Urewera National Park

Urewera National Park

Urewera National Park is located in the Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand’s North Island. Established in 1954, it covers an area of 2,127 square kilometers, making it one of the largest national parks on the North Island. It is renowned for its vast expanses of pristine forest and rare native animals and birds.

Urewera National Park has long been the home of the Tuhoe people, with a history that dates back to the era of the Mist Maiden and the Mountain God—a heritage that is both ancient and enduring. The park’s most captivating feature is its extensive tracts of primeval forest. Towering ridges shrouded in mist are covered with dense beech woodlands, lush and thriving. Within the park, visitors can spot nearly all of New Zealand’s native bird species, including the North Island brown kiwi, blue duck, yellow-crowned parakeet, kaka, New Zealand falcon, and the kererū with its distinctive blue wattles—rare and precious birds that live peacefully in this natural, harmonious environment, undisturbed by the outside world.

People love to visit Urewera National Park for hiking, fishing, kayaking, and hunting. Most visitors enjoy venturing into the vast rainforests, where a sense of mystery surrounds them and surprises await at every turn.

Te Urewera National Park

Reason to visit: New Zealand’s largest pristine forest park

Continent: Oceania

Country/Region: New Zealand

Province/State: Hawke's Bay Region