Kauri

The Kauri (Agathis australis) is a coniferous tree native to the northern North Island of New Zealand. Kauri trees grow straight and tall to around 50 m tall, with smooth bark and small oval leaves. Heavily logged in the past, Kauri are much less common than in pre-European times.

Kauri are predominately found in the northern half of the North Island. The most famous is the Tane Mahuta tree in Northland. Named after the Maori forest god, this tree has become a tourist attraction due to its size.

The Kauri is the largest species of tree in New Zealand, rivalling the sequoia in girth. The size and strength of kauri timber made it a popular wood for construction and ship building, particularly for masts of sailing ships. Its light colour makes it good for furniture. The tree sheds its bark in hand-sized chunks to prevent epiphytes from climbing it.

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries kauri gum (semi-fossilised kauri resin) was a valuable commodity, particularly for varnish, and was the focus of a considerable industry at the time.