Te Urewera is the home to one of New Zealand’s greatest forests. Almost every bird species native to the North Island is to be found in this eastern pocket of lush bush and tucked away hidden amid the dense green growth is the stunning Lake Waikairemoana…
Te Heuheu Tūkino IV
The sacred land that now forms Tongariro National Park was gifted to the government in 1887 by Te Heu Heu Tukino IV, chief of Ngati Tuwharetoa. This offering was to ensure the protection of the land. Starting with Tongariro and the generosity of one people, today’s national parks are gifts preserved in perpetuity for everyone.
Horonuku Te Heuheu Tukino IV, [Between 1880 and 1888] Image © National Library of New Zealand