Kaimanawa Range

The Kaimanawa Range is a rugged volcanic mountain range in New Zealand’s central North Island that forms part of the Kaimanawa Forest Park. It contains a mix of forested slopes, tussock high country and volcanic landforms.

The area’s volcanic landscape formed in the geological past; since European settlement it has been managed for a combination of conservation, grazing and recreational access, with the current forest park status protecting much of the range.

Situated in the central North Island east of Lake Taupō, the range lies inland from the eastern Bay of Plenty and is accessed from several small rural highways and forest roads.

• Land management: Forms part of the central North Island high-country and is managed for conservation, recreation and limited pastoral and hunting use.
• Feral horses: The presence of feral horse populations is a notable wildlife and cultural feature; sightings are frequent in open basins and along some access tracks.

What to See #

• Kaimanawa Forest Park: Kaimanawa Forest Park, a large protected area covering much of the range that provides tramping routes, hunting zones and conservation land.
• Kaimanawa horses: Open high-country areas where the feral Kaimanawa horses are commonly seen; these horses are a distinctive and well-known feature of the range.