The Omahuta Kauri Sanctuary was built in 1952 to enable a lot of people easy access to view giant Kauris and enjoy a true Kauri forest encounter, with many huge trees. The walk takes about 45 minutes. The track has been carefully chosen to protect the trees and many boardwalks ensure that the roots of the trees will not be damaged by onlookers and that visitors cankeep dry feet in the wet and swampy surrounding.
Kauri (Agathis australis) is one of the world's largest trees. Native to Northern New Zealand, it produces an excellent quality of timber and also gum that can be used by industry.
The Kauri logging period of Northland started in the 1860s and reached it's zenith at the turn of the last century. The demand for building timber increased with the level of immigration and the gum trade was encouraged by a rise in prices from 1865.
The Kauri trade was instrumental in the development of Auckland but more so for the upper Northern provinces. Gum stores, sawmills, and logging ports became centres of settlement.
The sanctuary can be accessed turning off from State Highway 1 (SH 1) into Omahuta Road a few kilometers South of Mangamuka Bridge.
Their trunks are huge and a person just disappears alongside these giants, decorated by beautiful lush under growth
Kauri trees were still logged in this area up to the 1970. This sounds incredible but is just a fact. New Zealand took a long time to realise that this rape of nature has to stop. Luckily such areas as this beautiful sanctuary have been created as well.