For more than five years, the walking tracks lacing through the dense forest that covers these hills have been closed to the public, placed under rähui (a cultural ban on human entry) in a race to save the trees from kauri dieback, a devastating pathogen irreversibly destroying the population.
Just 2% of kauri (Agathis australis) forest remains, the rest wiped out by logging during the early to mid-colonial era. Ecologically, the forest is significant: it's the last refuge for a number of rare species, including Pekapeka, a native bat, and hosts some of the most significant old growth kauri remaining within the city's province.
The rähui, conservation experts say, has paid off, with the pause from human interference now allowing for a reopening of parts of the popular regional park, which spans about 17,000 hectares (42,000 acres).
Denne historien er fra February 02, 2024-utgaven av The Guardian.
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Denne historien er fra February 02, 2024-utgaven av The Guardian.
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