Mamaku Ranges
Template:Short description Template:Use New Zealand English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox mountain The Mamaku Ranges are a mountain range in the North Island of New Zealand. Located to the west of Lake Rotorua and north of Lake Taupō, they lie to the immediate south of the Kaimai Range and can be thought of as an extension of it, in much the same way that the Kaimai Range can be considered an extension of the Coromandel Range. The hills terminate in the south with the valley of the Waikato River.Template:Citation needed There were at one time numerous bush railways that ran over and through the Ranges.<ref>Green, "Rails Over the Mamakus." (1988, Railway Enthusiasts Society).</ref> One disused line has been developed for tourism.<ref>Self Drive Rail Cars</ref>
At their highest, the Mamaku Ranges rise to over Template:Convert, and much of the high ground within the hills forms a plateau. The range is extensively forested, with the Kaimai-Mamaku State Forest and Kinleith Forest both covering a considerable part of them. The forest includes kauri trees growing at the far southern limit of their natural range.<ref>TEARA NZ Southern limits of Kauri and other plants</ref> Some Kauri can be accessed via the Rapurapu Kauri Track.<ref>NZ DOC Rapurapu Kauri Track</ref>
- Wairoa River at McLaren Falls power station.JPG
Wairoa River near McLaren Falls drains the northern Mamaku Ranges
- Omanawa Falls.jpg
The Omanawa Falls are on the north eastern border of the Mamaku Ranges
- Scene from a Mamaku RailCruiser - panoramio.jpg
View near Mamaku of more accessible eastern portion of ranges with a former disused railway line used as a tourist activity.
- Tokoroa From Scenic Lookout.jpg
View to south from Tokoroa scenic lookout that includes in the distance to the left of the picture much of the south western Mamaku Ranges