Matuaiwi mountain range

The Matuaiwi Mountain Range, or the Highlands, is Mirani's most substantial mountain range. The range stretches more than 100km from the south-western tip of the Big Island and to the North-East tip, it continues underwater for a considerable length with submerged hilltops rising above sea level. The width of the range at it's widest is 10km. The highest point in the range is Mt. Teitei at 2,643m high. The range makes up almost all of the Big Island's total area is the range, creating a very steep terrain.

Terminology
The Dividing Range consists of a single mountain range. It typically rises from 300m to 2,000m. The mountains and plateaus, which consist of limestones, sandstone, quartzite, schists and metamorphic dolomite, have been created by faulting and folding processes and volcanic activity. Rivers that run off the mountains run down in all directions away from the centre of the island, all following into the pacific ocean. At some places it can be up to 15 km wide. Notable ranges and other features which form part of the range complex have their own distinctive names.

History
The Matuaiwi Mountain Range was formed some 100 million years ago, when the main island collided with what the Australian and Pacific Plate. The range has experienced large erosion since. Prior to white settlement the ranges were home to many Mirinioan tribes. Evidence still remains in some places of their occupation by hut/house foundations and trails used to travel between the coastal and inland regions. After European settlement in 1832, the ranges were an obstacle to exploration and settlement by the British settlers. Although not high, parts of the highlands were very rugged and steep. Crossing the ranges was particularly challenging due to the mistaken idea that the creeks should be followed rather than the ridges, and almost impenetrable, labyrinth, sandstone mountains. Agriculture is very tough to establish in the area, due to the very rugged and steep terrain. Only in small areas can agriculture be established, along valleys and other small gental sloping areas. The soil is in very good condition, supporting a large range of native flora and fauna.

By the late 1840s the most fertile areas of the range had been explored and some areas settled. Various road and railway routes were subsequently established through many parts of the ranges, although many areas remain remote to this day. For example, only one highway and railway goes through the range, mostly along the coastal areas.

Notable components
Much of the range is covered in forests with little areas available for farming, although the ranges are high in altitude, there is only one recorded time period in which it had snowed, and with the effect it had on the native vegetation, it was clear that it was the first time it had done so in thousands of years. Vegetation on the peak of the highest mountains withered away and did not recover completely for 3 years. There are many creeks flowing down from the mountains, some become quite large, supporting large populations of fresh water fish and crustaceans.