Waipoua Forest

Waipoua, on the west coast of Northland between Dargaville and the Hokianga, holds the largest surviving stand of kauri in the country. The trees are the whole point. Tane Mahuta, the biggest known living kauri, stands a couple of minutes from the road along a short boardwalk, a grey column with no branches for most of its height, wide enough that people go quiet when they come around the corner and see it. Deeper in, Te Matua Ngahere is shorter and thicker through the trunk. Kauri are vulnerable to a soil-borne disease carried on footwear, so the tracks run on raised boardwalk, shoe cleaning stations sit at every entrance, and some paths have been closed to protect the trees.

What you actually see

• Tane Mahuta - the largest known living kauri, a short boardwalk from the highway.
• Te Matua Ngahere - a shorter, far thicker trunk reached on a longer forest walk.
• Guided evening walks - local guides taking small groups into the forest after dark.
• The forest itself - dense subtropical bush of ferns, nikau and rimu around the giants.

When to go

Any time of year works, since Northland is mild and the boardwalks handle wet weather. Winter is quieter and wetter, and rain makes the forest smell and drip in a way dry days do not. Early morning and late afternoon avoid the tour vans that stop at Tane Mahuta through the middle of the day. Allow a full day if you are driving the loop from Dargaville.

Honest expectations

Seeing Tane Mahuta takes about ten minutes, which surprises people who drove three hours for it. There is no visitor centre at the tree, only a car park and a cleaning station, and you must scrub and spray your shoes going in and out. Some tracks have been closed to slow kauri dieback, so check before planning a longer walk. Mosquitoes are persistent in still weather.

Nearby

The Hokianga Harbour and the dunes at Opononi are north, Dargaville and the Kai Iwi Lakes to the south.