Tall Story

This is a Kauri tree.  They still grow on the North Island although the majority were logged out some years ago.  The wood has a beautiful warm colour when used for furniture and domestic finishing of stairs and panelling.  It is remarkably easy to work having virtually no knots.  It is very durable; some Kauri wood still looks impressive although it is reckoned to have been buried in swampland for over 20,000 years!

Kauri are also MASSIVE - so much so that it is almost impossible to convey this in a photo as they grow in rainforest.  However, of you look at the top of this one carefully you will see that there is another tree growing out of the top of the Kauri.  This example started growing about the time of the Viking invasions of Britain.  Many of its main upper branches have broken, leaving it shorter than it used to be.  It is neither the oldest nor the tallest by a long way; the oldest survivor predates the birth of Christ, but men used to chop these down without a second thought.  It helps to explain why Kiwis are into conservation.