The Maungataniwha Range is a volcanic mountain range located in

Northland Region The Northland Region ( mi, Te Tai Tokerau) is the northernmost of New Zealand's 16 local government regions. New Zealanders sometimes refer to it as the Winterless North because of its mild climate all throughout the year. The main population ...

of New Zealand. The Mangamukas, as it is known by the local residents and many Northlanders because of the name of the settlement and

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the ...

on the southern side, separates Kaitaia and the

Aupouri Peninsula The Aupouri Peninsula is a tombolo at the northern tip of the North Island of New Zealand. It projects between the Tasman Sea to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east. It constitutes the northern part of the Far North District, incorporat ...

from the rest of Northland. The highest point in the Maungataniwha Ranges is Raetea at 744m. The range is home to many

kauri ''Agathis'', commonly known as kauri or dammara, is a genus of 22 species of evergreen tree. The genus is part of the ancient conifer family Araucariaceae, a group once widespread during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, but now largely res ...

trees and part of the range is a part of Northland Forest Park. The New Zealand

Ministry for Culture and Heritage The Ministry for Culture and Heritage (MCH; ) is the department of the New Zealand Government responsible for supporting the arts, culture, built heritage, sport and recreation, and broadcasting sectors in New Zealand and advising government on s ...

gives a translation of "

taniwha In Māori mythology, taniwha () are large supernatural beings that live in deep pools in rivers, dark caves, or in the sea, especially in places with dangerous currents or deceptive breakers (giant waves). They may be considered highly respected ...

mountain" for ''Maungataniwha''.

State Highway 1 The following highways are numbered 1. For roads numbered A1, see list of A1 roads. For roads numbered B1, see list of B1 roads. For roads numbered M1, see List of M1 roads. For roads numbered N1, see list of N1 roads. For roads numbered S ...

crosses the range and passes through the Mangamuka Gorge. With a summit of 383m, the road is known to be one of the most winding, twisty and hilly section of the entire length of highway in New Zealand. It was built in the 1920s and was sealed in 1961, making it the preferred route from Whangarei to Kaitaia. In the early 1900s, a railway was proposed to either run through the ranges or run round them to connect Kaitaia and the Far North with the

North Auckland Line The North Auckland Line (designation NAL) is a major section of New Zealand's national rail network, and is made up of the following parts: the portion of track that runs northward from Westfield Junction to Newmarket Station; from there, w ...

or the

Okaihau Branch The Okaihau Branch, sometimes known as the Kaikohe Branch and rarely the Rangiahua Branch, was a branch line railway that joined the North Auckland Line of the national rail network of New Zealand at Otiria. It was the most northerly line i ...

line of the

national rail network In United States railroading, the term national rail network, sometimes termed "U.S. rail network", refers to the entire network of interconnected standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gaug ...

. After much debate, the idea never went ahead and in 1936 the decision was made not to extend the Okaihau Branch to Kaitaia and the extension from Okaihau to Rangiahua was closed.

References

Mountain ranges of New Zealand Far North District Landforms of the Northland Region {{Northland-geo-stub