Pureora Forest Park, Waikato Region, New Zealand

Pureora Forest Park is a 78,000-hectare (190,000-acre) protected area in the North Island of New Zealand. Within its rich rain forest are an abundance of 1,000-year-old podocarp trees. It is “recognised as one of the finest rain forests in the world”. Established in 1978, after a series of protests and tree sittings, the park is one of the largest intact tracts of native forest in the North Island and has high conservation value due to the variety of plant life and animal habitats available. New Zealand’s largest totara tree is located nearby on private land.

Anti-logging protests were led by conservation activists Stephen King, Shirley Guildford, and others in the late 1970s in what is now Pureora Forest Park. They had a novel way of erecting platforms on treetops, sitting over it to protest logging operations in the forests. The result of their efforts was tri-fold: the park was established in 1978; the Government of New Zealand changed rules to meet the protesters’ demand to permanently stop logging operations; and the Native Forest Restoration Trust was formed which ensured that the park develops several areas into its present format. One of the pine forest areas that was restored with native species of trees, with great efforts of Guildford, was named in her memory in 1988 a year after her death as the “Shirley Guildford Grove”.

User reviewed online profile of Pureora Forest Park: Waikato region, New Zealand. Plan your adventure holiday to Pureora Forest Park armed with information and reviews provided by experts and by users. Find out about when to go, how to get there, what to do, best season to visit, its wildlife, habitat and much more…

What to do in Pureora Forest Park:

Wild Life: Deer, Pig, Kokako, Kaka, Kakariki, Rifleman and North Island Robin
Adventure: Biking, Fishing, Hunting, Mountain Biking, Tramping, Walking, Bird Watching, Camping, Picnicking, Swimming

Where is Pureora Forest Park:

Region: The Park straddles the Hauhungaroa and Rangitoto Ranges between Lake Taupo and Te Kuiti.
Location: Otorohanga district, Waikato region, New Zealand

When & how to get to Pureora Forest Park:

Best Time to Visit: to
Getting There: The Park lies between Te Kuiti, Taumaranui and Lake Taupo and is easily accessed by SH 30 and SH 32.
Nearest Town: Mangakino
Nearest Airport: Rotorua
Nearest Railway Station: Te Kuiti

Where to stay (Lodges / Guest Houses / Camps / Resorts / Hotels):

Accommodation: You can choose to stay in a lodge, cabins, campgrounds or huts in the Pureora Forest Park. Pureora Forest Park Lodge: Situated next to the Waipapa Ecological Area, this fully self-contained lodge has 50 bunks and is ideal for large groups. The lodge is owned and managed by the Pureora Forest Lodge Trust and bookings are handled by the Pureora Field Centre.

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Climate & Weather conditions in Pureora Forest Park:

Temp: c to c
Rainfall: cm
Altitude: 1165 m

Other details about Pureora Forest Park:

Established: 1978
Area: 742 sq km
Language: English and Maori