Hunua Ranges

The Hunua Ranges is a mountain range and regional park to the southeast of Auckland city, in the Auckland and Waikato regions of New Zealand's North Island. The ranges cover some 250 square kilometres (97 sq mi) and rise to 688 metres (2255 ft) at Kohukohunui.

Auckland Council owns and manages 178 square kilometres (69 sq mi) of the ranges, including part located in the Waikato region, as a regional park open to the public.

The ranges are located approximately 50 kilometres (30 mi) southeast of the main Auckland urban area, above the western shore of the Firth of Thames. They are sparsely populated, and mostly lie within the boundaries of the Waharau and Hunua Ranges Regional Parks. The settlement of Hunua lies at the foot of the Hunua Ranges.

The ranges are covered by the largest area of native bush in Auckland, with streams, waterfalls, and hills overlooking the Auckland Region and Hauraki Gulf.

Auckland gets much of its water from reservoirs sources from rivers and streams, including the Hunua Falls on the Wairoa River.

The Mangatawhiri Ridge is one of the last remaining breeding grounds of the North Island kōkako.

Kohukohunui (688 metres (2,257 ft)) is the highest point in the Hunua Ranges. The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "great mist" for Kohukohunui.

Tāmaki Māori have traditionally used the ranges for a wide range of resources. The traditional name is Ngāherehere ō Kohukohunui ("The Expansive Forest of Kohukohunui"), named after Kohukohunui, the highest peak of the ranges. Te Hūnua was a name used to describe the wider country between the Wairoa River valley and Papakura. Māori made some use of the ranges and early European visitors found areas of clearing that had been used as gardens. Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki are tangata whenua for the ranges, and many archaeological sites are known within the ranges.