Covering around 1,700 hectares, Pukenui Forest and the adjoining Western Hills Forest form the largest remaining forest in the Whangārei Ecological District. This ngahere (native forest) sits on the western edge of Whangārei City and is rich in both plant and animal life, offering a beautiful natural backdrop for walking tracks in Whangārei.
The forest supports a wide variety of native plants, including:
Large old-growth trees such as kahikatea, taraire, and totara grow in alluvial terraces, once feeding thousands of native pigeons, kākā, and tūī during fruiting seasons.
Pukenui and Western Hills Forest are home to a rich array of fauna, including:
The presence of long-tailed bats halted proposals to flood parts of the forest for a dam. This ecological discovery inspired the local community to protect and restore the forest’s unique plant and animal communities.
Visitors are asked to:
In March 2018, twelve Northland brown kiwi were released into Pukenui Forest, with plans for a further twenty-eight in coming years. This was the result of years of pest control and collaboration with neighbouring landowners to ensure dogs are controlled.
"Ten years ago we set ourselves a goal of bringing kiwi back to the forest… and now we’ve done it!"
