Waitakere Ranges
The
Waitakere Ranges are a chain of hills generally running approximately 25 km from north to south generally 25 km west of central
Auckland,
New Zealand. The maximum height is 474 m.
The Waitakere Ranges and surrounding areas were traditionally known to
Maori as Te Wao nui a Tiriwa.
 |
Forest in the Waitakere Ranges |
The western coastline of the ranges consists of cliffs exceeding 300 m, interspersed infrequently with beaches. The rugged upstanding topography is formed from erosion resistant ancient volcanic
conglomerate and lava flows laid down in erruptions 12-25 million years ago. The ranges are covered in native
bush, most of which is in the process of regeneration since extensive logging and farming in the mid-late 1800's and early 1900's.
In
1894 a group lead by Sir Algernon Thomas, (the first professor of
geology and
botany at
University of Auckland), succeeded in persuading the Auckland City Council to preserve 3,500 acres (14 km²) in the Nihotupu area of the Waitakere Ranges as a bush reserve. In
1895 the national Government vested the land, and several other smaller areas of the Waitakere Ranges 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).
In
1900, the first of many
reservoirs were developed for Auckland's water needs. The ranges receive an average of over 2,000 mm of rainfall annually while the corresponding rate in the city is less than half that [
1]. 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.
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Lion Rock, Piha |
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. In the bush are many indigenous invertebrates, including kauri Snail, Weta and oviparous peripatus or
Onychophora with 14 legs pairs, and ovoviviparous speices of 15 and 16 pairs of legs, none of which are members of any of he 5 scientifically described New Zealand speices.
Some of the ranges' main attractions are: the four popular surf beaches,
Muriwai,
Te Henga (Bethells),
Piha and
Karekare; an extensive network of bush walks and tracks; panoramic views of the east and west coasts; and to the east, 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 Authority operates an information centre near the Titirangi end.
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.
[
2]
