Te Ngahere Rāhui Tirohanga o Gray

Gray's Bush Scenic Reserve

Nā Charles Gray i hoko tēnei whenua, he wāhanga nō tana pāmu, a Waiohika i te tau 1877. I te tau 1926, waru tau i muri i tana matenga, ka tāhuatia e ngā kaitiaki o ana panga tuku iho ki te Karauna hei Whenua Rāhui. I whakahaeretia ētahi wāhanga e te poari tae noa ki te tau 1979, ka whai panga Te Tari Puna Whenua ka hurihia hei Rāhui Tirohanga. Kei te mana whakahaere o Te Papa Atawhai i nāianei.

I mua, he wāhanga a Waiōhika nō te poraka whenua o Whataūpoko, 3000 eka i mua. Ko te tikanga o te ingoa, ko te wāhi i kōutu wai a Hika. I hokona atu te whenua ki a Charles Gray katahi ka hokona atu ētahi wāhanga. I tana matenga i te tau 1918, ka tukuna e tana pouaru a Emily te tikanga ki a J Louis Hay, he kaihanga whare hei hanga whare mōna, me ana tamariki tokorua pakeke, he kaitunu kai, he kaingaki māra.

Ko te ingoa Waiōhika i mōhiotia mo tōna hanga nunui me te kaihanga hoki a Louis Hay’s Frank Lloyd Wright-he kaihanga rongonui. I hangaia i te tau 1926, he paparua, 550 tapawhā mita, (5900 putu). I te whānau tonu Kerei ki te tau 1948. I riro i te maha, nō muri mai i te tau, 1981 ka hokona a Waiōhika ki a Dean rāua ko Lesley Witters.He pāmu rongonui ki te rohe, ki te motu me te ao, arā Rhythm and Vines mai i te tau 2023.  He māra wāina hoki.

Ahakoa iti, he pounamu, ngā toenga o ngā kahikatea me ngā pūriri. I ngā wā o mua, kapi katoa ngā papatahi o Tūranganui i aua rākau katahi ka whakawāteatia, ka keria kia rere ngā wai hei whenua pāmu, hei ahuwhenua.

Ko te raurākau whānui o te pukatea, te mahoe, te tawa, ngā kohekohe, me te matai te waimarie te kitea, te rerekētanga o ēnei momo, nā toenga rākau. Neke atu i te 400 - 500 tau te pakeke o ēnei rākau. He kaha tiakina tēnei ngahere. Ko ētahi o ngā rākau neke atu i te 40 mita te teitei.     

He wāhi whānaunau, whakatā, kaikai mo ngā manu taketake me ētahi atu momo, te korimako, pīwaiwaka, goldfinch, kāhu, kōtare, magpie, peihana, redpoll, tauhou, pīhoihoi, sparrow, tiutiu, tūī, riroriro, shining cuckoo me te blackbird. Ka kitea te kererū me te kākā i ngā wehenga o te tau e tika ana.