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Seeking history buffs

2K views 8 replies 6 participants last post by  Jim Jakosh 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
I've recently purchased some Ancient Kauri which is the oldest known workable wood species known. It's being excavated from old swamp beds from New Zealand. I am not much of a history buff so I was wondering if anyone out there might have some interesting facts about what the Earth was like and what these trees may have been exposed to and/or what used to land in their limbs and climb them when they stood 40,000 to 50,000 years ago.

Thanks!
 
#2 ·
...hmmm, mosquitoes no doubt, judging by their excavated location, but that's just a guess. ;-)

I've often seen pictures of mosquitoes that were trapped in Amber sap from prehistoric trees, so check your lumber closely. :cool:

Have fun with your new old lumber and post pictures, please.

Best Regards. - Grandpa Len.

Work Safely and have Fun.
 
#7 ·
Hi JR,
I could not find anything on what animals or birds roamed the earth then but I thought maybe you might be interested in reading this.
Cheers
Dave

"Tane Mahuta"
New Zealand's Tallest Kauri Tree
Agathis australis
Waipoua Forest, Northland
Natural landscape Wood Branch Trunk Terrestrial plant


Tane Mahuta is New Zealand's tallest Kauri tree, situated in the Waipoua Forest, in subtropical Northland. It is approximately 45 feet ( 14 metres) in circumference, and 169 feet ( 52 metres) tall.

Kauri ( pronounced "kah-oo-ree") is a type of pine tree belonging to one of the most ancient families of trees. Kauri's ancestors were to be found between 100 to 200 MILLION years ago. Tane Mahuta ( which means God of the Forest) is believed to be 2000 years old. It is part of a protected Kauri forest.

The second tallest Kauri tree can be found at Matapouri, just a few kilometres from www.shopenzed.com in Ngunguru.

When the Europeans arrived in New Zealand in the early 1800s, they quickly recognised the value in the Kauri hardwood, and there was mass felling of kauri logs. The timber was used for ship building, houses, furniture, woodturning, and many other uses. As a result of the mass destruction of the Kauri forests, Kauri is now a protected species and cannot be felled.

SWAMP KAURI
Due to natural forces over thousands of years, many Kauri trees lie perfectly preserved in swamps throughout the North of New Zealand. Some have been carbon dated at 50,000 years old! It's a mystery what made these giant trees fall - was it tsunami, earthquake, a volcanic eruption, mass flooding? Luckily for us, as the swamps were drained over the centuries, some of these Kauri trees appeared under the surface of the ground.

Swamp kauri is prized for turning into kauri wood furniture and tableware, including beautiful Kauri bowls. It may be the natural dark honey color, or natural stains may turn it a rich dark brown or even a greenish hue. Regardless of the color, the grain is what makes it so beautiful.

KAURI GUM
Plant Natural material Ingredient Dish Fashion accessory


Kauri gum is a resin which bleeds from the Kauri tree when a branch is broken off or a cut is made in the bark.
It is a natural seal for the tree's wound, preventing water or rot getting into the tree. The resin can bleed out into a sizeable lump, which is then discarded with the bark as the tree grows.

Pictured (left) above is a piece of kauri gum found by one of my ancestors. It measures approximately 8" x 5" x 5".
The Maori used Kauri gum as a chewing gum and for lighting fires, and it was also used as a tattoo pigment. The Europeans collected Kauri gum from above ground and then later dug it up from below ground as well.
Men could make a living just from gum digging. The gum was shipped overseas to be incorporated into lacquers, varnishes and linoleum. Eventually the trade died off as synthetic substitutes were created in the 1930s.

Kauri Snails
Paryphanta spp
Brown Eye Wood Natural material Shell


Kauri Snails are a giant carniverous land snail. Called pupurangi by the Maori, the kauri snail pictured is found in Northland but with close relatives in parts of Australia.

There is actually no relationship between the snail and the Kauri tree, as the ground around the base of a Kauri tree is usually too dry to be home for the worms the kauri snail feeds on.
Kauri snail eggs are white, oval, and about 1/2" long. They are deposited in nests in the leaf mould that makes up the forest floor.

Only 10% of snails are carniverous, making this snail unusual, and introduced predators have made the Kauri Snail a rarity and protected species in New Zealand.
 

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#9 ·
I don't know a lot about Kauri but that museum site was pretty nice and it said it a Gum tree. Sooooooooo, I'm sure there were kookaburras in that gum tree like I saw in Australia and like the song says!

Cheers, mate!!...................Jim
 
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