Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The few remaining pockets of mature centuries-old kauri are stately emblems of former
days. Their vast hammered trunks and towering, epiphyte-festooned limbs, which dwarf
every other tree in the forest, are reminders of why they were sought after in colonial days
for spars and building timber. The best place to see the remaining giants is Northland's
Waipoua Forest, home to three-quarters of the country's surviving kauri.
Now the pressure has been taken off kauri and other timber trees, including the distinct-
ive rimu (red pine) and the long-lived totara (favoured for Maori war canoes), by one of
the country's most successful imports - Pinus radiata . Pine was found to thrive in NZ,
growing to maturity in just 35 years, and plantation forests are now widespread through
the central North Island - the southern hemisphere's biggest, Kaingaroa Forest, lies south-
east of Rotorua.
You won't get far into the bush without coming across one of its most prominent fea-
tures - tree ferns. NZ is a land of ferns (more than 80 species) and most easily recognised
are the mamaku (black tree fern) - which grows to 20m and can be seen in damp gullies
throughout the country - and the 10m-high ponga (silver tree fern) with its distinctive
white underside. The silver fern is equally at home as part of corporate logos and on the
clothing of many of the country's top sportspeople.
Search WWH ::




Custom Search