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New Zealand
> National Parks >
The Kauaeranga
Valley
The Kauaeranga
Valley is a place of great beauty and natural wonder.
It is situated behind the town of Thames, and has
lots of things to do for the nature lover. Kauaeranga
was once the name for the whole Thames region.
The Kauaeranga
River used to be called Waiwhakauaeranga which in Maori means
‘Waters of the Stacked Up Jaw Bones’. Ngati Maru
historians say the name came about after a battle,
where the Ngati Maru stacked the jawbones of their
enemies in rows along the riverbanks after killing
them.
The Kauaeranga
forest was once used for kauri logging, and many of
the biggest and oldest Kauri trees which ever lived
came from here. They used to use the river for
transporting the logs down to the mills, and other
ways to transport huge kauri logs was with bullocks
and horses. The tree is excellent wood, because the
trunks are straight, and knot free, and it has a very
attractive colour and grain.
The history of the
Valley is in volcanoes. It ceased to be active around
5 million years ago, and most of the soft rock has
been eroded, leaving the tougher rock standing high.
There are the rhyolitic volcanic chimneys, which form
the pinnacles and Taruranikau, and former lakes of
andesitic lava like Table Mountain.
There are many
walking tracks, some with huts to stay in overnight.
Other things you can do include camping in one of the
numerous camping grounds, swimming, fishing,
abseiling, rock climbing, hunting or mountain biking.
Then there is the
North Islands highest waterfall, The Sleeping God
canyon, which drops 300 metres over a series of 12
waterfalls. You can do a canyon trip down these
amazing natural fun parks if you are so inclined! It
is a great way to get into the heart of the valley
and see the things most people who take the wai-wai
express (by foot) don’t see.
The views are
breathtaking, the rivers cold and clean, the air
fresh and clear...what more could you ask for! The
Kauaeranga valley is a spectacular place.
The valley is
sparsely populated and the residents who live there
are a friendly bunch, who have their own local hall
for dances and dinners, and the 21st
birthday parties of the local young adults. The
community spirit is very much alive in the valley,
and they all help each other out when need be. It is
a very special place, and hopefully stays that way
for a long time to come.
JL
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