Waipoua Forest and the Kauri Trees

With the cyclone still dumping rain Andy and I stock up the car and head north up the West coast heading for the great Waipoura Forest to look at the great Kauri Trees that grow there. They are the largest trees in New Zealand and have a huge trunk that was highly prized for the lumber. They are not large on the order of the Giant Redwoods in California but they are right up there. They are protected now so they can’t be cut down but they find ancient Kauri logs buried in mud that are perfectly preserved and viable. These can be logs that are up to 30,000 years old. Really amazing. The trees also produce a thick gum when they are injured. This is very much like amber in color and texture. We learn all this by stopping at the Kauri Museum (paying $12 admission). Well worth it!

We finally reach Waipoura Forest in the late afternoon and we drive though and stop at the track that takes us to Tane Mahuta “Lord of the Forest”. The largest existing Kauri Tree in New Zealand. We have the place almost to ourselves. I set up the tripod to take a picture of us in front of the tree for scale and as I am running back to the railing that Andy is standing on I leap up to stand next to him and my foot slips on the slimy surface of the railing and I go head long over the rail and almost fall into the delicate root of the tree but The quick hands of Andy manages to grab my shoulder and hold me enough to allow me to grab the railing in a most undignified fashion. But saved I was and we have the picture to boot! We travel on and stop to make dinner under a tarp that we sting up from Homey to a light poll to keep out of the rain. We cook up our dinner and then head a little further east finally stopping in a small town to camp behind the city hall. Andy sleeps in his bivy sack between the van and the back wall. It rains all night long. I expect to hear a knock during the night but Andy is tough as a coffin nail and has a fine sleep.