Mt Pirongia

The main attraction of the 170-sq-km Pirongia Forest Park is Mt Pirongia, its 959m summit clearly visible from much of the Waikato. The mountain is usually climbed from Corcoran Rd (three to five hours, one way), with tracks to other lookout points. Interestingly, NZ’s tallest known kahikatea tree (66.5m) grows on the mountainside. There’s a six-bunk DOC hut near the summit if you need to spend the night: maps and information are available from Hamilton DOC.