Seventy Mile Bush facts for kids
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The Seventy Mile Bush was a very large area in New Zealand. It was covered in thick forest. This forest stretched from the Wairarapa region all the way to Central Hawkes Bay and its coast.
In the 1870s, people from Scandinavia (like Norway, Sweden, and Denmark) came to live here. They were immigrants who got help to move to New Zealand. When they arrived, they had to walk from places like Wellington, Foxton, and Napier. Their job was to cut down the trees and clear the land. They wanted to make the land ready for farming.
However, the land was not quite what they expected. It was very challenging to clear. Since they didn't have money to go back home, they had to stay. They worked hard to build new lives in this forested area.
Where Was the Seventy Mile Bush?
This big forest area included places that are now towns. These towns are Norsewood, Dannevirke, Pahiatua, and Eketahuna. They are all in the Tararua District. The forest also reached into Hawkes Bay. It went close to the towns of Takapau and Maraekakaho.
The eastern edge of the Seventy Mile Bush went almost straight north to south. It started just south of Cape Turnagain on the coast. It ended about 40 kilometres west of Hastings.
The Forty Mile Bush
The Forty Mile Bush was the southern part of the Seventy Mile Bush. Think of it as the lower section of the larger forest. It stretched from a place called Kopuaranga, near Masterton, up to Woodville.
A Small Part Still Exists
Most of the Seventy Mile Bush was cleared for farming and towns. But a small piece of it was saved. In 1888, the Mount Bruce Forest Reserve was created. Today, this area is known as the Pukaha / Mount Bruce National Wildlife Centre. It's a special place where you can see native New Zealand wildlife and learn about conservation.
