#waipoua

Tāne Mahuta is an example of the kauri tree that is native to New Zealand. These trees once covered large areas of New Zealand’s North Island, but today their area is much more restricted. The Maori used these trees for a variety of purposes, including building boats and shelter, but they were far more rapidly used when Europeans arrived on the islands in the 18th and 19th century. European settlers brought many of the trees down for building and to use the trees’ gum in making varnishes and other chemical products. On top of that, in the 20th century more of the trees’ original area was cleared for farming and agriculture. This tree now sits within the Waipoua nature sanctuary, established in 1952 to protect some of these trees. Other kauri trees that sit on private land have also gained protection as well in recent decades. Tāne Mahuta is over 50 meters tall and 4.4 meters in diameter (basically its wider than 2 tall people standing head to toe). These trees grow quite slowly and so this tree is believed to be about 2,000 years old. -JBB Image credit: http://bit.ly/1cTcvYp Read more: http://register.notabletrees.org.nz/tree/view/800 http://www.hokianga.co.nz/ http://www.newzealand.com/us/waipoua-forest/ http://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/native-plants/kauri/