Whirinaki Forest

Ngati Whare shares Whirinaki, one
of the world's most precious rainforests
at Te Whaiti, Te Urewera, Aotearoa, NZ

Whirinaki Rain Forest Park, an experience to treasure

We the Ngati Whare Iwi are the Kaitiaki (guardians) of the Whirinaki and all its treasure. Our ancestors have lived in this rich valley for around one thousand years. The forest and its resources have always been both our food source and our medicine cupboard.

We have much richness to share. Kaitiakitanga is a sustainabilty program that our school is running in partnership with our community, the Department of Conservation.and many others. We are determined to ensure that the forest, the river, our language, our culture and all our wisdom is protected and passed on to future generations in a better state than we received it.

We invite you todiscover and respect the treasure we share, at Te Whaiti / Minginui just over one hours drive from Rotorua.

Whirinaki Forest Park is described as a 'dinosaur forest, due to its many tall trees which began life hundreds of years ago. It contains species unique to NZ that developed over millions of years.

Here we will help you rediscover the miricle of life. The tranquility of tall mountains, the crystal clear Whirinaki river, waterfalls, forest, bush tracks, bird life, nature, people and relationships in balance.

Whirinaki was one of New Zealand's most famous conservation battlegrounds. We realise now that for a period our economic survival instincts caused us to lose touch with our traditional values. We thank those dedicated "Greenies" who fought so hard to protect the remaining forest from milling by the Government Forestry programmes at the time. A painful lesson for all is being healed by knowing that together we can safeguard this treasure for the future.

We have a new battle on to save the forest - against the pests like possums, rats, stoats, cats, weeds, people and activities that destroy the natural balance of the forest. We invite you to join the army of conservation and other volunteers who support us in ensuring the sustainability of the precious ecology we enjoy.

We welome you to enjoy our place. Click on the Be our Guest tab at the top of each page for what our community offers to make your experience unique. We are on the Te Urewera Rainforest Route - see website for a collection of local tourism operators and actiivities that can connect you to the rich spirit of our region, Download the manual with all information

NOTICES AND OPPORTUNITIES:

Our gift to you - download our Free Whirinaki Wall Calendar

1. Our Royal Kiwi, Princess Beatrice adopted by Prince Andrew
2. Come ride the spectacular new Whirinaki MTB track
3. Come tramping in Whirinaki. . See Kiwi, Weka and Kaka
4. What we and our school are up to Download videoclips
5. VIDEO - view a dialogue in our rainforest forest with US environmentalist and sustainability catalyst Hunter Lovins

This site is under constant development thanks to assistance from teams at AUT.  An * in a menu is used to show a function that is not yet available. We are working to establish a multimedia organisation in our community to carry out ongoing development. (Our students at Te Kura Toitu o Te Whaiti Nui-a-Toi wereawarded third place in the 2003 NZ school web challenge).  Feedback please to temporary webmaster.