Urewera National Park

The Urewera National Park headquarters and visitor center at Aniwaniwa and ranger stations at Taneatua and Murupara give advice about walks in the national park, much of which is difficult to access, and information about the location of mountain huts. Walkers undertaking long hikes and requiring accommodation in the huts must inform the park authorities.

The first section of the park was established in 1954 and there have been further extensions since then. It is now New Zealand's third-largest national park. It lies in the Urewera Ranges, the densely wooded hills that are still regarded as the most remote and inhospitable part of the North Island. The endless dark forests, never cleared by settlers, prevent the soil from being washed away by erosion and reduce the rate at which water drains away.

The principal means of access to the National Park is Highway 38, which cuts through it from northwest (Rotorua) to southeast (Wairoa, Hawke's Bay). The best approach from the north is from Whakatane (Bay of Plenty) along the Whakatane River.

Highway 38, the only route through the park from Rotorua via Murupapa and through the Urewera Ranges to Wairoa, was completed only in 1930. 220km long, it is poorly asphalted, if at all, and is very hilly, with numerous bends.