Waitakere Ranges - Ranges of Inspiration - Nature, History, Culture

Waitakere Ranges Protection Society Inc, 2006 edition
The western edge of the city of Auckland is flanked by the forested Waitakere Ranges. In thirty minutes from the centre of the city one can be in the tranquility of forest wilderness. Maori came and occupied the fringes of the great Forest of Tiriwa, Europeans came and milled the kauri, timber used to build ships and dwellings in the cities of the Pacific Rim, but remnants were saved. Today the forest is again thrusting skyward and new generations of people are appreciating beauty, once nearly lost. The story of the Waitakere Ranges is written by many authors who tell us from various points of view, what it is about the Ranges that they love and value. The book contains essays on the natural history, asserting the fascination and intrinsic value of the wildlife and proposing ideas to enhance it. Other essays tell the history, both the destruction and conservation of the great forest and the lives of the people who settled here. Maori past is presented as a poetic essay about the place names in history and legend. The Ranges environment has inspired some of New Zealand's most celebrated poets, writers and artists, so the book concludes with the reproduction of works of art, poetry and prose that are identified with the area....