The Maungataniwha Range is a volcanic mountain range located in

Northland Region Northland (), officially the Northland Region, is the northernmost of New Zealand's 16 regions of New Zealand, local government regions. New Zealanders sometimes refer to it as the Winterless North because of its mild climate all throughout t ...

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 stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

on the southern side, separates Kaitaia and the Aupouri Peninsula 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 evergreen coniferous trees, native to Australasia and Southeast Asia. It is one of three extant genera in the family Araucariaceae, alongside '' Wollemia'' and ''Araucaria'' (being ...

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 Creative New Zealand, arts, Culture of New Zealand, culture, New Zealand Historic Places Trust, built heritage, Sport Ne ...

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 respecte ...

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

Whangārei Whangārei () is the northernmost city in New Zealand and the largest settlement of the Northland Region. It is part of the Whangarei District, created in 1989 from the former Whangarei City, Whangarei County and Hikurangi Town councils to admi ...

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 Rail transport in New Zealand, national rail network, and is made up of the following parts: the portion of track that runs northward from Westfield Junction to Newm ...

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 rail lines in North America. It does not include most subway or light rail lines. F ...

. 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