Andrew and I spent some time exploring Waipoua forest in the Northland region. It is home to the largest kauri tree in New Zealand: Tane Mahuta. Its age is estimated at between 1700 and 2500 years old.
The story of Tane Mahuta
The forest is also fairly old and is quite well established. It looks like something that really should be from Jurassic park with all the ferns, tall trees, hills, and just the sheer amount of green everywhere.
Waipoua Forest
To start the walk we had to pass over a biosecurity station, which cleans and sanitizes your shoes, rendering all plant material inert. This stops the spread of seeds and foreign plant matter that could potentially harm the roots of the delicate kauri trees. The entire walk is on a raised platform as well to help prevent damage and contamination. Andrew and I have passed through a number of these boot washing stations in our walks around New Zealand so far.
Tane Mahuta
Inside Nelson's Kauri Shop
The walk was simple, but quite beautiful. We passed over a bridge and walked along the boardwalk. Suddenly the path opened up and there stood this massive kauri tree. Pictures really don't do it justice! I was amazed at the number of plants that were growing in and around the tree itself. There were ferns on every branch it seemed.
After our walk we went to see the Nelson's Kauri shop and art gallery. A number of the Kauri trees have fallen over throughout history as a result of tsunamis. Farmers drained their fields of swamp land and discovered giant trees under the soil. They removed those trees and turned them into art! Very expensive art...there was a $16,000 table! There were a number of very beautiful things there and it was fun to look at everything.
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