Kauri (Agathis australis)

On my run this morning I came up a street in Herne Bay where almost all the houses are old villas, built of kauri timber around 1900. There are some newer buildings, mostly very recent.

For the first time I noticed a bungalow which would have been built about 1930; so neither an original nor part of the gentrification of the last 30 years. What drew my attention was less the house than the young kauri tree in the front yard. All by itself, and standing more than 20 ft high, this forest giant in the making is quite beautiful. In stark contrast to the house; appearing deserted and uncared for, the paint peeling off the weatherboards. Yet there appears to be a light on in the room with the bay window.

Rather than put up a picture of the house and the tree in its full height, I have chosen to post this close up of leaves and cone from the kauri.

Kauri are among the world's most magnificent trees. Living for up to 2000 years, they may grow to be more than 50 m tall, with a trunk girth of up to 16 m. The largest living kauri is known as Tane Mahuta in the Waipoua forest. He is 51.5m tall with a girth of almost 14 m and has a majestic presence when seen. One walks around a corner, and suddenly sees Tane Mahuta totally dominating the forest.

Sadly, a pathogen has started causing kauri in other forests to die. It is carried around on the feet of visitors to the forests, and is said to be universally lethal. Perhaps trees like this one, in scattered places through cities and countryside, may help the survival of the tree.