At the toe of Tane

Gazing up, the tip of Tane rises more than 50 metres above the ground. Pictures by Jo Ferris

On the way to Hokianga Harbour Jo Ferris stops to grasp the presence of New Zealand’s largest kauri tree firsthand . . .

My bucket list is a work in progress. It changes with the years, whimsy and emerging possibilities. Realistically, it also adapts to my physical capacity. I make no grandstands on any epic feats compared with true adventurists, but one simple encounter reminds me what paltry specks in the march of time we really are.

Standing at the toe of Tane Mahuta is humbling. I have seen giant kauri trees before — enjoying a close-up experience with one nameless specimen while on tour to Cape Reinga. Nothing prepared me for the effect the lord of the forest would have, however. Driving through Waipoua Forest, I was advised that the great tree was a three-minute stroll from the highway. It seemed odd at the time; yet in truth, it makes perfect sense.

The entree to the main event was inspirational enough. Other giants — some dying or already dead — capture imagination simply passing by them. There’s a constant urge to stop at every one, to admire their splendour and take yet another photo to keep the memory alive. The very thought of these trees dying from crippling kauri dieback — including the great godfather himself — is profound. Who would think human footprints could be so devastating?

Arriving at the sidings where hoards of vehicles and coaches stop, the timing was perfect. Numbers were low and parking was relatively easy, thankfully, given the small amount of space on this narrow stretch of SH12.

The coffee caravan must do good business — and just as well there’s a loo. Mercifully, the rain was also at bay. Not quite the blue sky I had hoped for to achieve prime photos, but dry was good.

That walk to the clearing was shorter than expected. Knowing how old and tall Tane Mahuta is, you expect to see him soaring above everything while treading the boardwalk. Yet, like every canny celebrity — conversant with timing and entrances — there he is. This colossus simply appears from oblivion, towering with regal majesty, gazing at the plebs below.

It’s an extraordinary feeling — an overwhelming sense of awe. Realising this tree is older than Jesus is staggeringly-hard to comprehend. The reality that mortals are mere fly spots on the wallpaper of life is a truth we tend to ignore. Standing directly beneath Tane is powerful enough.

The boardwalk continues, however, to another clearing. It’s a more distinctive view of this ancient Goliath and provides a better perspective of how magnificent this great kauri is; how insignificant we are and how much life around him has changed since growth from a mere sapling.

The Department of Conservation’s sign sums it up. Introducing Tane Mahuta as the lord of the forest, it informs visitors they are in the presence of one of the most ancient of trees.

“In Maori cosmology, Tane is the son of Ranginui the sky father and Papatuanuku the earth mother. Tane tore his parents apart, breaking their primal embrace, to bring light, space and air and allowing life to flourish.

“Tane is the life giver. All living creatures are his children. This is the largest living kauri tree in New Zealand. It is difficult to accurately estimate the age of Tane Mahuta, but it may be that Tane Mahuta sprang from seed around 2000 years ago during the life of Christ.”

The dimensions are unfathomable: a trunk height of 17.7 metres, a total height of 51.5 metres, a girth of 13.8 metres and trunk volume of 244.5 cubic metres.

Tane is thought to have been discovered in the 1920s when SH12 was being surveyed. He was again identified in 1928 by bushmen building the road. Little wonder then, that the highway passes so close — possibly right over the tree’s roots.

Tane tallest but not oldest kauriInterestingly, while Tane is the tallest of all Northland’s giant kauri, his close cousin Te Matua Ngahere — Father of the Forest — is stouter and deemed older.

Estimates range between 2500 and 3000 years old. Not as tall as Tane at just over 10 metres, this monster’s girth is 16.4 metres.

Standing in a different part of the forest, the walk is a 40-minute round trip, so perhaps time constraints limit the numbers flocking to see him.

Located on the same path are the legendary Four Sisters. Kauri normally fight for sole survival, so it’s rare to see a stand of four separate trees this age. Believed to have come from the same seed pod explosion, they have co-existed for around 500 years.

Against other wonders of the world, these leviathans probably don’t make the grade in terms of global recognition. For me, standing at the toe of Tane was truly wondrous, given this country’s civilisation is so young by comparison — even by Maori.

As the Government and DoC continue to try to save kauri, I pray this great Lord isn’t in his final chapter and reigns supreme for a while yet.

FACTBOX:

Getting there: The Tane Mahuta Walk is 3 minutes. Signposted on SH12, through the Waipoua Forest, it’s around 65kms from Dargaville in the south and 18km to Omapere in the north in Hokianga Harbour.The Te Matua Ngahere walk is a 40-minute round trip and includes the Four Sisters.