Arataki Visitor Centre, Tourism office and educational center in Waitakere Ranges Regional Park, New Zealand

The Arataki Visitor Centre is an information hub located in the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park offering displays on local wildlife and native vegetation. The center provides detailed information and maps covering the extensive network of walking trails and natural features throughout the park.

The Arataki Nature Trail near the site opened in 1974; the visitor centre itself opened in 1994, designed by Harry Turbott. In late 2017 Te Kawerau ā Maki placed a rāhui on the Waitākere Ranges tracks because of kauri dieback, and Auckland Council closed them formally in April 2018. The upper Arataki Nature Trail was among the first tracks to reopen after upgrades, in May 2018.

The carved pou at the entrance depicts ancestors of Te Kawerau ā Maki: Tiriwā, namesake of Te Wao Nui a Tiriwa, then Rakatāura / Hape, Hoturoa, Maki and his son and grandson. The original pou was removed in 2009 after the wood was damaged and replaced with one carved from fallen kauri from the Waitākere Ranges.

The centre is the trailhead for the Hillary Trail, the Rangemore Track and a five-minute nature walk through the forest biomes of the ranges. Because kauri dieback closed the full Hillary Trail as of 2023, check current track status at the desk before setting out. The upper Arataki Nature Trail reopened in May 2018 after upgrades.

The upper Arataki Nature Trail, opened in 1974, was among the first tracks to reopen in May 2018 after upgrades following the rāhui placed on the Waitākere Ranges tracks in late 2017. The full Hillary Trail, which starts here and runs to Muriwai, remained closed as of 2023 because of kauri dieback.