The Hunua Ranges is a mountain range and regional park to the southeast of Auckland city, in the Auckland and Waikato regions of New Zealand's North Island. The ranges cover some and rise to 688 metres (2255 ft) at Kohukohunui. Auckland Council owns and manages of the ranges, including part located in the Waikato region, as a regional park open to the public. Geography The ranges are located approximately 50 kilometres (30 mi) southeast of the main Auckland urban area, above the western shore of the Firth of Thames. They are sparsely populated, and mostly lie within the boundaries of the Waharau and Hunua Ranges Regional Parks. The settlement of Hunua lies on the foot of the Hunua Ranges. The ranges are covered in largest area of native bush in Auckland, with streams, waterfalls, and hills overlooking the Auckland Region and Hauraki Gulf. Auckland gets much of its water from reservoirs sources from rivers and streams, including the Hunua Falls on the Wairoa River. The Mangatawhiri Ridge is one of the last remaining breeding grounds of the kokako. Kohukohunui Kohukohunui () is the highest point in the Hunua Ranges. The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "great mist" for Kohukohunui. History Pre-European settlement Māori made some use of the ranges and early European visitors found areas of clearing that had been used as gardens. Ngāi Tai are tangata whenua. Some Māori archaeological sites are known. The main part of the ranges was subject to confiscation after the New Zealand Wars. Early European use of the ranges was for timber extraction and for farming but low soil fertility limited success. There has been some mining of Manganese in the past. Gold prospecting for quartz reefs has never found payable reefs. 20th century From the 1920s onwards the land was progressively bought by Auckland City Council utilising funds from its water supply operation. Development of the water supplies commenced in 1946, with the first of the four dams, Cossey's, completed with a capacity of 11.3 million cubic meters in 1956. Three embankment dams were constructed in the area: Upper Mangatawhiri (1965), Wairoa (1975) and Mangatangi (1977). Combined, the dams have a capacity of 77.1 million cubic meters, and supply approximately 68% of Auckland's potable water, through the Ardmore Water Treatment Plant. The bulk water supply operation and the land passed to the newly formed Auckland Regional Authority