Features
The areas protected by the Kaimai-Mamaku Forest Park are significant to the iwi of Tainui, Takitimu and Mataatua waka.
Tramways and relics from the kauri logging
days can still be seen
To early Maori inhabitants and later Europeans, the Kaimai mountain range formed a barrier between the Bay of Plenty and Waikato regions. Traversed by rough tramping routes and later by access tracks for the logging and gold mining industries, the Kaimai range now features over 360 km of walking and tramping tracks.
Natural history
The high northern part of the Kaimai range is comprised of ancient volcanic rock which has been uplifted along the Hauraki fault line. The range is covered by a sheet of volcanic rock called ignimbrite.
The Mamaku plateau to the south is a flat sheet of ignimbrite which erupted from the site of Lake Rotorua 140,000 years ago.
Flora and fauna
The area hosts a great range of vegetation from dense low altitude forest to windblown scrub and grassland. The park marks the northern limit of kamahi, red beech and silver beech. It is the southern limit of the mighty kauri. This unusual combination of semi-coastal and montane plant species makes the forest composition unique and highly significant.
Endangered native frogs live in the park
The park is the natural home of native birds such as whitehead, whio/blue duck, kaka, kokako, kiwi and karearea/New Zealand falcon. More common native birds such as tui and bellbirds are readily seen and heard from within the park.
Small remnant populations of the endangered kiwi and kokako are found in the northern Mamaku. Small populations of the endangered Hochstetter's frog are found scattered throughout the northern half of the park.
Introduced animal pests such as possums, goats, pigs, deer, mustelids and rats threaten forest health and the ongoing survival of native species. The Department carries out pest control at key sites and encourages recreational hunting to assist with pest control.
Human impacts
Much of the vegetation in the park has been modified by human activity. In the late 1880s the gold mining industry generated huge demand for timber. Kauri were extracted from the Kaimai in large numbers for use in mine construction and for fuel in gold extraction processes.
Along with other reserves in the area, the park encompasses the remains of the unique natural heritage of this part of New Zealand.
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Highlights of the park
The Kaimai Heritage Trail, a series of walks and sites within the park, represents some of the best examples of 19th century New Zealand mining heritage.
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