Rimutaka Range

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The Rimutaka Range, sometimes referred to as Rimutaka Ranges, is a mountain range in the southern part of the North Island of New Zealand, which runs parallel to the coast line between Upper Hutt and the coast of Cook Strait on a length of approximately 50 kilometers. The widest range of mountain ridge has about 40 kilometers.

The mountains of the Rimutaka Range are the southernmost of the North Island. To the west of the ridge through the Hutt Valley and the Wellington Harbour, on the south by the Cook Strait, to the east by the Ruamahanga River and Lake Wairarapa and north is limited in the connection between Upper hat and Featherston through the Tararua Range.

The highest elevation of the Rimutaka Range is Mount Matthews with 940 meters height. The Clime Mount, with its 831 meters of height is an important weather and wind protection from the strong southern winds and concise part of the skyline visible from Wellington Range.

Rimutaka Forest Park

Part of the Rumutaka range occupied by the 22,000 -acre Rimutaka Forest Park. This park is a popular recreational and hiking area, especially for the people of Wellington. The data base maintained by the Department of Conservation Park has many popular hiking trails.

History

The Māori used the Rimutaka Range at an early stage as a habitat and food source. Numerous sites can be inferred from earlier settlements of Māori today.

Railway over the Rimutaka Range

In 1878 was built a railway line between Upper Hutt and Featherston through the Hutt Valley and on a section up to the crest of the Rimutaka Range, brought here by fur shear center rail in the track the train over the mountains. In 1955 the route was abandoned in favor of a railway tunnel. The former railway embankment is a particularly popular for mountain biking route today.

Earthquake

In 1855 were the Rimutaka Range center of the heaviest measured and verifiable in New Zealand earthquake, which should go down as the Wairarapa earthquake of 1855 in the country's history. The quake had with the strength of 8.2 on the Richter scale, the increases of the area around partly to just over 6 meters and several tsunamis in the surrounding coastal areas and the Wellington Harbour result.