Natural features
Waipoua is home to the kauri, one of the world's mightiest trees. The largest kauri reach more than 50 metres tall, have trunk girths up to 16 metres, and sprang from seed as long as 2,000 years ago. Kauri seedlings need plenty of light, so kauri trees usually begin life growing amid manuka shrubland in forest clearings formed by windfall or fire.
Adolescent trees form a tapering trunk and distinctive narrow conical crown. Tall adolescent kauri have narrow pole trunks, but as trees mature the trunk thickens and the lower branches are shed, giving form to the clean straight trunk of the adult tree.
Kauri forest contains an abundance of other plant types including large trees like taraire, kohekohe, towai and northern rata. Beneath the forest canopy, the understorey and shrub layers can be equally diverse. Underneath mature kauri, tall dense stands of kauri grass and gahnia are prevalent. Mairehau, hangehange, neinei, kiekie and ferns are also common.
The forests of Waipoua are vitally important refuges for threatened wildlife. The endangered North Island kokako is found in the high, wet plateau country, but the small population is vulnerable to predation, and competition with possums and rats. Seen in abundance is the NZ pigeon (or kukupa) which plays a vital role spreading the seeds of many plants. Fantail, pied tit, tui, grey warbler, shining cuckoo and kingfisher are also fairly common.
Another distinctive creature is the large and very handsome kauri snail, a carnivore, which feeds mainly on earthworms; slugs and soft-bodied insects.