[2] From 1 May 2018 the forested areas of the Waitākere Ranges Regional Park were closed, with some exceptions, while Auckland Council upgraded the tracks to dry foot standard protect the roots and to prevent the spread of kauri dieback, bacteria that affect kauri trees and prevents them from getting nutrients, effectively killing them.

[update] The name Wai-tākere originally came from a rock located in Waitākere Bay near Te Henga (Bethells Beach).

[4] In Māori the name Te Wao Nui a Tiriwa ("The Great Forest of Tiriwa"), referred to all of the forested areas south from Muriwai and the Kaipara Harbour portage to the Manukau Harbour, while the name Hikurangi referred to the central and Western Waitākere Ranges, south of the Waitākere River.

[5] The rugged upstanding topography is formed from erosion-resistant ancient volcanic conglomerate and lava flows laid down in eruptions from the large Waitākere volcano to the west 12–25 million years ago.

[6] The Waitākere Ranges and land south from Muriwai are the eastern slopes of the volcano, which were uplifted from the sea floor between 3 and 5 million years ago.

[7] Many of the features of the ranges, such as Karekare, Te Toka-Tapu-a-Kupe / Ninepin Rock and Pukematekeo, are remnants of volcanic vents and plugs.

The Scenic Drive follows a ridge of high points along the eastern ranges, connecting the communities of Titirangi, Waiatarua and Swanson.

[11][12] The Waitākere Ranges are known for the wide variety of fern species (over 110),[13] as well as native orchids, many of which self-established from seeds carried by winds from the east coast of Australia.

[17] The ranges were visited by Rakatāura, the senior tohunga (priest/navigator) of the Tainui migratory canoe, who named many of the locations along the west coast.

[19][20][21] The warm, sheltered valleys of the west coast streams were well suited for growing crops such as kūmara, taro, hue (calabash) and aruhe (bracken fern), and were the cause of many early wars in the area.

[20][19] The Waitākere Ranges sites have a large number of wood and fibre artefacts due to the weather conditions of the area.

[25] Approximately 70 dams were constructed along the waterways of the Waitākere Ranges, which loggers would break in order for kauri to be sent downstream with the flood of water.

[26] A tramway was constructed along the west coast gradually between the 1870s and 1914 linking to the sawmill and wharf, eventually being extended as far as Anawhata.

[28] Between the 1910s and 1950s, most members of Te Kawerau ā Maki moved away from their traditional rohe, in search of employment or community with other Māori.

[31] As weather systems approach across the Tasman Sea, their path is blocked by the ranges causing a small uplift sufficient to trigger orographic rainfall.

In 1895 the national Government vested the land, and several other smaller areas of the ranges, in the City Council as "reserves for the conservation of native flora and fauna".

This forest left a strong impression on residents who lived in these communities, and was one of the major factors that sparked the campaign for the Waitākere Ranges to become a nature reserve.

[33] Titirangi resident Arthur Mead, the principal engineer who created the Waitākere Ranges dams, lobbied the city council and negotiated with landowners to expand the park.

The act protects approximately 27,700 ha of both public (the Waitākere Ranges Regional Park) and privately owned land.

[40] In March 2006, entomologist Peter Maddison noticed many mature kauri in the Waitākere Ranges had been infected with a distinct oomycete disease.

A road, aptly named Scenic Drive, runs a good portion of the length of the ranges from Titirangi to Swanson.