Waima Lodge Guesthouse is located beside State Highway 12 on your left, look out for two huge phoenix palms as you drive eastward across the valley. The Tuhirangi Marae and Waima School, which are directly opposite Waima lodge, are nestled at the base of the sacred, native forest covered slopes of the Waima Ranges. This ancient rainforest covers the entire range of high country between Waima and the Waipoua forest through which you have traveled. These mountains are the highest point of Northland at 780 meters and they dominate the scene as you enter the Waima river valley. The forest park is accessible through a series of tramping tracks suitable for experienced trampers with a good level of fitness and experience. The great attraction of this region is the unique flora & fauna with plants such as the Waima Coprosma, which have only recently been discovered, and rare native birds such as the Kokako and Brown Kiwi.The Waima & Waipoua forest is the last untouched remnant of the great forest that once covered the entire country north of Auckland!Home to a subtribe of the Ngapuhi who call themselves Mahurehure, the people of Waima have occupied the fertile Waima river valley since its discovery by Kupe the great Polynesian navigator over one thousand, two hundred years ago.
