Te Urewera National Park is one of fourteen national parks within New Zealand. Covering an area of approximately 2,127 kmē, it is in the north east of the Hawke's Bay region of the North Island. On 28 July 1954, the catchment areas of Lake Waikaremoana, Lake Waikareiti and other Crown reserves were gazetted as a national park, and by 1957 proposals were well underway to add the rest of the Crown land in Te Urewera north of Ruatahuna. This proposal was formalized in November 1957 when an additional 1,350 kmē were added. Further additions were made in 1962, 1975 and 1979, with smaller acquisitions and boundary alterations in the intervening period.
