We went on a tramp today (a common New Zealand pastime) off the beaten track, down ravines, up cliffs, through swamps and then, in the green gloom, you reach your goal - a kauri tree with twin bole, a scientific mystery..
Why the tree decides to split into two is a mystery and very rare. Kauri trees themselves, are impressive enough. It always makes us feel sad to imagine the huge kauri forests that must have existed and how magnificent these trees would have been.
The same feeling you get when you wander through the remnant of Sherwood forest, with its huge oak trees, and wonder where the rest went.
Here you can see the kauri 'bleeding' it's gum. Kauri gum hardens to something similar to amber, and just as valuable. The bark of the kauri trees shine out from the other trees in the forest. It's almost silver and the shape of the foliage is quite distinctive. They stand out among all the other trees.
Tomorrow we shall have a tree-fest and go to see some of the largest, tallest, fattest, oldest kauris that remain in New Zealand. Of course, these are nothing compared to what used to exist here. Mere babies of a past with awesome trees (in the true meaning of the word!)
For today though, we returned muddy and tired, but into sunshine and the girls cooking dinner.
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