Wood Water Soul - Ancient Kauri
How old can wood be? Part 1
This is the 50th edition of Wood Water Soul, and we have some new things to talk about. First off, thank you for reading and subscribing. It’s an honor to tell you these tales as we veer a little off surfing, surfboards, and my film Addicted To Joy. I hope our path will fascinate you as much as it does me. If you’d like to support this writing, I ask you to visit our store, where we now have WWS mugs, shirts, and stickers. It's pretty cool if I do say so.
Today, we turn the clock back about 50,000 years…that’s right, 50,000 years to the Ancient Kauri forests of New Zealand. Buried in the peat swamps of New Zealand, the trees were protected from decay by the low oxygen levels of the swamp. The modern-day Kauri is not the oldest living tree species in the world though. There are several species of trees that have been documented for that honor, from the bristlecone pine, several species of cypress, the baobab, fig, juniper, pines, and the majestic Giant Sequoia and Redwoods of the California Coast. The General Sherman tree in Kings Canyon, Ca. is estimated to be about 2,200 years old, and is 275 feet high (83.8 meters) tall, with a diameter of 25 feet (7.7 meters). The Kauri doesn’t grow tall, about 45-55 feet, but its girth can be astounding, reaching almost 45 feet. Unlike the Giant Sequois and Redwoods, the trees do not taper as they grow taller, the actually get wider. One tree found near the Hauraki Gulf on the North Island of New Zealand was reported to be an astounding 28 feet in diameter and having a girth of close to 88 feet, possibly the largest one ever found. The largest officially measured tree had a girth estimated at 66 feet, and it stood close to 100 feet tall.
Though the trees are mostly found in New Zealand, other species are found in Queensland, the Solomons, Fuji, and other islands of the South Pacific. The New Zealand species is by far the tallest. I was recently in my dentist’s office, sitting in the chair, having a crown put back on a tooth. On the screen, there was a video titled “Quiet Relaxation.” I immediately tried to grunt through the cotton in my mouth, going, “I know what kind of trees those are.” The dentist had seen the video 1000 times and couldn’t believe I knew what they were. The drone video showed a grove of about five trees; they are distinctive-looking.
My wife found this for me as a birthday present a few years ago. She knew of my interest in this wood and did some serious research to find this remaining copy from 1977. Inside were newspaper clippings like the one below from the New Zealand Herald, July 1969.
I treasure this book.
In 1772, the Marion expedition, comprising two ships, the Mascarin, and the Marquis, required spar replacements. They sailed into the Bay of Islands in Northern New Zealand, where they made friends with the Māori and set about to mill the straight, tall timers to repair their vessels. It’s believed that this was the first harvesting of these trees by non-natives.
My first involvement with this wood was seeing a table carved from a huge chunk that had a dolphin emerging from the center of the table; it was a true work of art. My interest increased when I found out that Richard Hoover of Santa Cruz Guitar Company had acquired some wood for the building of a guitar. I wish I had a picture of the finished guitar. I can think of no greater use for reclaimed timber than the creation of a work of art like that remarkable table or one of Santa Cruz Guitar Company’s exquisite instruments.
Next time, I’ll dive deeper into the harvesting that took place over the next 250 years since 1772. I hope you enjoy my fascination.
I appreciate you taking the time to read this, and I hope you enjoy the film and all of the full-length interviews. We do have some pretty cool things in the shop these days. Please share this Blog with a fellow surfer or with a friend who needs some Joy in their lives. I invite you to watch Addicted to Joy for free, Aloha.
