Kauri Museum
We visited this museum on our way from Auckland to Whangerei (Fangeree, or Whangaree). The countryside was gorgeous even though it rained buckets as we left Auckland. When we got into the hills, the sun poked its head out and clouds of mist billowed up like steam, vaporizing in the air.
We got out at one of the viewpoints but I spent a few moments cautiously peeking into the dark crevices of trees. I was alternately hoping, yet terrified, of seeing a weta bug. A day earier we saw one in the museum. Dead, fortunately. They grow up to 6" long and the males have tusks.
The Kauri Museum has a huge collection of gum carvings, which are actually several collections. It looks much like amber, but is lighter in colour,more like honey. Much of the kauri gum was recovered in the early 1900's where kauri trees had fallen and the wood rotted away, leaving the hard gum underground. The gum is ancient because these trees have Methuselah lifespans. The oldest live tree standing today is over 1,200 years old. Carbon dating of *swamp kauri* has shown some of it to be over 1,000,000 years old, but much of the recovered wood, still in workable condition, is about 30,000 years old. It too has a honey-like colour and beautiful grain.
They harvested the gum by poking long thin steel rods into the ground, up to 20'in depth though lots was closer to the surface. When the poles encountered something hard, they dug. It was brutally difficult work.
We got out at one of the viewpoints but I spent a few moments cautiously peeking into the dark crevices of trees. I was alternately hoping, yet terrified, of seeing a weta bug. A day earier we saw one in the museum. Dead, fortunately. They grow up to 6" long and the males have tusks.
The Kauri Museum has a huge collection of gum carvings, which are actually several collections. It looks much like amber, but is lighter in colour,more like honey. Much of the kauri gum was recovered in the early 1900's where kauri trees had fallen and the wood rotted away, leaving the hard gum underground. The gum is ancient because these trees have Methuselah lifespans. The oldest live tree standing today is over 1,200 years old. Carbon dating of *swamp kauri* has shown some of it to be over 1,000,000 years old, but much of the recovered wood, still in workable condition, is about 30,000 years old. It too has a honey-like colour and beautiful grain.
They harvested the gum by poking long thin steel rods into the ground, up to 20'in depth though lots was closer to the surface. When the poles encountered something hard, they dug. It was brutally difficult work.
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