Pureora Forest
one of the finest rainforests in the world.
Pureora is a fine natural resource - a remnant of the ancient forests that once covered most of the country. During the A.D.186 eruption of the Lake Taupo, 7 metres of massive hot ash and pumice showers flattened the indigenous podocarp trees. Huge trunks lie beneath the ash, evidence to the force that devastated the forest.
The Pureora is a magnificent forest covering the Rangitoto and Hauhungaroa Ranges, west of Lake Taupo. The thousand-year-old podocarp trees of giant totara, rimu, matai, miro and kahikatea, tower high into the canopy of the forest. Pureora is recognised as one of the finest rainforests in the world and its trees belong to an ancient family of trees dating from the dinosaur era. There is rich native bird life in this forest including the rare kokako and the kaka, kakarihi and North Island robin.
The park has an extensive quality of tramping experiences starting with good tracks and wonderful views, a beautiful reflective lake surrounded by towering forests, rocky gorges, superb wetlands and dense broadleaf forests.