The Kauri tree (Agathis australis) is a coniferous tree native to the northern North Island of New Zealand. Kauri trees grow straight and tall to 40-50 m tall, with smooth bark and small oval leaves. Heavily logged in the past, Kauri are much less common than in pre-European times.
We thought the description of the Kauri warrented a visit, though it meant six hours of driving. And this is only across the tiny northern peninsula, at the top of the North Island. Fortunately our car was cute and comfortable, we got a thingy for the i-pod so we could play our music, and we had most of Jonathan Stroud's Ptolomy's Gate to get through. Besides, we were looking for oreo cows for our friend Constance in Taipei (black with a stripe of cream down the middle.
Agathis australis foliage
The leaves are 3-7 cm long and 1 cm broad, tough and leathery in texture, with no midrib; they are arranged in opposite pairs or whorls of three on the stem. The seed cones are globose, 5-7 cm diameter, and mature in 18-20 months after pollination; they disintegrate at maturity to release the seeds. The male (pollen) cones are cylindrical, 2-4 cm long and 1 cm thick.
The driving was over hilly meadowlands, few towns, few trees, shades of green and yellow. Then we saw the edge of the great forest approach. The land grew a little steeper, and the forest appeared unlike any forest we'd seen before. These are not pine trees, that dense green that approaches shadows in color, nor are they maple or aspen, with translucent leaves that tremble in any breath of wind. These were temperate trees, a wholly different breed. Still, we saw no kaori yet.
Kauri are predominantly found in the northern half of the North Island. The most famous are the Tane Mahuta and Te Matua Ngahere trees in Northland. Named after the Māori forest god and 'Father of the Forest' respectively, these trees have become tourist attractions due to their size.
The Kauri is the largest species of tree in New Zealand. The size and strength of kauri timber made it a popular wood for construction and ship building, particularly for masts of sailing ships. Its light colour makes it good for furniture. The tree sheds its bark in hand-sized chunks to prevent epiphytes from climbing it.
The ranger station has exhibits with stuffed kiwis, which were fascinating, but not what we came to see, so we went further up through the forest to the parking lot where the trails started. Here we could see Te Mahuta and the Four Sisters. We headed for Te Mahuta first - the largest around, oldest tree. Walking through the trees, we saw kaori after kaori, dwarfing the growth of their neighbors. They had a rugged bark much like a sycamore. We expected them to be like sequoias or the great camphor trees in Japan, but they were like themselves.
The path turned, and there, glowing majestically out of the shaded woods was a tree of such immensity that it made all those younger kaoris look like upstarts. It stood alone, in a small clearing, framed by the leaves of lesser trees. It was stunning. We stood there in awe for a moment, before we approached.
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries kauri gum (semi-fossilised kauri resin) was a valuable commodity, particularly for varnish, and was the focus of a considerable industry at the time.
McKinely got some of the rosin with the hopes that she could use it on her cello bow, but her teacher says that it isn't pure enough. It sure is a lovely amber, though!
Square Kauri, 8 km east of Tapu on the road to Coroglen.
