On the Kauri Coast

...searching for the elusive Kiwi...the nocturnal flightless bird, not the fruit or the person...

On Wednesday morning, we picked up our "Jucy" rental car (like Rent-a-wreck), a grey Nissan sedan, and successfully drove out of central Auckland onto the motorway heading north. We only had to go around the block once more to get pointed in the right direction, giving us a little extra time to get used to driving on the left. The motorway ended within a few hours and we were soon on a two lane highway, winding our way through farmland and beach resorts. We turned west on state highway 12, stopping at the Kauri Museum. We almost didn't go in because the admission is $25 pp but we are so glad we did. We arrived in time for a guided tour by the daughter of one of the founders, a descendant of settlers arriving on this coast in the 1860s. These folk thought they were coming to farm but they had to clear the land first. Much of the timber was the Kauri, a huge dense hardwood...slow growing and long-lived. Another industry was "gum", the resin exuded when the trees were injured. The museum has beautiful examples of the furniture made from the Kauri...

...and a massive 22.5 m slab cut from a tree recently felled by lightening.

Kauri is now a protected species, being so slow growing, and has not been cut commercially for 50 years. As we drive through the countryside we try to imagine what it would like forested instead of the bucolic farmland of rolling hedges and green grass. Fortunately there are some preserved forests such as the Waipoa Forest, where we can get a good idea...

The only Kauri being milled now has been dug up out of swamps, and is up to 40,000 years old. Nelson's Kaihu Kauri (www.nelsonskaihukauri.co.nz) is one of the few remaining mills that cuts these ancient logs into slabs that eventually are made into furniture and beautiful carvings. 

The Kauri grow straight and tall with a massive girth. The lower branches are like plugs...

that are shed as the tree grows, resulting in wood that has a dense grain without knots.

As for that elusive kiwi? We went on a guided night tour through the nearby Trounson forest (a 1200 ha island of protected forest free from most predators except the ubiquitous possum).  Our guide shone his red light (red doesn't disturb the animals) at the forest floor searching in vain for these flightless birds. We heard them calling in the distance--a high pitched call from the male and a more guttural response from the female--but no luck. We rented this red light the following night to try again on our own, but no luck. Last night, third time lucky! We saw two birds foraging contentedly, not paying any attention to us. They were bigger than I expected, much like chickens and making soft murmurs.

We've also had a little beach time. This is a 100km stretch of sandy beach that is actually a legal road for 4WD. Fortunately we saw only three other people. The water isn't warm enough yet for swimming but perfect for paddling.