Pureora Forest Park Te Kuiti

The Pureora Forest Park is a huge natural wilderness to the south east of Waitomo and west of Lake Taupo, with majestic native trees, endangered plants, plentiful birdlife and native bats.

Walking in Pureora is truly awe-inspiring; you can’t help but marvel at giant totara trees rising to 60 metres high, alongside majestic rimu, matai, miro and kahikatea. Some of these trees are 1,000 years old.

The Pureora Forest park boasts a wide range of Waikato walks to choose from, many including historical sites and relics left behind from the logging legacy of the Pureora Forest Park. A crawler tractor, vintage steam hauler and historic tractor are all examples easily accessed by 5-10 minute walks.

Other key sites include the buried forest, discovered in 1980’s, the site has been linked to the Taupo eruption; the Forest Tower, a 12m high tower which provides a unique perspective of life in the forest canopy; the Pouakani Totara tree, the largest recorded Totara tree in NZ, and the treetop protest site, where protestors occupied platforms built in the treetops in 1978.

Walks vary in length from easy fifteen minute strolls to rugged three day hikes and the Timber Trail cycleway, each providing their own unique window into the area. Up-to-date information on these walks can be obtained at www.doc.govt.nz or from the Department of Conservation’s Maniapoto Area Office in Taupiri Street, Te Kuiti.

Please Note: Many of the walking trails in the Waikato region do not allow dogs. Hamilton & Waikato Tourism recommend checking with the Department of Conservation before taking your dog on any of the trails in the region.