Monday, April 12, 2010

Traveling South

After our Very Long Day, we needed to get from Dargaville to Otorohanga in the center of the North Island. It is nearly a straight shot south but is still about a 5 hour drive. Before leaving Northland behind, we had to stop at the acclaimed Kauri Museum just south of Dargaville. It was a most worthwhile stop.

Kauri are another of NZ’s ancient trees. They grow tall and straight and tend to dominate the heights of a forest (see picture from last blog). Before Europeans arrived in NZ, the kauri forest covered thousands of acres in Northland. However, by the 1800s, it was being heavily logged, and it is estimated today that only 4% of uncut forest remains in small pockets in Northland. The museum told the stories of the pioneers who settled and worked this area in the second half of the 19th century. (As is often the case, only a very few made much money from these massive forests.) One huge room in the museum was a replicate steam saw mill demonstrating how the huge logs were cut into timber. There were also lots of details about everyday life of the time as well as one amazing room filled with kauri gum or resin. Kauri gum was used by the Maroi for cooking and lighting while the Europeans added varnishing and jewelry making (looks like amber) to the list. Another room/large hall featured a 540 ft. kauri slab (from one tree) running from one end of the room to the other.

The rest of our day was spent getting to Otorohanga.

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