500 acres (14 km²) in the Nihotupu area of the ranges as a bush reserve. In 1895 the national Government vested the land, and several other smaller areas of the ranges, in the City Council as "reserves for the conservation of native flora and fauna". The Waitakere Ranges Regional Park now contains about 39,500 acres (160 km²).^[1] The area is also protected under the Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area Act 2008.^[2]

Five reservoirs within the ranges supply water to the Auckland region.^[1] The ranges receive an average of over 2,000 mm (78.75 inches) of rainfall annually while the corresponding rate in the city is less than half that.^[3] As weather systems approach across the Tasman Sea, their path is blocked by the ranges causing a small uplift sufficient for the system to dump.

The area is 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 the northern end of the ranges, Otakamiro Point is the site of one of New Zealand’s few mainland gannet breeding colonies. In the bush are many indigenous invertebrates, including kauri snail, weta and oviparous peripatus (Onychophora) with 14 pairs of legs, and ovoviviparous species of 15 and 16 pairs of legs, none of which are members of any of the five scientifically described New Zealand species.

Main Attractions[link]

Some of the ranges' main attractions are:

• the four popular surf beaches, Muriwai, Te Henga (Bethells Beach), Piha and Karekare;
• an extensive network of bush walks and tracks;^[1]
• family picnic locations such as - Cornwallis, a popular safe spot for swimming, and the 200m long restored Cornwallis wharf, the last of the Manukau's 16 ferry wharves.^[4]; and
• panoramic views of the east and west coasts and the city.

A road, aptly named Scenic Drive, runs a good portion of the length of the ranges from Titirangi to Swanson. The Auckland Regional Council operates an information centre near the Titirangi end.^[5]

The beaches are typical of west coast beaches north of Taranaki in that they are all black sand beaches. They have a reputation of being dangerous for swimmers due to rips and large swells.

On January 11, 2010, the Auckland Regional Council opened the Hillary Trail, a 70 km trail running roughly north-south through the Waitakere Ranges, named in honour of the New Zealand mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary.^[6]

See also[link]

• Waitakere Reservoir
• Lower Nihotupu Reservoir

References[link]

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Our parks - Waitakere Ranges, Auckland Regional Council. Accessed 13 April 2009.
2. ^ Waitakere Ranges Heritage Area Act 2008 (PDF)
3. ^ "Rainfall". Auckland Regional Council.
4. ^ http://www.flickr.com/photos/momentsbygen/7169221876/in/photostream/
5. ^ Arataki Visitor Centre, Auckland Regional Council. Accessed 13 April 2009.
6. ^ "The Hillary Trail". Auckland Regional Council.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Waitakere Ranges

• Waitakere Ranges Protection Society
• West coast beaches from Waitakere City Council

Coordinates: 36°58′S 174°31′E / 36.967°S 174.517°E / -36.967; 174.517