15/10/2022
Kauri tree, New Zealand
The towering kauris of the north island of New Zealand can grow to 150ft (45m) tall. They stand like ancient columns in the forest, their colossal mottled-grey trunks uninterrupted by branches until they’re well clear of the understory.
Resin from the trees, which occasionally drops off in lumps, accreted for thousands of years - that is, until entrepreneurs discovered in the late 19th century that it was the perfect ingredient for outdoor varnish.
In scenes reminiscent of the California Gold Rush, the 1890s saw a resin rush. 10,000 diggers from all over the Empire arrived with metal rods, which were then driven into the ground and twanged – the timbre indicating whether or not the prospector had struck resin.
The New Zealand government were sensible enough to tax the exports and pay for a whole lot of infrastructure. The fallen resin has all been collected now, but the trees that remain are utterly magnificent.
