| Trounson Kauri Park | |
|---|---|
 Kauri trees in Trounson park | |
 | |
| Location | Northland, New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 35°43′12″S173°38′58″E / 35.7199752°S 173.6493761°E Coordinates: 35°43′12″S173°38′58″E / 35.7199752°S 173.6493761°E |
| Opened | 1921 |
Trounson Kauri Park is a mainland island in the Northland Region of New Zealand. Characterised by its kauri trees, it was named after James Trounson, who gifted the forest to the Department of Conservation.
Trounson Kauri Park and its surrounding farmland was heavily felled. Many people wanted the scenic remnants of kauri to be preserved. In the 1890s, a 3.34-hectare (8.3-acre) stand of kauri forest 36 kilometres (22 mi) north of Dargaville was reserved. Sawmiller James Trounson added a further 22 hectares (54 acres). Trounson Kauri Park was opened in 1921. [1] [2] It was then on ran as a 'Mainland Island'. An intensive pest control programme is restoring its biodiversity. [3] Half of Trounson Kauri Park's trees are infected with kauri dieback. [4]
Trounson Kauri Park is known for its kauri trees, which are common and increasing in the park. Other trees include rimu, kōwhai, pigeonwood and tōtara. [1]
Native birds such as tūī, New Zealand pigeon, morepork, tomtit and grey warbler are common, whilst rarer birds such as North Island kākā and North Island kōkako persist in small numbers. Brown kiwi have the highest density population in Northland in the park thanks to the removal of most of the populations of rats, common brushtail possum and stoats. [2]
The national parks of New Zealand are protected natural areas administered by the Department of Conservation (DOC). Although the national parks contain some of New Zealand's most beautiful scenery, the first few established were all focused on mountain scenery. Since the 1980s the focus has been on developing a more diverse representation of New Zealand landscapes. The parks are all culturally significant and many also contain historic features. Tongariro National Park is one of the World Heritage Sites that are of both cultural and natural significance, while four of the South Island national parks form Te Wahipounamu, another World Heritage Site. There are currently 13 national parks; a 14th, Te Urewera National Park, was disestablished in 2014.
The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is 113,729 square kilometres (43,911 sq mi), making it the world's 14th-largest island. It has a population of 3,925,800, accounting for approximately 77% of the total residents of New Zealand.
Agathis australis, commonly known by its Māori name kauri, is a coniferous tree in the family Araucariaceae, found north of 38°S in the northern regions of New Zealand's North Island.
The Northland Region is the northernmost of New Zealand's 16 local government regions. New Zealanders sometimes refer to it as the Winterless North because of its mild climate all throughout the year. The main population centre is the city of Whangārei, and the largest town is Kerikeri. At the 2018 New Zealand census, Northland recorded a surprising population growth spurt of 18.1% since the previous 2013 census, placing it as the fastest growing region in New Zealand, ahead of other strong growth regions such as the Bay of Plenty and Waikato.
Waipoua Forest is a forest, on the west coast of the Northland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It preserves some of the best examples of kauri forest remaining in New Zealand. It is notable for having two of the largest living kauri trees, Tāne Mahuta and Te Matua Ngahere.
Hakarimata Range is a range of hills on the western edge of Ngāruawāhia township, in the Waikato region of New Zealand, overlooking the confluence of the Waikato and Waipā Rivers. The Hakarimata Range is separated from the Taupiri Range by the Taupiri Gorge, through which the Waikato River flows.
Tāne Mahuta, also called "God of the Forest", is a giant kauri tree in the Waipoua Forest of Northland Region, New Zealand. Its age is unknown but is estimated to be between 1,250 and 2,500 years. It is the largest living kauri tree known to stand today. It is named for the Māori god of forests and of birds.
Te Matua Ngahere is a giant kauri coniferous tree in the Waipoua Forest of Northland Region, New Zealand. The tree's Māori name means "Father of the Forest". Although not as massive or tall as its neighbour Tāne Mahuta, Te Matua Ngahere is stouter, with a girth just over 16 metres (52 ft). It is believed to be the second largest living kauri tree, and to have the biggest girth of any kauri in the country. According to The New Zealand Herald, it has the biggest girth of any tree in New Zealand.
Protected areas of New Zealand receive protection to preserve their environmental, historical or cultural value. The method and aims of protection vary according to the importance of the resource and whether it has public or private status.
Kauri gum is a fossilised resin extracted from kauri trees, which historically had several important industrial uses. It can also be used to make crafts such as jewellery. Kauri forests once covered much of the North Island of New Zealand, before the arrival of people caused deforestation, causing several areas to revert to sand dunes, scrubs, and swamps. Even afterwards, ancient kauri fields continued to provide a source for the gum and the remaining forests.
Aranga is a locality in Northland, New Zealand. State Highway 12 passes through it. Ōmāpere is 47 km north west, and Dargaville is 42 km south east. The Waipoua Forest is to the north. Maunganui Bluff and the Tasman Sea are to the west, with the small settlement of Aranga Beach lying at the northern end of Ripiro Beach.
Deforestation in New Zealand has been a contentious environmental issue in the past, but native forests now have legal protection, and are not allowed to be tampered with by humans.
The Northland temperate kauri forests is an ecoregion in northern New Zealand, within the temperate broadleaf and mixed forests biome.
Kauri dieback is a forest dieback disease of the native kauri trees of New Zealand that is suspected to be caused by the oomycete Phytophthora agathidicida. Symptoms can include root rot and associated rot in a collar around the base of the tree, bleeding resin, yellowing and chlorosis of the leaves followed by extensive defoliation, and finally, death.
The North Island kōkako is an endangered forest bird which is endemic to the North Island of New Zealand. It is grey in colour, with a small black mask. It has blue wattles. Because of its wattle, the bird is sometimes locally called the blue-wattled crow, although it is not a corvid.
Aotea Conservation Park is a 12,300 hectare protected area on Great Barrier Island in New Zealand's Hauraki Gulf. It was established in 2015, and comprises 43 percent of the island.
Mokoroa Falls is a waterfall located between Muriwai and the Waitakere Ranges in Auckland’s west coast in New Zealand.
Tāwharanui Regional Park is a regional park on the Tāwharanui Peninsula in the Auckland Region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located in Rodney, east of Warkworth and north of Auckland.
Northland Conservation Park is a group of protected areas in the Northland Region of New Zealand's North Island.
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