Mount Pirongia

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Mount Pirongia

Mt. Pirongia at sunset taken from Tokanui Hospital
Elevation 962 metres (3,156 ft)
Location North Island, New Zealand
Range Hakarimata Range
Type Volcano (extinct)
Age of rock Pliocene

Mount Pirongia is an extinct volcano located in the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It rises to 962 metres and is the highest peak in the Waikato region. It was active in the late Pliocene and early Pleistocene times.

It is 22 kilometres to the west of Te Awamutu and eight kilometres from the small settlement of Pirongia, and lies in a forest park. It is clearly visible from the Tasman Sea, being just 25 kilometres from the coast at Aotea Harbour.

Mt Pirongia forest park is a popular place for hunters from Hamilton seeking a quick day trip hunt, holding several feral goat herds on its bush clad slopes, rumours abound about small numbers of red deer released by farmers after an earlier deer farming boom went bust. This forest park is administered by the Waikato DOC office in Hamilton.

See also: List of mountains of New Zealand by height