| Dome Forest | |
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A view of the Dome Valley from the Dome Forest Walkway
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| Coordinates | 36°21′47″S 174°37′12″E / 36.363°S 174.620°E / -36.363; 174.620 |
The Dome Forest is a forested area of Rodney in the Auckland RegionofNew Zealand.
The forest is an area seven kilometres north-west of the township of Warkworth.[1] A forested area above the Dome Valley, the Dome Forest is dominated by a ridge, the highest point being the 336-metre tall peak known as the Dome.[2][3] The Te Araroa Trail follows the ridgeline of the forest.[2] The land is formed from erosion-resistant Waitemata sandstone.[1]
The native forest areas is dominated by podocarp and broadleaf species.[4] Some areas feature much older forest of mature rimu, tōtara, miro, kawaka and northern rātā,[4] and notably the Waiwhiu Kauri Grove, an area featuring 20 large kauri trees.[1] Species of Carmichaelia, the New Zealand broom, can be commonly found in the forest.[4]
The traditional name for the Dome (the peak in the forest) was Tohitohi o Rei, a name referencing the ancestress Reipae of the Tainui migratory waka. Tohitohi o Rei is a location mentioned in a traditional story of Reitū and Reipae. Reipae travelled around the North Island with her sister Reitū on the back of a large bird, rested at the peak.[1]
The forest is primarily owned by the Crown and managed by the Department of Conservation, and includes both commercial forest and areas of regenerating native forest.[5]
