Looking up in Waipoua Kauri Forest

Kauri trees – one of the biggest (the biggest?) native NZ plants – are kind of like the Redwoods of NZ. They’re broad, tall, and folks loved to cut them down over the course of the 20th century. Due to their straight, strong trunks, logging them to use as ship masts was a primary early European activity in the country. Kauri forest only covers approximately 5% of the square mileage it once did, but is now closely protected (we had to wash our shoes before entering the forest areas, and boardwalks were heavily used to keep visitors off the shallow, delicate tree roots). Over 35 species have been found living in the canopy of Kauri trees, as we later learned at the Auckland Museum!

We visited Tāne Mahuta, “the Father of the Forest” and largest Kauri tree, as well as the Four Sisters.