Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Dishes are divided into 'small' and 'a little bigger', although there are also freshly shucked
oysters and simple but delicious breakfast options.
THE MIGHTY KAURI
The mighty kauri(Agathis australis)is an outsize member of the conifer family and
one of the world's most massive trees. It can live for over 2000 years, reach 50m in
height and boast an impressive girth of up to 16m.
When the first humans arrived in NZ, kauri forest covered large areas of Northland,
the Coromandel and Great Barrier Island. The trees played an important role in many
aspects of early Maori culture; integrated in creation mythology, rituals, war, art and
everyday life. Some large trees were given names and revered as chiefs of the forest.
On special occasions giant trunks were used to carve out largewaka taua(sea/war
canoes). Kauri gum had many valuable functions: burned as an insecticide in kumara
plots, wrapped in flax to make torches for night-fishing, and used as chewing gum.
Resin was also burnt and mixed with fat to create the ink formoko(facial tattooing).
It didn't take long for European settlers to cotton on. Prizing the excellent timber
and useful gum, they went about decimating these magnificent forests. The first kauri
stands to be felled were close to the sea, and on rolling country where bullock teams
could easily haul logs out. But as demand for timber increased, it became necessary
to log more rugged locations, such as the headwaters of the Kauaeranga Valley. The
problem of transporting logs to mills was overcome by the creation of reusable kauri
dams.
The first dams were built before the 1850s and they remained the main feature of
logging until 1930. The massive wooden structures were built across the upper por-
tions of streams to trap water. Trees were cut and positioned in the creek bed, either
above or below the dam catchment, and when the water was high enough, a loose-
plank gate in the middle of the dam was tripped. The sudden flood swept the timber
through the steep and difficult terrain to the rivers below.
Of the 70 dams that were built in the Kauaeranga Valley, remnants of one-quarter of
them can still be seen, including six on the Kauaeranga Kauri Trail. You can spot the
odd giant kauri here too, but the best places to view mature trees are Northland's pro-
tected pockets of remnant forest such as Waipoua and Trounson Kauri Park.
Saved from the lumberjacks, the kauri are now under threat from a fungus-like dis-
ease known as kauri dieback, which has killed thousands of the trees. Visitors to areas
where kauri grow need to do their bit to prevent the spread of spores, which infect the
roots of the trees. For a starter, stick to defined tracks, and keep well away from kauri
tree roots. Any footwear or equipment that comes into contact with soil should be
cleaned both before and after you leave the area. See
www.kauridieback.co.nz
for
more information.
