Fallen giants turned inside, out

Trash left by the men who milled Northland's giant kauri forests is becoming treasure at the hands of master wood-turner Terry Schischka, of Carterton.
The wood-turning focus of this retired timber worker has gradually narrowed, until today he works predominantly with kauri, making hollow-form pots. These are turned inside _ through a narrow hole _ and out, becoming highly polished and glistening gems of the wood-turning art.
The kauri forests sustained a massive spar-making, boat and ship-building industry in the Far North. Today only a handful of the giant trees remain, most of them in forest reserves.
The tree-fellers were followed by the gum-diggers, mostly Dalmatian, who extracted vast quantities of kauri gum to make varnish and other products. They left behind a wasteland it took generations to return to productivity. The land was dotted with the stumps and heads of the mighty kauri, left behind by the millers who wanted only the timber.
Terry came across the kauri almost by accident, although trees and timber have been part of his life for many years.
He was a competition axeman for 35 years and has been involved in logging and milling. He and wife Bunny got involved with an orange juice production company for the last 12 years of his working life and he's been retired for six years.
In 1990 Terry bought a small wood lathe for his son John, now a cabinetmaker in Carterton.
''He stuffed around with it then lost interest, so I started. I had to have something to do _ I was going mad with boredom,'' he recalls.
''Then I built my own bigger lathe and got into it a bit more.''
A friend unknowingly pointed Terry in the direction he follows today.
''He rang me and asked me to cut a couple of loads of timber for him in Doubtless Bay, up North.
''While I was there [he was living in Auckland at the time] I saw paddocks full of kauri stumps, and got permission to help myself to them.
''I spent six weeks chopping them up, waxing and storing the wood,'' Terry says.
Terry is largely self-taught, including manufacturing his own tools.
Although not a competitions man, he did enter a bowl in a contest in Manawatu last May and took out the prize for champion piece.
''That was a shock, because while it was a magnificent piece, it was different to anything they had had before.''
He sets himself a very high standard.
''My motto is, 'if in doubt, throw it out','' he says. ''You've got to be proud of what you do.''
Terry works at his wood-turning every day.
''In summer it might be a couple of hours in the morning. In winter I can work all day.'' Always it's hollowing _ ''for every 10 hollowed works I might do one open bowl.''
Ninety-nine per cent of his work is on kauri, but he does use other woods. Camphor laurel is one recent one _ the sweet perfume could be smelled down the street. Puriri burrs are another pleasing wood to turn. Puriri is Bunny's favourite and four of these adorn the Schischka house.
He also does charity work _ he made all the batons for the Relay for Life and wig stands for people who have lost their hair due to chemotherapy. He even made a lectern for St Marks, and says the proceeds of any work he does at the Men's Shed will go to that organisation.
The hollow form work in which he now specialises is finished by sanding with boiled linseed oil and turps, followed by eight coats of clear shellac. Open bowls are treated with oil and wax.
Neither form is designed to hold water.
Terry hopes son John, or one of his grandchildren, will follow in his wood-turning footsteps.
''I've got more wood than I can use, and I don't want to sell it.
''It's unique _ you won't see this wood again,'' says Terry.