Maori and the Kauri

Professor John Salmon says that to the ancient Maori, kauri ranked second only to the totara in importance.

Some of the greatest northern war canoes were constructed out of single massive kauri trunks, felled in the forest after elaborate tapu-lifting ceremonies, then hollowed out with fire and stone tools. The hulls of canoes made from single trunks in this way were known to reach 25 metres.

Burning kauri gum was used for heating and lighting, and a powder from the soot was used in tattooing. Kauri gum was used by the Maori for cooking and lighting because it burns very easily.They made torches with it to attract fish at night.

It was also used as a pigment to make the dark colours in tattoos, and as a chewing gum (after it had been soaked in water and mixed with the milk of the puha plant).

An end to logging

An end to logging

It's easy to forget that logging of kauri forests continued until comparatively recently. Government policy changed over the years, not only because of the dwindling resource but also in the face of mounting public pressure to save the remaining forests. The New Kauri...

The Coromandel Story

The Coromandel Story

A lasting reminder of the once thriving kauri industry on the Peninsula are the kauri dams of the Coromandel. Estimates of the number of dams constructed in the Kaueranga Valley near Thames alone range from around 60 to over 100, built across most streams in the...

Mass Felling

Mass Felling

Logs near Coroglen Kauri logs piled up near Coroglen after a log drive down the Waiwawa River. Ref. No. 1/2-022204; G Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of...