We tidied up our kauri built cottage, packed the car and left on the final stage of our journey round NZ. We drove south on SH12, back past the Waipoua forest and the big trees en route to Matakohe and the Kauri Museum.
As we neared the north end of the Karipara harbour we passed Mount Tokatoka, a most peculiar shaped mountain. We didn't have time to climb it, but apparently the view is well worth it.
Several people and all our guide books had said this was a worthwhile museum to visit, so we had allowed ourselves lots of time to look around it. They were right, it was a really well laid out and interesting place. This section through an old tree shows the dates relating to it's growth, showing when significant historical events happened in NZ. Other rooms showed how kauri had been used as an end product, how it was cut down and sawn up and numerous photos of the people involved. Life size mannequins, each based on a real person, showed how people lived in the late 1880s and early 1900s.
Here you can see a longitudinal slice through a kauri tree, and it's cross section on the end wall. The black and white rings show the sizes both of the big trees we had seen, and some of the largest trees ever found which no longer exist.
The largest recorded specimen was known as The Great Ghost and grew in the mountains at the head of the Tararu Creek. An historian said that the tree was 8.54 metres in diameter, and 26.83 metres in girth. It was consumed by fire around 1890.
We were in the museum for well over four hours, and could have stayed longer! (we did have lunch as well). When we finally emerged we drove south to Auckland, back to Robert and Stella's house. Drinks in the upstairs little lounge with a wonderful sunset, followed by a delicious meal, then bed.
Tomorrow the hire car gets returned, and we see more of the district around Auckland.
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