'It's bittersweet': parts of New Zealand's Wait?kere Ranges to reopen after ban to save kauri tree

The ban has been in place for more than five years to stop a pathogen killing the ancient trees, but the fight against the pathogen is not over yetThe lush Wait?kere Ranges that line the western ridge of Auckland City, known as T?maki Makaurau, are home to some of the country's most precious native fauna, including Aotearoa New Zealand's hallowed native tree, the kauri (Agathis australis).For over five years, the walking tracks that lace through dense forest covering these hills have been closed to the public, placed under r?hui (a cultural ban on human entry) in a race against time to save the trees from kauri dieback, a devastating pathogen irreversibly destroying the population. Continue reading...