#paraoa

Of whales and Trees

“...a special connection between the mighty Kauri tree and the Parāoa (sperm whale). Thousands of years ago, they were very close friends and, before returning to live in the sea, Parāoa gifted its skin to Kauri for protection. This explains the similarity between the skin of the sperm whale and the bark of Kauri trees and the fact that both produce valuable substances for humans: kauri gum and ambergris. Some say that, to this day, when sperm whales come closer to the coast of New Zealand, they sing for the Kauri trees and the trees sing back to them.”

source: x