Kauri Trees
Kauri trees are the biggest trees in New Zealand. Not the highest. The trees where massive (40-50 meters high with a diameter of 5 meters) and almost everywhere in the North Island as it seemed. To make it even better the wood is always straight, smooth and does not contain those ugly holes produced by branches as known by other trees. Very nice for masts, casks and houses.
Unfortunately no one took into account that these trees were thousands of years old and would not grow back in a human lifetime. Which didn’t stop the loggers from felling almost all the trees. And not even with carefull methods. There is a tree – lets get at it! This part is not as nice as the other one? Burn it!
Another ressource from the trees was their gum, which killed the trees as well as infection led to rot.
The treezide did not stop until the 1970s. As a result there are only a very few pockets left today. And you are not allowed to fell any more trees. Which makes even the leftover stumps a very valuable today.
The staircase shown in the pictures is walkable and made out of one of those stumps.
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