Brynderwyn Range Explained

Brynderwyn Range
Other Name:Brynderwyn Hills
Native Name:[1]
Photo Alt:Photo of Brynderwyn Range
Map:New Zealand Northland
Location:Northland, New Zealand
Elevation M:430
Elevation Ref:[2] [3]
Coordinates:-36.0742°N 174.5024°W
Type:Mountain range

The Brynderwyn Range or Brynderwyn Hills is a ridge extending east–west across the Northland Peninsula in northern New Zealand some 60 kilometres south of Whangārei, from the southern end of Bream Bay in the east to the Otamatea River (an arm of the Kaipara Harbour) in the west. Though not of great height (reaching only some 450 metres) it is a notable feature of the Northland Region's geography, not least because it is traversed by State Highway 1, which is forced to follow a tortuous route for some distance as it descends to the south. The small settlement of Brynderwyn lies at the southern foot of the hills, at the junction of SH1 and SH12. There are different walks of up to 10 km giving views of the Whangārei Heads, Bream Bay and out to sea.[4]

The hills were the site of New Zealand's worst road accident.[5] On 7 February 1963, a bus crashed after losing control of its brakes while nearing the top of the southern descent, killing 15 of the 35 people on board.[6] In July 2014 the presumed remains of a 20-year missing Northland man were found there by forestry workers on a steep hillside.[7]

Notes and References

  1. Book: . Piroa-Brynderwyns Landcare Five Year Plan – 2018–2023 . August 2018 . 10 October 2020 . PDF . Booklet . Piroa-Brynderwyns Landcare . https://web.archive.org/web/20200128060214/https://kiwicoast.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Piroa_Brynderwyn_Bream-Tail-Landcare-Five-Year-Plan_2018_2023-Aug18_on_s....pdf . 28 January 2020 . live.
  2. Land Information New Zealand . Land Information New Zealand . Topo50 map AY30 - Maungaturoto . May 2020 . 10 October 2020.
  3. Land Information New Zealand . Land Information New Zealand . Topo50 map AY31 - Mangawhai . May 2020 . 10 October 2020.
  4. Web site: Whangarei area: Brynderwyn Hills Walk. May 2014. Department of Conservation (New Zealand). 25 July 2014.
  5. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10863849 Brynderwyn tragedy: The nightmare never fades
  6. http://christchurchcitylibraries.com/Kids/NZDisasters/Brynderwyns.asp New Zealand Disasters – Bus Accident: The Brynderwyns
  7. News: Body found believed to be Northland man missing for 20 years. Edge. Kristin. 25 July 2014. The New Zealand Herald / Northern Advocate. 25 July 2014.