| Kaimanawa Mountains | |
|---|---|
| Kaimanawa Range | |
 Sunset in the Kaimanawa Range | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 1,727 m (5,666 ft)[1] |
| Geography | |
.png)  Kaimanawa Mountains | |
The Kaimanawa Range, officially called the Kaimanawa Mountains since 16 July 2020,[2] is a range of mountains in the central North Island of New Zealand.[3] They extend for 50 kilometres in a northeast/southwest direction through largely uninhabited country to the south of Lake Taupō, east of the "Desert Road". Their slopes form part of the North Island Volcanic Plateau.
The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "breath for food" for Kaimanawa.[4]
The lands around the mountains are scrubby. To the west, where the Rangipo Desert is located, the soils are poor quality. To the east, the soils are more fertile, but the land is very rough. A population of feral horses, the Kaimanawa horses, roam free on the ranges.
Unlike the majority of mountain ranges in New Zealand, the Kaimanawa Range is divided into private land. Considerable areas of the Rangipo Desert are used by the New Zealand Army for training.
- ^ "Makorako Mountain Information".
- ^ "Notice of approved official geographic names". New Zealand Gazette. 16 July 2020. 2020-ln3118. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ "Place name detail: Kaimanawa Mountains". New Zealand Gazetteer. New Zealand Geographic Board. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ "1000 Māori place names". New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage. 6 August 2019.